How Jacqueline Morrison is scaling, giving back and urging others to apply for the Women in Innovation Awards
When you speak to Jacqueline Morrison, founder of Napkin Innovation, the story sounds almost straightforward: a real problem, a bold idea, years of determination and an innovator’s steady belief in solving what matters.
But as with most founder journeys, the truth is a little more nuanced, filled with long development cycles, industry-scale collaboration, and the sort of quiet resilience you only build over time.
Today, Jacqueline is known not only as a Women in Innovation Award winner but also as an AccelerateHER Awards finalist, mentor, and peer-group facilitator for the next wave of female founders. It’s a full-circle moment for someone who once emailed AccelerateHER, saying she should absolutely not be pitching, only to be firmly told otherwise by the AccelerateHER CEO, Elizabeth.
Her story is precisely why initiatives like the Women in Innovation Awards from Innovate UK matter: when women with world-shifting ideas get the support, visibility, and networks they deserve, extraordinary things happen.
A childhood surrounded by entrepreneurship
Jacqueline’s route into innovation wasn’t born from a lightning-bolt idea. It was a slow build, shaped early on by watching her dad run his own business, “which normalised entrepreneurship as a career path from early on.”
After studying at Strathclyde University, she completed a master’s degree in Entrepreneurial Studies at Stirling. “It gave me the basic foundation in the skills I might need,” she says. Not the glossy, startup-hype version, the fundamental skills: market understanding, strategy, risk, and resilience.
Those foundations would prove essential for what came next.
Turning an industry problem into a commercial opportunity
Napkin Innovation’s core idea emerged from a clear industry call-out. Offshore wind developers were looking for alternatives to grout in jacket foundations — systems that anchor wind turbines to the seabed. Grouting is well known for its issues: costly, time-consuming and carbon-intensive.
“We put forward our idea to an innovation competition, and we won,” Jacqueline recalls.
Winning validated the concept. But what mattered more was the market signal: industry actually wanted this problem solved.
A colleague, however, offered a dose of reality: the innovation would take ten years to bring to market. “So far, his prediction has been pretty close to the mark,” she laughs.
Finding and winning the Women in Innovation Award
“I’ve got to be honest, £50,000 of grant funding will tempt most founders!”
Jacqueline doesn’t hide her initial motivation for applying:
“I’ve got to be honest, £50,000 of grant funding will tempt most founders!”
(The grant is now £75,000, offering even greater opportunity for this year’s applicants.)
But the award was about more than funding. Napkin Innovation was navigating feasibility testing, product roadmapping, IP, and early-stage validation, the tough, expensive phase of deep-tech innovation where many ideas stall.
“We were working on the product roadmap, failure modes and testing philosophy as well as doing lots of work around IP and where and how to apply for IP protection.”
The application process, she says, was serious work:
“Every application process is hard. A couple of hours over a weekend isn’t going to cut it. It was easily 40 hours of effort.”
She tailored every answer, worked backwards from the deadline, and pulled in support from mentors, including a mock pitch with AccelerateHER’s Elizabeth Pirrie and Jackie Waring.
“You need time to think through your answers properly, and the people giving feedback need time too. Give yourself and them that time.”
When she found out she’d won, she was home alone. Her husband was out running.
“I didn’t want to get too excited until he came back. Just in case I’d read the email wrong. I spent the rest of the afternoon between shock and peeking to make sure the email was still there.”
How the award changed everything
The grant allowed Jacqueline to focus on the business foundations, such as IP strategy, demonstration challenges, and funding options.
But the credibility was just as valuable:
“Being recognised as a Women in Innovation winner gave a boost, especially when applying for additional funding.”
“Our testing is pretty costly, and securing additional funding not only pays for the testing, but winning the funding in a competitive environment gives additional validation of genuine industry need.”
It also brought her deeper into Scotland’s support ecosystem. Mentoring was particularly impactful, especially working longer-term with her Innovate UK advisor:
“They had time to understand the business and challenges, and get to know me as a person. It built a more valuable relationship.”
“Being recognised as a Women in Innovation winner gave a boost, especially when applying for additional funding.”
Scaling a solution for global offshore wind
Scaling in offshore renewables is not the traditional “add users and repeat” model.
“It takes a collaborative approach with developers, fabricators, installers, and the support network.
It’s about proving the solution works in real-world conditions, getting certification, and then becoming the preferred alternative to traditional grouting across the industry.”
“We’re developing large-scale engineering hardware, and scaling is not something we can possibly do on our own.”
Since winning the award, Napkin Innovation has secured significant competitive funding and expanded collaborations with Kent plc, Strathclyde University’s Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, and the Net Zero Technology Centre.
The next milestone is a Joint Industry Project, which will fund the next stages of development and provide a lift in confidence across the sector that this solution is both needed and viable.
“It’s validating the industry recognises both the problem we’re solving and the credibility of our approach.”
Perhaps her favourite moment of progress?
“We were conducting fatigue testing, and the testing machines failed before our technology did. I’m taking that as a win, though I’m not sure my colleagues at Strathclyde are quite as pleased.”
Growing as a founder and leader
Jacqueline’s leadership philosophy is refreshingly simple:
“Treat people the way they want to be treated and get to the end of the day without any drama.”
“That usually means respecting people’s time and expertise and focusing on the things that really need to get done, without creating unnecessary complexity.”
It’s an approach built on respect, clarity, and a bias toward meaningful work over unnecessary complexity.
Setbacks, she says, get easier with practice.
“It’s only by experiencing disappointment that you get better at dealing with it.”
And recognition has changed how she shows up:
“As a Scot, we don’t shout about ourselves. Saying ‘I’m a Women in Innovation winner’ took some getting used to. But I’ve learned that stating your credentials isn’t bragging, it’s just the context people need.”
From founder to mentor, giving back to the next wave
Today, Jacqueline facilitates peer groups for the Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder Accelerator, powered by AccelerateHER and mentors early-stage female founders.
“It also gives me insight into the realities other founders are facing and the different perspectives or approaches that can be adopted for similar problems.”
AccelerateHER CEO, Elizabeth Pirrie set this example years ago, she says, and it stuck.
“I’ve learned a lot about bringing technical innovations to market. If sharing that can help other female founders or give them confidence to pursue their ambitions, that’s time well spent.”
She speaks about these groups with real warmth:
“Entrepreneurship can be isolating. The groups allow us to be honest without having to explain the context. Everyone in the room already gets it.”
Her most repeated advice?
“Know what problem you’re solving and how you’re going to make money by solving it.” “Also, having someone tell you not to do something can be hugely motivating!”
A lasting relationship with AccelerateHER
Jacqueline first encountered AccelerateHER through a pitching competition. After finding out she’d made it to the next round, she emailed to say a terrible mistake had been made.
“I’d never pitched before and could think of nothing worse.”
Elizabeth’s voicemail said otherwise.
“She was rather… forthright and was having none of it. So I pitched, and it wasn’t that bad.”
She stayed engaged with the AccelerateHER network because the blend of tough love, real business feedback and joyful camaraderie was unlike anything else:
“It’s honest business advice mixed with the company of ladies who also make you laugh. You get genuine comments about outfits alongside real insight.”
Now, she supports the next generation:
“I spent a lot of time receiving help from people ahead of me. I’m grateful to now do the same for those coming up behind.”
Looking ahead for Napkin Innovation
Over the next 12–24 months, Napkin is moving toward scale testing and offshore demonstration, which is a pivotal leap for any offshore technology.
“We’ve finished our latest round of testing, and we’re working with the Net Zero Technology Centre, developers, installers and manufacturers on funding for the next stage.”
This is the long game. The industry-scale, climate-impacting innovation that takes patience, collaboration and deep belief.
If you’re a woman innovator, wondering whether to apply for the Women in Innovation awards
If there’s one thing Jacqueline understands deeply, it’s the hesitation many women feel before hitting “submit” on an application like this. Doubt creeps in quickly. Am I eligible? Is my idea far enough along?
Her answer is refreshingly direct:
Start with the basics.
“The eligibility is quite straightforward. Innovate UK list everything clearly on their website, and this year’s competition even includes a suitability checker. Reading the guidelines and completing the checker reduces the chances of wasting time applying if you’re not in scope.”
If you are in scope, Jacqueline’s advice is simple: focus on clarity.
“You need to understand, and be able to communicate clearly, the problem you’re solving, why it needs to be solved, and what happens once it is solved. It sounds straightforward, but some founders have a clever technical solution and can’t explain why it matters. Strong applications make the problem, the urgency and the outcomes completely clear.”
And for those who still worry they’re “not ready”?
Jacqueline’s perspective is both practical and encouraging:
“Check the Innovate UK website. They’ve really taken steps to help founders understand if they’re in scope. Then go for it. Yes, the application takes time, but every application teaches you something new about your business because the questions force you to think differently. That’s valuable learning regardless of the outcome.
And you might also end up with £75,000 of funding.”
Her story is a reminder that progress doesn’t come from waiting for the perfect moment; it comes from stepping forward, even when the path isn’t perfectly clear.
The Women in Innovation Awards exist to back women exactly like that: founders with ideas that matter, ambitions that stretch beyond their resources, and the drive to make change happen.
Applications for the Women in Innovation Awards 2025/26 close on 4th February 2026 at 11:00.
Trust yourself. Take the time. Use the guidance.
And start your application. Because the next award-winning story could be yours.
The Women in Innovation Awards Suitability Checker
This tool is designed to help you decide whether applying for the Women in Innovation 2025/26 Awards is right for you and to point you toward additional support if needed. Simply answer a few quick questions, and Innovate UK will let you know if this is a good fit for you. If it isn’t, we’ll share helpful resources that could guide you further. The check takes about 5 minutes, and you’ll get an instant result.