Cardiff Met’s international gender equality project wins inaugural Going Global Partnerships Award
Cardiff Metropolitan University’s international initiative to improve gender equality in STEM has been named as one of only five winners of the British Council’s inaugural Going Global Partnerships Awards 2025.
Recognised for its transformative role in advancing gender equity and inclusion in STEM across Pakistan’s higher education landscape, the award honours the ‘PIE (Partnership in Equality) for UK-Pakistan Women in Robotics & AI’ project; a pioneering collaborating empowering women through STEM training, mentorship and international exchange.
The award was received on behalf of the University by Professor David Brooksbank, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business, Global & Civic Engagement, who was accompanied by colleagues from the Cardiff School of Technologies. The presentation took place at the awards ceremony in London on 28 October 2025, held as part of the Going Global conference.
The honour celebrates the project’s outstanding contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Gender Equality, achieved through a transformative UK-Pakistan partnership that has already delivered training, mentoring and opportunity to hundreds of women in STEM.
Led by Dr Shadan Khan Khattak from Cardiff Met’s Eureka Robotics Centre, alongside colleagues Dr Chow Siing Sia and Dr Esyin Chew, PIE was selected from 105 nominated international collaborations.
“We are truly honoured that PIE has been selected as one of the five recipients of the Going Global Partnerships Awards 2025,” said Dr Shadan Khan Khattak, PIE Project Lead.
“This recognition celebrates the collaborative work between our institutions and our shared commitment toto the UN’s SDG 5 - Gender Equality through this initiative. Together, we are addressing gender equality and creating a legacy for building an inclusive world.”
The PIE project saw Cardiff Met partner with the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), and eight HE and FE institutions across Pakistan. It has delivered face-to-face robotics and AI training to 263 female students and 65 academics, establishing a global mentoring network and integrated specialist robotics equipment, including 11 humanoid robots, into partner institutions.
PIE’s success has already prompted Memoranda of Understanding between institutions in Pakistan, strengthening Cardiff Met’s international links. Although initial funding concluded in January 2025, the partnership continues to thrive through mentoring, workshops, and embedded robotics resources that support ongoing learning and research.
Discover more about ‘PIE (Partnership in Equality) for UK-Pakistan Women in Robotics & AI’ through the project’s website: ukpakpie.com/