Letter of Intent - International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2026 SHINE Taltech

September 08, 2025 No. 11-40/MM/1138-1 ENGLAND LETTER OF INTENT To Whom it May Concern Project title: Support Her Impact in Nationwide Empowerment (SHINE) Partner organisation: Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia Legal Representative: Merli Reidolf Principal Investigator’s contacts at TalTech: Basel Hammoda, [email protected] Administrative contact person at TalTech: Kristine Asu, [email protected] Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) confirms its commitment to act as a partner in the project “SHINE” connected with the British Academy call for proposals “International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2026” (call deadline 17 September 2026), to be coordinated by Aston University. This project investigates how women entrepreneurs adopt and navigate digital tools and AI systems, while assessing how policies and learning approaches can strengthen their leadership across partner countries: the UK, Estonia, India, and the Philippines. By combining surveys, interviews, participatory workshops, and policy mapping, the project will deliver comparative evidence, AI-driven training toolkits, and actionable policy briefs. These outcomes will shape scalable strategies, global policy recommendations, and inclusive digital ecosystems, ensuring women are empowered as leaders in AI- driven economies. The project is structured into five interconnected work packages: (1) Scoping, Partnerships, and Ethics; (2) Policy mapping and comparative analysis; (3) Lived experiences and data collection; (4) Co-design of interventions and comparative synthesis; and (5) Dissemination and policy engagement. Through this design, the project aims to generate actionable knowledge to support policy interventions and institutional initiatives to support women entrepreneurs’ empowerment in the digital and AI age in the respective regions. TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY | DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Ehitajate tee 5 Phone +372 620 2002 19086 Tallinn, Estonia E-mail [email protected] Registry code 74000323 www.taltech.ee  2 This letter confirms our intent to participate in the project and support the project as described in the proposal. The main contribution from TalTech will be to contribute effectively to each of the work packages and perform research activities at the Estonian level, with the consortium coordinator (Aston University) leading the different work packages. Yours sincerely, Merli Reidolf Head of Department