Deadline for proposals submission October 30, 2021

The Women for Africa Foundation (FMxA), in line with its mission of contributing to the development of Africa through the drive of its women, is launching the 7th Edition of SCIENCE BY WOMEN programme, with the aim to promote African women’s leadership in scientific research and technology transfer and to foster the capacity of the research centres in their home countries. The main goal is to enable African women researchers and scientists to tackle the great challenges faced by Africa through research in health and biomedicine, sustainable agriculture and food security, water, energy and climate change.

Considering the exceptional challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the fellowships are focused on the research and innovation carried out by African women scientists from the diverse and interdisciplinary approaches.

Women’s lives are significantly affected by the repercussions of uncontrolled development; however, social, structural and economic barriers limit their capacity to tackle the great challenges faced by the continent. The gender disparities in science and technology in both the public and private spheres affect Africa’s population as a whole. Narrowing this gap, which has severe consequences on the balanced and sustainable development of African countries, is vital to achieve long-term progress and equal growing.

The programme’s ultimate goal is to enable African women researchers to play a leading role in the transition of Africa to a knowledge-based and innovation-led economy through research that can be transferred into products, processes, services and technologies having impact on people’s lives.

To achieve this ambitious goal, FMxA collaborates with the Spanish Centres of Excellence, whose prestige is unanimously recognized throughout Spain and internationally, thereby ensuring excellence in scientific research in various fields. In this 7th edition our associated research centres are:

• BioCruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute (BC)
• Kronikgune Research Center
• Deusto Institute of Technology (DeustoTech)
• Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)
• Vall d´Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)
• Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
• Basque Center for Macromolecular Design and Engineering POLYMAT Fundazioa
• The Basque Center for Applied Mathematics – BCAM
• PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands)
• IAC (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias)
• Biomedical and Health Research Institute (IUIBS)
• Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS)
• Biodonostia Health Research Institute (Biodonostia HRI)
• Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de la Comunidad Valenciana – INCLIVA
• Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona – ICMAB
• Principe Felipe Research Center (CIPF)
• Spanish National Center of Biotechnology (CNB)
• Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)
• Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)
• Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT)
• Barcelona Graduate School of Economics
• Centre for Genomics Regulation

Each of these centres will host 1 senior woman researcher with at least 3 years of post-doctoral experience for a six-month fellowship. Applications will be subjected to a rigorous selection process, evaluating the academic merits and leadership of the applicants as well as the scientific quality and expected impact of their research projects. Selected candidates will receive training and integration in a dynamic, multidisciplinary and highly competitive working team, where they will be able to develop their research projects and acquire complementary skills, empowering them to transfer their research results into tangible economic and social benefits.

For details visit science.by.women@mujeresporafrica.es