Candidates who are chosen will be trained and integrated into a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and fiercely competitive working group.
The Women for Africa Foundation (FMxA) is announcing the 9th Edition of the SCIENCE BY WOMEN program, which aims to support African women’s leadership in scientific research and technology transfer and to strengthen the capacity of research centers in their home countries. The program will run from 2024 to 2028.
The program’s application deadline is September 30, 2023. African applicants are eligible for the programme. The chosen fellows will have the chance to carry out their research and receive instruction in Spain. The information provided makes no mention of the precise university or institution where the programme will be held in Spain.
In this 9th edition, our associated research centers are:
- BioCruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute (BC)
- Deusto Institute of Technology (DeustoTech)
- The Basque Center for Climate Change (BC3)
- 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)
- Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN)
- Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC)
- Biomedical and Health Research Institute (IUIBS)
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB)
- Spanish National Center of Biotechnology (CNB)
- Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)
- Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)
- Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT)
- Centre for Genomics Regulation (CRG)
- The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA – UAB)
- Institute for Neuroscience (IN)
- Material Physics Center (MPC – CFM)
- Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS)
- The “Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de la Comunidad Valenciana” (INCLIVA)
- Campus of International Excellence in Agrifood (CEIA3) & Cordoba University
Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) - Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla (IDIVAL)
- Castilla-La Mancha Health Research Institute (IDISCAM)
Concerning SCIENCE BY WOMEN Senior Women Researchers:
For a six-month fellowship, one senior woman researcher with at least three years of post-doctoral experience will be hosted by each of these centres. The quality of the science and anticipated impact of the applicants’ research projects will be assessed, along with the academic merits and leadership of the applicants.
Candidates who are chosen will be trained and integrated into a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and fiercely competitive working group. They can advance their research initiatives and pick up supplementary skills, giving them the ability to translate their findings into concrete economic and social benefits.
The main objective is to empower African women researchers and scientists to address Africa’s major challenges through research in the fields of health and biomedicine, agriculture and food security, water, energy, and climate change, math, information and communication technologies, and economic sciences.
Eligible Fields of Study: The preferred areas of research include:
Health and Bio-medicine
Energy, Water and Climate Change
Agriculture and Food Safety
Mathematics, Information and Communication Technologies
Economic Science
Type: Fellowship
Eligibility:
- Being a woman
- Nationality of an African country.
- PhD with at least 3 years of post-doctoral professional experience
- Contractual relationship with a university or a public or private non-profit organization based in Africa dedicated to significant scientific research in the areas indicated
- Excellent academic record and proven track of relevant research experience
- Solid working knowledge of English
- Proven experience leading a research group
- Beneficiaries of first and second edition are not eligible.
- Candidates must have already contacted and identified research groups in the host centres to confirm that their proposed research can be carried out in collaboration with those research groups and, when needed, in their laboratories.
Selection Criteria:
Applications for SCIENCE BY WOMEN Visiting Senior Research Fellowships will be subjected to a highly competitive selection process by the Women for Africa Foundation’s Scientific Committee. The jury will evaluate the following criteria:
- The candidate’s research career, curriculum vitae and experience as independent research group leader.
- The project’s scientific -technical quality and innovative potential.
- The expected and measurable economic or social impact of the research project.
- The candidate’s plan to communicate and disseminate the project’s results.
- The proper consideration of ethical issues where appropriate.
- Successful applicants will present innovative research projects that respond to the needs of African populations and that are likely to be transferred into products or patents for commercial exploitation, or services and public policies which have a social impact in terms of people’s welfare and quality of life, as well as an economic impact in terms of companies’ productivity and competitiveness.
Number of Awards: 28
Value of Award:
Successful candidates will have access to the following benefits:
- Flight from their centre of origin to the host institution and back
- Living allowance of 2.400 Euros gross per month to cover accommodation, personal expense and health and occupational accident insurance coverage.
- Duration of Program: 6 months
How to Apply:
Only applications submitted in English via the Science by Women microsite at www.mujeresporafrica.es will be accepted. They must include the following documents:
- Letter of Interest (max. 1 page)
- Full curriculum vitae • Fully filled form
- Brief but concise description of the project to be developed in the Spanish
host centre (max. 2 pages) - A letter of the prospective host group’s stating its interest to support the project proposed by the candidate.