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Women for Africa Foundation – 6th Science by Women Programme 2020

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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 6th 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 6th edition our associated research centres are:

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.

Only for this 6th edition and in consideration of the exceptional circunstances due to Covid-19, African nationals with temporary residence in Europe can be eligible.

Beneficiaries of previous editions are not eligible. Candidates must have already identified the principal Investigador in the prospective host centre to confirm that the research proposal can be carried out in collaboration with those research groups and their laboratories.

In general, the duration of the research stays will be six continuous months. Nevertheless, depending on personal and professional needs, and with approval of the host research center, the planned research may be split in two stays within two years after the fellowship has been awarded.

Successful candidates will have access to the following benefits:

For more information, and in order to apply, please visit the official web page.