Science by Women Announces the Selected Researchers of Its 12th Edition
Madrid, September 28, 2026 — The Women for Africa Foundation is pleased to announce the final list of researchers selected for the 12th Edition of the Science by Women Programme, the initiative that supports the leadership and research careers of African women scientists through research stays at Spanish centres of excellence.
This edition was highly competitive, with close to 100 applications received for 8 fellowships at six Spanish research institutions. These figures reflect the talent, experience and ambition of women researchers from across the continent.
Creating targeted opportunities for African women scientists is essential to addressing the structural inequalities that persist in science, fostering international scientific cooperation, and ensuring that highly talented researchers can advance their careers, strengthen their leadership and gain visibility within the international scientific community.
Since its launch in 2014, the programme has supported more than 190 researchers from 38 African countries, and over eleven editions it has involved 33 Spanish centres of excellence. The call for this 12th edition, which was open until 30 June 2026, offered six-month research stays at the following research centres:
- Institute of Neurosciences (IN – UMH/CSIC) — Neurosciences, Alicante
- Materials Science Institute of Barcelona (ICMAB – CSIC) — Materials Science, Barcelona
- Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) — Oceanography and Marine Technologies, Gran Canaria
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) — Astrophysics, La Laguna (Tenerife)
- University Institute of Biomedical and Health Research (iUIBS – ULPGC) — Biomedicine and Health, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Castilla-La Mancha Health Research Institute (IDISCAM)
The Foundation congratulates the selected researchers and sincerely thanks all the women scientists who applied and shared their research, experience and commitment to advancing science.
You can consult the final list of selected researchers of the 12th Edition here.