The Science by Women program strengthens its partnership with the Institute of Neurosciences

Monday, 8 June — In order to strengthen collaboration between institutions within the framework of the Science by Women programme, Juan Algar, Director General of the Women for Africa Foundation, and María Almela Gambín, Programme Coordinator, visited the Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). The delegation was welcomed by the Institute’s Director, Juana Gallar, and Julio Barbas, Head of Internationalisation at IN.

During the meeting, representatives from both institutions exchanged experiences regarding the development of the programme and explored new opportunities to further promote international scientific cooperation and the leadership of African women researchers. The Women for Africa Foundation, chaired by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, promotes this initiative with the aim of strengthening female leadership and scientific capacities across the African continent through research fellowships at Spanish centres of excellence, fostering the creation of international scientific collaboration networks.

The CSIC-UMH Institute of Neurosciences joined the Science by Women programme in its third edition with the support of the Severo Ochoa Excellence Programme. Since then, it has hosted eight African women researchers from Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon and Morocco. During their fellowships, the researchers have joined the Institute’s research groups to develop projects in different areas of neuroscience, establishing collaborations that have helped strengthen scientific ties between Spain and several African countries.

The continuation of this partnership reflects the Institute of Neurosciences’ commitment to the internationalisation of research and the promotion of women’s scientific talent. “Being part of Science by Women allows us to contribute to the development of a more diverse and inclusive scientific community, while enriching our own research activities through the exchange of knowledge and experiences with scientists from different countries around the world,” said Juana Gallar, Director of the CSIC-UMH Institute of Neurosciences.

For her part, María Almela Gambín, Programme Coordinator, considers this collaboration to be one of the programme’s success stories. “It demonstrates a strong, sustained and growing shared commitment to African women’s scientific leadership and the sustainable development of the continent. Institutions such as the CSIC-UMH Institute of Neurosciences are what give this initiative its real meaning and impact.”

12th Edition of the Science by Women Programme

The visit coincides with the launch of the twelfth edition of Science by Women, for which applications will remain open until 30 June. In this new call, the Institute of Neurosciences is once again participating by offering a fellowship opportunity for an African woman researcher to carry out a research stay at this centre of excellence.

The call is aimed at women scientists conducting research at African academic or scientific institutions and offers six-month research fellowships at leading Spanish research centres. Through this initiative, we seek to promote women’s scientific talent and contribute to strengthening international scientific cooperation.