A Gathering in La Laguna to Highlight the Contribution of African Women Researchers to Science in the Canary Islands
Madrid, May 6, 2026 – The Foundation Women for Africa, the University of La Laguna (ULL), the University Institute for Women’s Studies at ULL (IUEM-ULL), the ULL Scientific Outreach Unit, and the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI) are organizing an institutional and scientific gathering on May 19 to highlight the leadership of African women researchers within the scientific ecosystem of the Canary Islands.
The event will take place on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., in the Blas Cabrera Felipe Main Hall at the University of La Laguna (Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38206 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife).
Under the title “Science Without Borders: The Leadership of African Women Scientists in the Canary Islands,” the event is part of the Foundation Women for Africa’s Science by Women programme, an initiative that promotes the mobility of African women researchers through research stays at centres of excellence across Spain. The event will bring together institutional representatives, research centres, and scientists to address the strategic role of African women in knowledge production and in building international scientific networks.
Science, Leadership and Connections
The gathering, expected to last one hour and forty-five minutes (5:00–6:45 p.m.), will be structured around two panel discussions, followed by an institutional closing session and a networking cocktail.
The first panel, “Institutions as Drivers of African Women’s Scientific Leadership in the Canary Islands,” will feature María Inmaculada González Pérez, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and Cooperation at ULL; Javier Franco Hormiga, Director of ACIISI; Valentín Martínez Pillet, Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC); and Nasara Cabrera, Director of Cooperation at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The second panel, “Scientific Leadership in Motion: Experiences, Perspectives and Connections from the Canary Islands,” will focus on the careers of African women researchers working in the islands. Participants will include Amira Tawfeek, a Science by Women researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and Sywar Belkahla, a researcher in the programme at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands, alongside other women scientists from the Canary Islands. The panel will be moderated by Carina Soledad González González, Director of the University Institute for Women’s Studies (IUEM-ULL).
Free Registration
Attendance at the event is free of charge, although prior registration is required through the following form: https://forms.gle/xtaXk44Dd5NfLsiH8
Following the event, a networking cocktail reception will take place (6:45–7:45 p.m.), providing an opportunity to encourage exchange among participants and strengthen connections between institutions and professionals.
About the Science by Women Programme
Science by Women is one of the flagship initiatives of the Foundation Women for Africa. Since its creation in 2014, the programme has championed scientific cooperation through a gender perspective, recognising research as a key tool for social, economic, and productive development. This pioneering initiative promotes the leadership of African women scientists through research fellowships at centres of excellence in Spain.
This commitment has already enabled more than 170 women scientists from 38 African countries to develop projects in areas such as health, energy, water, climate change, agriculture, and food security.