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The call for applications for the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World is now open.
Opportunity Details
Applications for the 2024 awards are invited from women scientists who have made significant contributions in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene, whose research is linked to SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation who nave received nos within the ascien vears and who nave lived and worked for at least 5 years in an eligible Scientifically and Technologically Lagging Countries (STLCs).
The deadline for submission of applications is 8 October, 2023
The 5 awards will be distributed as follows: one for each of the four regions of the developing world (Africa, Arab region, Asia & the Pacific and Latin America & the Caribbean), plus an additional ¨floating” award for an outstanding candidate from any of these regions.
The applicant must be a woman who has received her PhD in a scientific discipline within the previous ten years and whose current scientific research is related to the area of inclusive health.
Given that from 2022-2026 the awards will respond to the call for action set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), applicants must demonstrate how their research contributes to advancing knowledge in the area of inclusive health and to achieving the SDG3 (Good health and well-being).
The application can include, but is not limited to, references to the SDG3 target areas, e.g. reducing the global maternal mortality ratio; ending preventable deaths of newborns and children; strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse; reducing the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents; ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services; achieving universal health coverage; reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination; strengthening the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; supporting the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and noncommunicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries; increasing health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries; and strengthening the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards are offered to women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Applications from women in Social sciences, Humanities, Arts or other are NOT eligible.
Eligible STEM fields:
Any combination of these fields (i.e. interdisciplinarity) is acceptable.
In addition, the applicant must have lived and worked for at least 5 of the last 15 years* in one of the 66 scientifically and technologically lagging countries (STLCs) listed here:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Dem. Rep. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Arab Region: Djibouti, Palestine (West Bank & Gaza Strip), Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen.
Asia & Pacific: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Dem. Rep., Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Latin America & Caribbean: Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay.
*Please note:
Preference will be given to those candidates not currently (or within the last three years) in receipt of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) or OWSD awards, fellowships or grants. Please note that OWSD Early Career Fellows and Alumnae are not eligible for these Awards.
If in doubt about your eligibility, please contact [email protected].
The competition will be judged by a distinguished panel of specialists in the appropriate fields and who are aware of the challenges facing women scientists in developing countries.
Traditionally, the selection committee has met in person at the OWSD Secretariat based in Trieste, Italy and we have been able to draw on a broad range of expertise from this 'City of Science', including the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the University of Trieste, Elettra Sincrotrone, The International School for Advanced Sciences (SISSA) and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Since 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impossibility of holding face-to-face meetings, we had the opportunity to draw on a broader pool of experts based also in the developing world. The Selection Panel is chaired by the OWSD Coordinator with full administrative support from the OWSD Secretariat.
Assessment will be based on the applicant’s achievements in her scientific field, with additional attention paid to evidence of leadership skills, initiative and innovation, as well as to the candidate’s involvement in capacity building, outreach and civic contribution. Research that demonstrates the use of innovative techniques or methodologies (especially with regard to sustainable development), an awareness of the importance of sex and/or gender considerations in research methodology and content and/or interdisciplinary collaboration may be prioritised.
Successful candidates will be informed of their selection no later than 31 December 2024.
Applications must be made online, in English, and must include:
The following documents can be submitted as proof of residence as long as the name of the applicant (as written in the online form) appears clearly: statement from the local police office or municipality, population registry office, rental agreement, utilities bills, employment contract. This list is not exhaustive and alternative documents can be considered. Please write to [email protected] if you are not sure about the eligibility of your documents.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2025 awards is 16 September, 2024.
Application guidelines and a sample application form can be found here.
Apply for OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards