In the coming days, the African women scientists selected in MxA’s project "Science by Women" will begin to arrive in Spain. The initiative aims to promote and support the work being carried out by women in Africa in significant areas such as energy, climate change, healthcare, agriculture and food safety and security.
A total of nine women scientists from eight countries will benefit from the research programmes lasting six months to be carried out in the five Spanish centres of excellence that are collaborating in this project by the Women for Africa Foundation (MxA or Mujeres por África). These are the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIIII), the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT).
This programme of research stays is one of the main lines of activity included in the "Science by Women" project, which began last year with the First Conference on Science and Technology.
In the selection process, for which thirty candidates’ entries were submitted, the centres collaborating in this project took part as well as the "Science by Women" Scientific Committee, comprising eminent personalities from the Spanish and international scientific communities.
The target beneficiaries will continue to work in their respective investigations for six months, thereby bringing expertise to the centres that will be hosting them at the same time as they acquire new knowledge that they will later take with them to their original environments.
Chantal Ebel (Tunisia) and Jelan Mofeed El-Sayed (Egipt)are the two researchers that will stay at the laboratories of the CNB. Chantal research focuses on wheat genetics and her work at the CNB could have a major socio-economic impact for future agricultural policies in semi-arid countries. Jelan Mofeed El-Sayed will carry out a project on identifying algae and their genetic modification in order to act against pollution and to increase productivity