L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program

This program identifies and rewards talented young female researchers in the field of Life Sciences (such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, physiology, neurosciences, biotechnologies, health sciences/COVID-19, ecology and ethology) as well as Physical Sciences (such as physics, chemistry, petroleum engineering, mathematics, engineering sciences, information sciences, Earth and Universe sciences).

The Program honors six talented young Arab women researchers for the quality of their research works and encourages them to pursue a brilliant career in science in Yemen and GCC countries.

• 3 grants amounting to twenty thousand Euros (€20,000 or equivalent in local currency) each will be granted to Arab women researchers working in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen.
• 3 grants amounting to eight thousand Euros (€8,000 or equivalent in local currency) each will be granted to Arab women pursuing a PhD (doctoral degree) in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen. The total amount must be used to cover expenses related to regional or international scientific missions, trainings, specialized courses, conferences, and congresses. It could be used as well to purchase special software, scientific articles/ books and fees of publications in international indexed journals.

The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program are granted by the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO.

Winners Commitment

Winners must commit to:

• C1 Internal use – Pursue the research work for which the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program was obtained, failing that, the total amount of the grant must be immediately refunded to UNESCO that awarded the amount.
• Within one year after receiving their grants, winners are expected to submit a status report on the awarded research project to L’Oréal Middle East.
• Within one year after receiving their grants, winners are expected to submit to L’Oréal Middle East a final financial expenditure statement on the actual grant expenditure incurred on the research project.
• The winners will be expected to attend the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents ceremony. Exact date will be announced at a later stage.
• Attendance is mandatory. The travel and accommodation expenses for the winners will be covered by L’Oréal Middle East.

Eligibility Criteria

• Postdoctoral Researches:
  • Applicants must meet the following general criteria:
    • Having obtained a PhD in one of the science fields.
    • Being an Arab national.
    • Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries.
    • Candidates must be no more than 45 years old (Born in 1979 and beyond, taking into account the year of birth).
• PhD Students:
  • Applicants must meet the following general criteria:
    • Having obtained a Bachelor (B.Sc.) and a Master (M.Sc.) degrees, or equivalent, in one of the science fields.
    • Should be full time student in PhD and having registered during 2023-2024 in the2nd year of the PhD program, or one year before the thesis defense.
    • Being an Arab national.
    • Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries mentioned.
    • Candidates must be no more than 35 years old (born in 1989 and beyond, taking into account the year of birth.

Selection Criteria

• The scientific quality of the research project.
• Abide by international ethical regulations in all research steps.
• The innovative approach (rationale, relevance, originality, outputs, applications, etc.) and the expected outcomes of the research.
• The ability of the candidate to communicate and promote sciences to a younger audience and to encourage young Arab female researchers.
• The candidate’s career-path.
• The application will be considered complete if it contains a detailed description of the research project and its methodology.

For more information, visit Fondation l’Oreal.