L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme

Since 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards have recognized 132 laureates, exceptional women who have made great advances in scientific research. Seven of them have also received the Nobel Prize.

Each year, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme highlights scientific excellence and encourages talent through:

• The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, given each year to five outstanding women scientists – one per each of the following regions: Africa and the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America – for the contributions of their research, the strength of their commitments and their impact on society.
• The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Rising Talents. Granted annually to 15 promising young women scientists at the doctoral or post-doctoral level, they encourage international scientific cooperation and the development of cross-cultural networks.
• The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science national and regional Young Talents Programmes. Implemented by L’Oréal subsidiaries around the world with the support of UNESCO National Commissions and Field Offices, the network of National and Regional Programmes aims to promote and encourage young women researchers who represent the future of science, helping them to pursue their research in institutions at home or abroad.

Since its creation, the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science programme has supported more than 4,400 women researchers, rewarding scientific excellence and inspiring younger generations of women to pursue science as a career through the For Women in Science International Awards and the Young Talents Programmes covering more than 140 countries. It has become a benchmark of scientific excellence on an international scale.

¹ UNESCO Science Report: the race against time for smarter development, 2021.