In 2012, the Netherlands Commission for Unesco and L'Oréal Netherlands introduced the national For Women in Science fellowship programme in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS-KNAW) and the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH). From 2019-2023, the programme also awarded prizes to talented young researchers (Rising Talents). This part of the programme has since been discontinued.
The Dutch L’Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science programme (EN)
Fellowships
Four fellowships are awarded biennially to women scientists conducting research in the Life Sciences in the broad sense of the word and in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. Women must have completed a PhD for a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years (maternity leaves and periods of part-time work due to family circumstances may be deducted). For 2025, there are four scholarships of 30,000 euros each. The fellowships are intended for a research stay at NIAS-KNAW in Amsterdam, where researchers are released from teaching, administrative and clinical responsibilities for a semester. This gives them time for in-depth research and for writing scientific publications or grant applications.
Who is eligible?
Candidates submit a proposal on a theme in the Life Sciences or in the STEM disciplines. Because the programme aims to improve the career prospects of women researchers and increase the number of women professors in the Netherlands, only applicants with a permanent or temporary contract at a Dutch university or a Dutch research institute are eligible.