Supporting Women in Science

Women are still underrepresented in science. Even though half of the first semester students in Germany are female, the ratio is getting less with each qualification level. For example, the female share among the highest-paid professorships in Germany is about 20%. However, it has already been shown that mixed teams often achieve better results due to the different perspectives, meaning that gender equality in science can also have a positive effect on research quality.

The unequal gender ratio also applies to stem cell research. The Stem Cell Network North Rhine-Westphalia therefore wants to support women in science and thus increase the proportion of women in scientific leadership positions in the long term.

Therefore, awards and support programs are being developed by the Stem Cell Network NRW and will be realized either by the network itself or in cooperation with other partners. In addition, there will be several workshops for women scientists, specifically designed to meet the needs of women (e.g. science & family, salary negotiations). Furthermore, offers which are exclusively for female scientists of the Stem Cell Network NRW will promote the networking of female stem cell scientists in North Rhine-Westphalia.

First workshops have already started in 2018. More offers will be announced during this year.