Purpose
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) is willing to establish the “Science, She Says! Award” to recognize an outstanding junior female scientist who has remarkably contributed to the advancement of science and technology, while performing her research in one of the following regions:
Africa and the Middle East
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Central and South America and the Caribbean
North America
One candidate will be selected for each of the five regions, the determining factor being the place of work in the last 4 years. Italian researchers are not eligible for this prize.
The second edition of the Award bestowed will take place during the Italian Scientific Attachés Conference, to be held in 2024 at a date and place to be announced. All fields of science and technology will be considered. The award will consist of an engraved medal and a diploma from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Eligibility
The “Science She, Says! Award” is assigned to an outstanding female scientist for her contribution to the advancement of bilateral scientific cooperation in any field of science and technology, through their activity in the Asia and the Pacific Region:
- The nominee should be resident in the country where she is nominated for the award, at least since January 1st 2019.
- The nomination should be submitted by an eminent scientist who is holding a leading position in a Scientific Academy, University, Research Institute or S&T Department of the Government of the country in which the nominee is working. Self-nominations are not eligible, nor are nominations from immediate family members. Teams are not eligible for the nomination. Qualified nominators may be:
➢ Heads of University or Scientific Institutions,
➢ Members of Academies of Science,
➢ Holders of Research Chairs,
➢ Full professors,
- The nominee should be an established scientist with an excellent academic and/or scientific career and a recognized track record of research achievements. She should have joint publications in high impact journals and/or should have developed technologies supported by international patents, Research activities within multilateral organizations hosted in Asia and the Pacific will be considered as well.
- Age limit: up to 40 years old at the time of publication of this notice.
Evaluation Criteria and Mode of Selection
Nominees will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- The scientific impact of the nominee’s work and research
- Relevance of the nominee’s work to Italy’s bilateral S&T cooperation with Asia and the Pacific
- Potential for significant, long-term collaboration
- Promotion of young researchers’ mobility (incoming/outgoing) to foster the creation of bilateral research teams
- Nominee’s contribution to creative/innovative collaboration models
- Nominee’s capacity to create/improve contacts with the Italian research community.
The Award Committee, chaired by the Head of Office IX of the Directorate General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of MAECI, will be composed by the Presidents and/or Representatives of the major Italian Research and Academic Institutions.
The “Science, She Says!” Award will be presented in 2024 during a Ceremony to be held during the Conference of Italian Scientific Attachés in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
How to Apply
The Call for Nominations will be published on the websites of the Italian Embassy to Japan.
Any scientist and scientific institution willing to present a nomination may submit this form, duly completed, saved as a single pdf file (named with the format NOMINEE’S SURNAME.pdf) within January 8, 2024, to the following email address: Tokyo.scienza@esteri.it, having “Science she says Award” as subject.
