Lavant - 2026 Call for application
L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Levant regional young talents programme aims to promote the participation of young women in science coming from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syrian Arab Republic. This programme identifies and rewards talented young female researchers in the field of Life Sciences (such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, physiology, health sciences, neurosciences, biotechnologies, ecology and ethology) as well as in the field of Physical Sciences (such as physics, chemistry, petroleum engineering, mathematics, engineering sciences, information sciences, Earth and Universe sciences).
The Programme 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 the above-mentioned countries.
- 3 endowments amounting to Ten Thousand Euros (€ 10,000) each will be granted to Arab women researchers working in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syrian Arab Republic.
- 3 endowments amounting to Six Thousand Euros (€ 6,000) each will be granted to Arab women pursuing a PhD (doctoral degree) in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syrian Arab Republic. 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.
Calendar
- Timetable
- Application opening date: 20 January 2026
- Application closing date: 31 May 2026
- Attribution of applications and review by jury members: from June 8 to June 28, 2026
- Second review of applications by the jury for semi-finalists: from July 6 to July 19, 2026
- Selection of Young Talents and announcement: Last week of July 2026
- Awards’ Ceremony: Exact date will be announced on a later stage.
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January 20, 2026
Start of the call for application/nomination
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May 31, 2026
Closing of the call for application/nomination
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July 31, 2026
Candidates' final selection
Program Overview
The National Council for Scientific Research - Lebanon (CNRS-L)
UNESCO Regional Office for UN Coordination for the Arab States and
UNESCO Representative to Lebanon and Syria
6 endowments will be given out to 3 PhD students, and 3 posdoctoral women researchers from the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syrian Arab Republic.
- 3 endowments amounting to Ten Thousand Euros (€ 10,000) each will be granted to 3 posdoctoral women researchers
- 3 endowments amounting to Six Thousand Euros (€ 6,000) each will be granted to 3 PhD students
Main eligibility criteria
- Postdoctoral Researchers:
Applicants must meet the following general criteria:
- Having obtained a PhD in one of the science fields mentioned in paragraph 1.
- Being of Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, or Syrian nationality.
- Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries mentioned in paragraph 1.
- Candidates must be no more than 45 years old, considering the year of birth (Born in 1981 and beyond).
- Only researchers who are actively engaged in research activities and having obtained a PhD within the last 10 years at the time of application are eligible.
Applicants must meet the following general criteria:
- Having obtained a Bachelor (B.Sc.) and a Master (M.Sc.) degree, or equivalent, in one of the science fields mentioned in paragraph 1.
- Should be full time student in PhD and having registered during 2025-2026 in the 2nd year of the PhD programme, or one year before the thesis defense.
- Being of Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, or Syrian nationality.
- Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries mentioned in paragraph 1.
- Candidates must be no more than 35 years old, taking into account the year of birth (born in 1991 and beyond).
The selection criteria of the candidate by the jury are the following:
- The candidate’s outstanding academic record (including number, quality and impact of the scientific publications, conference presentations, patents…).
- The scientific quality and usefulness 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 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.
- Consideration with regards to animal testing:
- Any project using experimental protocols likely to generate animal suffering will be rejected, even if it has been approved by an ad hoc ethics committee.
- If animal experimentation is to be conducted as part of the applicant's submitted research, it must be described in detail and indicated in what way it cannot be substituted. The necessity of the animal experiments or the lack of alternatives must be justified. Jury members must take a position based on these elements or ask for clarification if necessary.
- A commitment by the candidate not to cause animal suffering during the project for which she is applying for the award will be included in the application forms and must be officially signed.
Endowments are exclusively dedicated to the development of scientific research and can under no circumstance be a substitute to the duties of the laboratory vis-à-vis its researchers.