During April 24 to 26, the Kick-off Meeting and Study Visit of the Elevate-HER Project took place at the University of Alicante, with the event continuing on April 29 and 30 at the Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne University (UJM) in France. Representatives of the Senegalese universities Université du Sine Saloum El-hâdj ibrahima NIASS (USSEIN), Université Iba Der Thiam de Thiès (UIDT), Université Gaston-Berger (UGB) and the Université Amadou Mahtar Mbow de Dakar (UAM), representatives of the La Xixa theater association of Barcelona, together with researchers from the UA and the UJM participated in this event that is so relevant for the entire participating university communities, especially for the UA, being the coordinator of this Erasmus+ project.
The event was inaugurated by Rosa María Martínez Espinosa, Vice-Rector of International Relations of the University of Alicante, who was also the moderator of the discussion panel “HER Academic Story”. Participating as panelists were Dr. Fatou Bintou Sarr (Iba der Thiam Université de Thiès, Senegal), Dr. Fatou Diop Sall (Université Gaston Berger, Senegal), Dr. Elodie Giesèle Anoumedem Mouafo (Cameroon), Dr. . Bukola Omotomilola Adetola (Nigeria) and Dr. Raquel Huete Nieves (University of Alicante).
In addition, a World Café was held with the theme “What Does It Take to Develop an Academic Career?”, moderated by Professor Marta Martín, from the University of Alicante, in which each team was made up of researchers from both Alicante and Senegal, covering a wide variety of academic areas.
The event also worked on examples of good practices to support researchers at the University of Alicante, the work packages and tasks to be carried out by the members of the consortium, workshops, social events, visits, etc.
Subsequently, the event continued on the 29th and 30th at the Jean Monnet University of France, where it was presented the work done at the UJM in the field of supporting the development of the careers of women researchers and administrators, gender equality, research on gender issues, etc., in addition to sharing experiences and good practices among participants in the development of research careers and the fight against sexual harassment.
Without a doubt, this was a great opportunity not only to learn more about the University of Alicante and the Jean Monnet University, but also to start working on the objectives of the project, in particular starting to analyse the current situation in Senegal with respect to women's research careers and in the design of a training plan and a mentoring program for young researchers.
Elevate-HER is a Capacity Building in Higher Education project of the Erasmus+ programme coordinated by the OGPI, designed with a clear objective: to support female researchers’ career development contributing to sustainable growth and jobs in Senegal. More specifically, the project directly addresses the needs for Capacity Building in Senegalese Higher Education Institutions to provide women, pursuing or willing to pursue a career in research in STEAM, with the necessary skill sets to guarantee their employability.
For more information, visit the Elevate-HER Project website and its social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.