Additionally, the programme allocates 15 UNESCO-L’Oréal International Fellowships annually to young women researchers at the doctoral or post-doctoral level, whose promising projects have been accepted by a reputable institution outside of their home country.

Three researchers from each of the programme’s five regions Africa, Arab States, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & North America, and Latin America & the Caribbean are recognised annually. Each Fellow receives a maximum sum of US$40,000 over the course of two years to help finance her research. For more information on the international fellowship programme, you can log on to www.unesco.org/en/fellowships/loreal.

So far, India has had 3 international fellows. Dr. Ruchi Singh was the first Indian to be granted the international fellowship in 2006. This fellowship enabled her to pursue her research in Kala Azar in USA. Dr. Antima Gupta – 2010 recipient, has been granted this fellowship to pursue her research in Tuberculosis in the UK.

2011 saw yet another Indian researcher as a recipient of this fellowship – Dr. Jyoti Jiban Panda a doctoral student (PhD) of biotechnology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi will pursue her research which focuses on designing new and safe drug delivery methods for the treatment of cancer using nanotechnology at the School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Denver - USA.

Together L'Oréal UNESCO Awards and Fellowships foster a global scientific community that continues to grow each year.