The More Women in Research community

The More Women in Research community brings together women researchers from across the Danida network and beyond, creating a space to share experiences, strengthen professional connections, and advocate for gender equality in research and academia.

Born out of a Danida Fellowship Centre´s & MS TCDC´s Science Engagement seminar in 2024, where 50 female researchers across Africa gathered to discuss the underrepresentation of women in research, the network went on to launch a manifesto later that year to tackle the persistent gender imbalance in academia and research at all levels.

Join the community
Whether you are a female Danida fellow or a woman researcher elsewhere, you are warmly invited to join the conversation, help amplify the manifesto, and support the implementation of its recommendations in your own context – whether at university level or within other institutions, backed by a range of stakeholder groups.

Write to mwir@dfcentre.dk for more information.

Read more about the manifesto: The More Women in Research manifesto – Danida Fellowship Centre

The story behind the More Women in Research community
Globally, women are underrepresented in the research community, comprising less than 30%. In Africa’s top 97 universities, women hold only 21% of chancellor positions, 14% of vice-chancellor positions, and 26% of registrar positions. Europe faces a similar issue, with Danish universities having only 35% female researchers, 24% female professors, and 28% female leaders.

To address this challenge, the “More Women in Research” initiative was co-created by Danida Fellowship Centre, MS TCDC and YouLead Africa in Tanzania in March 2024, and it has since grown into a community.

5-8 March 2024. To address the underrepresentation of women in academia and research, the Danida Fellowship Centre, in collaboration with MSTCDC, invited 50 women researchers from 12 African countries to a science engagement seminar titled More Women in Research. The seminar provided a platform to engage with this issue and draft a manifesto  to help tackle it.

3 October 2024. To enrich the manifesto draft, a public online meeting brought together 270 women researchers to provide their input manifesto during the live editing session. The outcome was  a powerful call to action against the persistent underrepresentation of women in academia, and the establishment of a thriving online community of women researchers.

1 – 7 November 2024 The launch of the More Women in Research Manifesto, manifesto took place at the YouLead Africa Summit in Tanzania in November 2024, where 300 youth leaders were gathered to discuss the future of Africa’s education. The Manifesto has been launched by a representative group of the women who drafted the Manifesto and that are part of the community, namely: PhD Gloria Cæsar, Dr Agatha Alidri, Dr Soheir Hassan Ahmed, Jennifer Falconer, Cecilia Datsa, and Dr Irene Lugalla. The Manifesto has been endorsed by Prof. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza Lillian Winifred (Ph.D); LL.D (Honoris Causa) Justice of the Uganda Supreme Court, who also was part of its launch.

With the collaboration and facilitation of the Mawazo Institute, the launch of the manifesto was complemented by a career and mentorship clinic with cross-generational dialogue as the theme. The voices of the participating women were echoed and amplified by the prominent Kenyan journalists Sheila Mwanyigha and Jamila Mohammed.

December 2024: After the launch of the Manifesto, a core group of women researchers from the community started having informal online meetings to discuss different subjects and best practices and lessons learnt to support the implementation of the Manifesto in their learning institutions and context: this is what we refer to as the Steering Committee.

9 February 2025: Gulu University has formally adopted and started implementing the manifesto, aiming to increase the number of women in research and leadership. Read more here.

7-9 May 2025: Dr Irene Lugalla represented the More Women in Research initiative at the eLearning Africa Conference, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania – the largest and most inclusive gathering of digital education and training professionals in Africa. Read more here.

9-10 April 2025: In 2025, the More Women in Research initiative was taken to Vietnam, with another seminar. Held in Hanoi, Vietnam, the seminar brought together 30 Danida-funded researchers from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Denmark to exchange insights and strategies for advancing gender equity in research and academia. A key focus was the critical role of mentorship. Read more here. 

21 May 2025: Jenny Falconer (South Africa) and Nsubili Isaga (Tanzania) attended and received a second-place award for the Leadership in Diversity in Science-Led Industry Award in London, where they presented the More Women in Research initiative. Read more here.

1-4 June 2025: At the Building Stronger Universities 4 Annual Meeting, the More Women in Research Manifesto has been launched at the University of Hargeisa, with an institutional commitment. Read more here.

June – November 2025. Based on recommendations from the steering Commmitee, Mawazo Institute and Danida Fellowship Centre initiate talks about a More Women in Research: Learn and Lead together initiative, with online sessions planned for 2026.

11 February 2026: Launch event of the Learn and lead together community and shared learning. Register here to be part of the online launch on 11 February 2026 (2-4pm CET).

 

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Ever since, the groups of Danida-funded and MS TCDC-related women researchers who have been part of our More Women in Research initiatives, both in Africa and Asia; as well as the women researchers who gave inputs to the manifesto during the live editing session, now maintain engagement through this network.

Serving as a strategic foundation, the manifesto and the action points are being utilized to advocate for institutional change, particularly within the members’ own organizations and institutions.

 

 

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