The commitments of the European Union and countries across Africa to strengthen the role of women in science and innovation create a valuable foundation for the work of the AERAP Women in Science Subgroup. These shared priorities open practical opportunities for African women to participate more fully in EU-funded research, innovation, and digital programmes, and to build long-term partnerships with European institutions.

Drawing on EU frameworks such as the Gender Equality Strategy, the gender priorities of the European Research Area, and the requirement for Gender Equality Plans within Horizon Europe, together with national initiatives across Africa that promote girls’ and women’s access to STEM and research careers, AERAP can help ensure that these opportunities are visible, accessible, and connected across both continents.

Within this collaborative landscape, the AERAP Women in Science Subgroup will support:

• Opportunities within Horizon Europe, FP10, NDICI–Global Europe, and other EU instruments that include dedicated measures and funding streams encouraging the participation of women as principal investigators, innovators, and early-career researchers.

• Full inclusion of women in EU and SDG-related programmes, particularly those promoting Open Science, shared data spaces, and equitable access to research infrastructures.

• Awareness of gender bias in data, research design, and digital technologies, helping African and European partners engage with emerging needs for gender-aware algorithms and AI.

• Practical mechanisms to support women’s involvement across disciplines, including mentoring, mobility opportunities, networking activities, and the AERAP initiative “Stairway to Rewarding Women’s Excellence”, designed to highlight and strengthen women’s contributions to science and innovation.

• Use of evidence and data that is inclusive and non-biased, ensuring that research outputs feeding into EU programmes, digital tools, and international initiatives respect gender fairness—an increasingly important focus within the EU Digital Agenda and the UN Roadmap for Digital Transformation.

Through these activities, the AERAP Women in Science Subgroup aims to make EU–Africa scientific collaboration more inclusive and representative, ensuring that African women have stronger access to international partnerships, funding opportunities, and research communities across Europe.