PA/31/16 28 November 2016
Australia, India and the UK promote women in science
Some of Australia’s best minds are in India this week taking part in a conference designed to highlight the important contribution of women and boost their participation in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) sectors.
Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu, who will help open the conference, said gender equality in these critical areas of research was a challenge shared by countries worldwide.
“There are many attractive careers in STEMM - the Australian Government has committed $13 million for initiatives to encourage more girls and women to pursue careers in these sectors,” Ms Sidhu said. “Australia is leading by example to increase female participation through measures under the $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda.”
A ten-member Australian delegation will take part in the first ever Australia- India-UK trilateral ‘Women in STEMM’ workshop in New Delhi, which has brought together scientists, research leaders and government officials from the three nations.
The workshop will address gender equality and identify practical ways to inspire young women into study and careers in these sectors, improve their participation in the workforce, and develop a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
The workshop will begin a dialogue to help support international engagement to promote awareness and find solutions on gender equality issues in Australia, India and the UK.
The workshop is a part of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), which has helped build a strong collaborative research partnership between Australia and India over the past 10 years. The Australian Academy of Science, supported by an AISRF grant, has organised the workshop in conjunction with the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology, the British High Commission and the Australian High Commission in New Delhi.
The AISRF is Australia’s largest international science collaboration fund: the Australian Government has committed a total of $84 million up until 2019. Since it was established in 2006, the AISRF has supported more than 260 joint projects, workshops, fellowships and other collaborative activities.