Membres
Candidate for the GRAND PRIX 2025 in the CSR category – L'Oréal Balkan – "For Women in Science"
During this year's Gala evening, which will take place on March 20, we will organize the traditional Grand Prix CCIFS awards ceremony.
The global leader in the cosmetics industry, L’Oréal, bases its corporate social responsibility on a vision in which business success and social development go "hand in hand." With the desire to always be a company to emulate, it strives to create beauty that drives the world, make the environment more beautiful for all generations to come, and work to make a positive contribution to society and the communities in which it operates. One of the key initiatives in this field in Serbia, the National Program "For Women in Science," is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
The international L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" program was launched in 1998 by the L'Oréal Foundation and UNESCO with the aim of recognizing, rewarding, and supporting young women who achieve outstanding results in scientific research, highlighting their key role in the development of society. In Serbia, the national program has been implemented since 2010 in partnership with the Commission of the Republic of Serbia for Cooperation with UNESCO, the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, and L'Oréal Balkan, supporting the professional development of local talents.
Three annual awards, along with financial support of 5,000 euros, are given to the best young female scientists in Serbia as a form of support for their valuable research projects and encouragement to continue pursuing science in our country. To date, over 700 young female scientists have participated in the national awards competition, and 41 have been rewarded with a total amount of nearly 25 million dinars.
Women in science around the world lead revolutionary research and discoveries, but despite the exceptional results they achieve, their work still largely remains unnoticed by the public or unrecognized as it deserves. For example, according to current UNESCO data, only 33% of scientists worldwide are women, and since the establishment of the Nobel Prizes for Science in 1901, only 25 women have received this prestigious award in any of the recognized fields.
The program in Serbia was launched in 2010 with the aim of rewarding and promoting the best young female scientists and supporting the outstanding results they achieve. Since then, three annual awards, along with financial support of 5,000 euros, have been given each year to female scientists in Serbia for significant scientific research in the field of natural sciences. The program is dedicated to recognizing and rewarding talented female scientists in the early stages of their careers, providing them with financial support and visibility to advance their research and contribute to the scientific community. Through the national awards, the program promotes equality in science, inspires young female researchers to persist with their innovative ideas, highlights the contribution of women to science, and promotes their achievements, while also aiming to inspire young girls to choose scientific careers.
Over the course of a decade and a half, the L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" program in Serbia, in addition to supporting 41 female scientists, has supported research in medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, and other sciences, as the awarded projects are often focused on research into important challenges in these fields. In addition to the awards, the program includes a year-round media and public campaign (in 2024, over 150 media publications, interviews, and appearances by award recipients were recorded). Through these activities, the recipients gain visibility in society, which often results in their participation in relevant events, conferences, and gatherings, both in the domestic and international scientific communities. The program has also made a significant contribution to strengthening the domestic scientific community by providing motivation and encouragement to future generations of female scientists.
As part of the global L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" initiative, which has had an enviable reputation in the global scientific community for 26 years, providing our female scientists the opportunity to be part of such a large and significant initiative and a community of exceptional women, which globally counts over 4,400 scientists, is an exceptional achievement for them. Seven recipients of the global L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" award, after receiving this award, went on to win the Nobel Prize for Science. The global "For Women in Science" initiative includes 53 national and regional programs supporting young talents in over 140 countries, including Serbia.
