Today, February 11 is the International Day of Women & Girls in science. Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.

However, according to the 2021 UNESCO Science Report, female students make up just 28% of graduates in engineering and 40% of those in computer sciences. 33% of researchers are women, and they have made up to parity in life science in many countries.

The intersection of technology, health and medicine is a crossing point that creates a new meeting space, where not only researchers, industry and technologists come together, but citizens as well. Their participation in these new areas brings a breathtaking array of possibilities: creativity, societal interests, participation and collaboration. But also a whole bunch of new questions and tensions: Which social tasks can we humanely delegate to machines? Do we have a right not to be measured, analysed and coached?

The Let it Grow campaign aims at involving people with their local biodiversity. It is a joint campaign run by Ecsite together with EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) and BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). All our members are invited to join in!

Deadline for applications is 10 March