The equality committees of the research institutes of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in the Valencian Community have launched the WoMent initiative, the first mentoring programme exclusively aimed at pre-doctoral researchers at CSIC centres. This initiative aims to generate scientific vocations, strengthen the academic and professional skills of future female doctors and contribute to reducing the gender gap that exists in different scientific disciplines.

The programme is based on a one-to-one mentoring model that seeks to inspire young female scientists through the experience of researchers with a proven track record. Participating doctoral students will receive personalised support, guidance and role models to help them face the challenges of a research career. Each mentoring relationship will consist of four one-hour sessions, which will be held in person or online, depending on the availability of the participants.

In this first edition, the programme is open to both mentors and pre-doctoral researchers (mentees) affiliated with CSIC centres or joint centres (CSIC-University/Generalitat Valenciana) in the Valencian Community. Mentors may include senior researchers, Ramón y Cajal fellows, postdoctoral researchers, and innovation agents who wish to volunteer to support the career development of young female doctoral students. To support their work, they will be provided with guidelines and materials to help structure the mentoring process.

Mentees will be doctoral students in the final or penultimate year of their thesis. Their participation will provide them with close and specialised guidance aimed at strengthening their skills and exploring new opportunities in academic, scientific, and technological fields.

 

The registration period will open on Wednesday, 1 October via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1U9HOYerDRV8xb3jAppRFJlWHqNXw0syU0NOT-Z_nB8E/edit, and interested parties can fill out the form until 31 October 2025. The organisation will then pair up the participants and, once the final list of participants has been published, the mentoring sessions will take place from January 2026 to June of the same year.

With WoMent, the CSIC in the Valencian Community reinforces its commitment to equality and the promotion of female talent and offers an intergenerational meeting space in which to share experiences, generate role models and promote innovative solutions that contribute to a more diverse and equitable scientific system.

For questions or further information, the equality committees coordinating the programme can be contacted at: womentcsic@gmail.com