2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science | From vision to impact: Redefining STEM by closing the gender gap – February 11 2026, 9:30am-5pm CET | Online Registration Open

Today, women continue to represent less than one third of the world’s researchers (see the UNESCO factsheet). Closing the gender gap matters not only for fairness, but also for the quality, relevance and impact of science, technology and innovation.

Building on the 2024 UNESCO Call to Action “Closing the Gender Gap in Science” and the 2025 “Imagine a world with more women in science #EveryVoiceInScience” campaign, the 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science shifts the focus from recommendations and reflection to showcasing existing good practices and solutions for building more inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) ecosystems.

More information on the programme and link to connect can be found here.

McMaster is a longstanding member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), which was created under the auspices of UNESCO in 1950.