Women's Impact Award

The Women’s Impact Award recognises women who combine outstanding research with societal impact. It celebrates scientific excellence with purpose—led by women and actively contributing to a more equitable future.

The award is a joint initiative by the Falling Walls Foundation and the Elsevier Foundation and forms part of the Falling Walls Global Call for Science Breakthroughs. The 2026 Global Call opens on 2 February 2026. Applications and nominations are welcome. Further information will be available soon.

WOMEN'S IMPACT AWARD 2026 - SELECTION CRITERIA

Career Level & Applicants

Applicants must be at postdoctoral level or above or hold an equivalent level of professional independence and responsibility. (Eligible examples: postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, senior researchers, principal investigators, group leaders, or professors). We welcome submissions from cis and trans women, genderqueer, and non-binary individuals, embracing an inclusive definition of women.

Nature of the Research Project

Applicants must be leading or substantially contributing to a research project that combines scientific excellence with real-world impact. The project must meet at least one of the following aims:

A. Advancing Gender Equality through Research

The project addresses a gender-related topic and meaningfully integrates gender equality into its design and methodology. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Research on gender bias in AI, healthcare, education, finance, or the workplace.
• Medical, technical, or social research that explicitly considers sex and gender differences in data collection and analysis.
• Projects using gender-sensitive methods, such as gender-disaggregated data or co-design with women and gender-diverse groups.

and/or

B. Supporting Underserved Communities

The project enables and supports underserved or marginalized communities through how the research is designed and/or how its outcomes are applied. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Participatory research that involves communities such as refugees, rural populations, people with disabilities, or low-income groups in shaping the project.
• Technologies, policies, or interventions that improve access to healthcare, education, justice, safety, or economic opportunity.
• Research whose outcomes are directly used to reduce inequality or dismantle structural barriers.

Projects do not need to focus exclusively on women or girls, but they must demonstrate a clear commitment to equity, inclusion, and positive societal change.

Project Status & Language

The research project must be actively running at the time of submission. Eligible projects include those:

• Collecting or analysing data,
• Piloting or testing interventions,
• Implementing solutions in real-world settings.

Projects that are only at the idea stage, in proposal development, or seeking funding are not eligible.

The language of the application must be English.

Who can nominate

• Universities and research institutions
• Companies with research laboratories
• Scientific foundations
• Partner organisations of Falling Walls
• Leading scientists in their field