Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) participates in the third edition of the http://www.mujeresporafrica.es/en/content/science-women-2017 "Ellas Investigan" program promoted by the Women for Africa Foundation (FMxA, Fundación Mujeres por áfrica in Spanish). This foundation, created in 2012 by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, former vice-president of the Spanish government, aims to contribute to the empowerment of women as key players for the development of the African continent.VHIR is one of the ten centres participating in this year's edition, of which only two are research institutes associated with hospitals: VHIR and Biocruces of Bilbao. Each of them will host a candidate who for six months will carry out a research project in one of the following areas: health, agriculture and food security, water, energy and climate change, mathematics and economics. VHIR offers the possibility to choose between three lines of work framed in the area of health: the research group in Maternal and Fetal Medicine within the Department of Obstetrics led by Dr. Elena Carreras, the line of International Health and Tropical Medicine led by Dr. Israel Molina within the group of infectious diseases, and all lines of research related to Paediatrics.According to Dr. Joan Comella, director of VHIR, for Vall d'Hebron, to be part of this project means "that through the excellence of our research we identify and apply new solutions to the health problems of society and contribute to spread them throughout the world. Hence our immense satisfaction to know that, as a result of their stay in Vall d'Hebron, these female researchers will contribute to improving the health of their countries and transforming the future of our neighboring African continent."Research in Maternal and Foetal MedicineThe candidate joining this line can work to create synergies between basic and clinical research and establish the preclinical basis for congenital diseases and complications during pregnancy, as well as to study the impact of these complications on the health of the mother and the child in the long term.This work will be carried out in the context of the Vall d'Hebron Maternal and Child Hospital, which in addition to being the largest in Spain, is considered a reference centre in its field and is accredited by the European Council and the College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (EBCOG) and the European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM).Research in International Health and Tropical MedicineThis line of work will focus on providing specialized assistance to patients with tropical diseases and promoting the development of community health, implementing public health strategies that improve the accessibility of quality health to the entire population.Research in PaediatricsThe candidate will be able to develop her project within one of the four paediatric research groups of the VHIR: Growth and Development, Bioengineering, Cell Therapy and Surgery in Congenital Malformations, Paediatric Neurology and Translational Research in Cancer in Childhood and Adolescence.Again, the project will be framed within the Vall d'Hebron Maternal and Child Hospital, leader in Spain in the treatment of complex paediatric pathologies."Ellas Investigan" (They [female] Investigate)The purpose of this program is to promote the leadership of African women within the international scientific and technological community and in turn to implement the capacity of the host research centres to their country of origin. Likewise, "Ellas Investigan" also encourages women to play a fundamental role in the transfer of scientific and technological knowledge in the creation of products and services that can contribute to the social and economic development of Africa.A Scientific Committee, made up of prestigious Spanish, African and American personalities, including Dr. Joan Comella, will take over the selection process. To choose the participants, the candidate's research trajectory and the innovative potential of the project and its social and economic impact will be evaluated. The communication plan developed by the candidate to disseminate the results of the project will also be evaluated.The candidates must be women of African nationality, with a good command of English and a solid scientific and academic career, being essential to have a doctorate and to have led a research group.The applications can be submitted until October 15 on the website of the http://www.mujeresporafrica.es/en/content/science-women-2017 Women for Africa Foundation and the candidate will be able to join VHIR in January 2018.