Seoul, 9 March 2026 – On 6 March 2026, the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Korea, in collaboration with Sookmyung Women’s University and the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology (WISET), hosted a profitable International Women’s Day event centered on girls in STEM. Held in Seoul, DDP, the event introduced together college students, professionals and academia to spotlight girls’s contributions to science and know-how and discover methods to foster higher inclusion in these fields.
Women stay underrepresented in STEM fields globally. In Europe, girls account for just one in three STEM graduates and one in 5 ICT specialists (European Commission, 2025). In the Republic of Korea, solely about 23.9 % of STEM doctoral graduates are girls — one of many lowest shares amongst OECD international locations, underscoring persistent gender disparities in superior scientific coaching (KOFWST, 2026). Addressing these disparities is a matter of equity but in addition a strategic crucial for sustainable development and technological management.
Spotlighting Women Leading in STEM
The event kicked off with “Stories from the Frontlines”, the place 4 girls from academia, business, and analysis shared their private and skilled journeys. Their tales underscored each the challenges and success of ladies in STEM, providing inspiration and sensible insights for the subsequent technology. Following the talks, a panel dialogue explored present traits, boundaries, and options for rising girls’s participation in STEM fields.
Commenting on the event, H.E. Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, talked about, “Promoting girls’s participation in STEM is a matter of equity and justice, about correcting a long-standing imbalance — however additionally it is about unlocking Europe’s and Korea’s full modern potential. When girls and males contribute equally to science and know-how, analysis turns into stronger, options extra inclusive, and societies extra resilient. Through initiatives resembling Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, the European Union is dedicated to embedding gender equality in analysis and innovation techniques. On this International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our partnership with Korea in encouraging younger girls to pursue STEM careers and in constructing an ecosystem the place expertise can thrive with out boundaries.”
Sookmyung Women’s University President Moon Si Yeun acknowledged, “Women in science and technology should not be mere participants but should establish themselves as agents who design and lead change.” She added, “Sookmyung Women’s University will nurture ‘out-thinkers’—talents who go beyond conventional thinking and solve problems in new ways—thereby contributing to expanding women’s leadership in science and technology.”
Moon Aree, President of the Center for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), added, “Innovation in science and technology can truly be achieved only when talents with diverse perspectives participate throughout the entire research process. As Korea’s participation in Horizon Europe as an associated country makes Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) a standard in global research collaboration, it is important to create an environment in which women scientists and engineers can demonstrate their capabilities in international joint research and pass on their experience to the next generation.”
“WISET will take the lead in identifying outstanding women scientists and engineers as role models in the field and actively disseminating their achievements, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which success stories from the field inspire the next generation to pursue even greater challenges.”
Building a More Inclusive Future
The event highlighted the significance of collaboration between the EU and Korea in selling gender equality in STEM. By sharing private tales, discussing coverage options, and connecting contributors with alternatives, the event aimed to encourage motion and foster a extra inclusive STEM neighborhood. The event concluded with an outline of EU programmes resembling Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, which supply funding and mobility alternatives for Korean college students and researchers.
The Republic of Korea grew to become the primary nation in Asia to affiliate to Horizon Europe, with its participation efficient from 1 January 2025. As a end result, Korean researchers can apply for and coordinate initiatives beneath Horizon Europe calls on the identical phrases as EU Member States and related international locations. Korean researchers may profit from the alternatives supplied by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (European Commission, 2026), funded beneath Horizon Europe, which assist excellent researchers worldwide via worldwide mobility and superior analysis alternatives in Europe and past. Research cooperation via Horizon Europe will strengthen world analysis networks and additional deepen EU–Korea scientific ties.
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