Established in 2024, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Central America and Andean Region Program (CERAN) was created following the merging of the three existing national programs in Colombia, Panama and Peru, Ecuador is the forth country covered by the CERAN Program. With support from the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Panama (SENACYT), Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Universidad del Rosario), the National University of San Agustín de Arequipa (UNSA), and the Technical University Particular de Loja (UTPL), the program aims to promote and encourage the participation of women in science in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru.

The award will consist of USD $10,000 for each recipient. That is, a total of USD $40,000 will be allocated to four researchers, one from each country, who have a doctoral degree or are currently pursuing a doctorate at national universities in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru, or abroad. The recipients must be leading ongoing research projects related to formal sciences, life and environmental sciences, physical sciences, engineering sciences, and technological sciences, and the research project must be conducted at a research center or university in the aforementioned countries.

Key figures:

• 4 endowments per year 
• USD $10,000 for each endowments
• 104 endowments awarded since launch