OWSD

What OWSD does

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is an international non-profit headquartered at the ICTP Campus in Trieste, Italy, operating in association with UNESCO. Its mission is to strengthen the role of women scientists from the Global South, specifically those based in countries classified as Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). The organization recruits beneficiaries through a fellowship- and award-based model rather than selling products or services, with no disclosed pricing or revenue model.

OWSD's core offerings are three primary programmes plus one newer addition. The PhD Fellowships Programme has awarded nearly 600 fellowships since inception, with over 400 completed and an 80%+ retention rate. The Early Career Fellowship provides up to USD 50,000 per fellow to support established researchers in establishing research environments, with 212 current fellows. The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards recognize five early-career women scientists annually, each receiving USD 5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to an international conference, with annual themes aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals since 2021. The newer Master OWSD WISDOM programme targets displaced women scientists. Distribution and engagement are delivered through a global network of National Chapters spanning Africa, Arab Countries, Asia & Pacific, Latin America & Caribbean, and Other Countries, supplemented by an events platform for conferences, workshops, and webinars.

OWSD is funded by international institutional donors rather than earned revenue, with SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) as a primary donor for the PhD Fellowships and the Elsevier Foundation funding the awards programme. The organization does not disclose financial figures publicly. Governance is provided by an Executive Committee including a Vice President, with National Chapters operating semi-autonomously in countries such as India, Egypt, Nepal, and Malaysia. Reported beneficiary counts include 345 current PhD Fellows, 212 Early Career Fellows, and 16 recent awardees.

Name

OWSD

Legal name

Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World

Website

https://owsd.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OWSD is a UNESCO-associated international non-profit that supports women scientists in Science and Technology Lagging Countries through PhD and Early Career Fellowships and the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards, operating global National Chapters from its Trieste, Italy headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women in Science Fellowship Programmes

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Women in STEM fellowships
• Science capacity building
• Developing world research
• PhD fellowship programme
• Women scientists network

Headquarters

HQ city

Trieste

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. PhD Fellowships Programme: The PhD Fellowship programme awards fellowships to women scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) to undertake PhD research in STEM. The programme has awarded nearly 600 fellowships with over 400 completed to date. Funded primarily by SIDA and other international donors.
2. Early Career Fellowship: Prestigious awards of up to USD 50,000 for women researchers in STEM in Science and Technology Lagging Countries. Fellows are supported to establish research environments at their institutions.
3. OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards: Annual awards programme recognizing outstanding scientific careers of 5 women scientists from developing world, with cash prizes of USD 5,000 and all-expenses-paid trips to international conferences.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OWSD is an international non-profit organization that supports women scientists in Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) through fellowships, awards, networking, and capacity-building programmes. It awards PhD Fellowships (nearly 600 to date), Early Career Fellowships (up to USD 50,000), and the annual OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards (USD 5,000 each), all targeted at women in STEM from the Global South. The organization is funded by international donors including SIDA, the Elsevier Foundation, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and operates in association with UNESCO.

Product overview

OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World) is a global membership organization, not a software product. It operates a portfolio of fellowship programmes (PhD Fellowships, Early Career Fellowship), awards (OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards), and the WISDOM programme for displaced women scientists. These programmes are supported by a network of National Chapters across multiple regions and an events platform for conferences and training. The organization focuses on strengthening the role of women scientists from the Global South in science and technology through capacity building, networking, and recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PhD Fellowships Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 600 fellowships awarded with 80%+ retention rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011TWAS partnered with OWSD and Elsevier Foundation for the awards programme. TWAS defines the Science and Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) list used for eligibility. The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards were previously jointly administered with TWAS until 2021.
• UNESCOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWSD operates in association with UNESCO. The organization's logo appears alongside UNESCO branding. OWSD is hosted at ICTP which is a UNESCO category 2 institute. The partnership provides international legitimacy and connection to UN scientific networks.
• ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWSD Secretariat is hosted at the ICTP Campus in Trieste, Italy. ICTP is a UNESCO category 1 institute and an important scientific institution partner.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• African Academy of Sciences (AAS): AAS runs fellowship and grant programmes for African scientists, including women, and is the dominant regional research-fellowship provider in Africa. Its Africa-specific focus makes it a partial overlap with OWSD's African National Chapter footprint.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO L'Oréal Young Talent Programme: UNESCO's broader women-in-science portfolio sits adjacent to OWSD's mandate and often co-funds or co-brands regional women-in-science programmes. As a broad incumbent, it sets the institutional backdrop against which OWSD operates.
• The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS): TWAS is a partner that historically co-administered OWSD's awards and supplies the STLC eligibility list; it is also a broader science-capacity organization offering fellowships, prizes and research grants across the developing world. TWAS serves overlapping beneficiaries and is a structural peer within the same funder ecosystem.
• International Science Council (ISC): ISC is the umbrella international NGO for the natural and social sciences, with programmes that intersect with OWSD's capacity-building and inclusion missions. It serves overlapping stakeholders and funder communities, including in the Global South.

Emerging players

• MPOWER Financing: MPOWER offers scholarships and loans for international students, including women in STEM, using a fintech-enabled model. It is an emerging player intersecting with OWSD's fellowship-eligible population but via a commercially differentiated (loan-based) mechanism.

Direct peers

• Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future: Provides PhD and postdoc fellowships to women from developing countries in STEM - overlapping almost perfectly with OWSD's PhD Fellowships Programme in mission, target population and funding model. Both organisations compete for the same donor-supported fellowship dollars and the same pool of eligible women scientists.
• L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science: The most direct peer: L'Oréal-UNESCO operates a globally recognized annual awards programme honouring women scientists, including in the developing world, with similar cash-prize-plus-conference-travel structure. It targets the same talent pool and competes for the same visibility and donor mindshare that OWSD's Elsevier Foundation Awards does.
• American Association of University Women (AAUW): AAUW runs International Fellowships for women pursuing graduate study, including from developing countries, and offers a comparable awards-based fellowship model. The missions and beneficiary profiles overlap materially with OWSD, making it a relevant functional benchmark.

Others

• International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP): ICTP hosts the OWSD Secretariat in Trieste and shares the UNESCO category-institute affiliation. It is an enabler and ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, providing the institutional infrastructure for OWSD's operations.
• Elsevier Foundation: The Elsevier Foundation is OWSD's core financial partner for the annual awards programme and is itself a grantmaking entity supporting women in science and library/research capacity. It functions as an enabler and funding partner rather than a competing fellowship provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OwsdSecretariat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owsd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about OWSD