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For the 20th year, UNESCO and L’Oréal, through the “For Women in Science” programme, are highlighting the importance and role of women in science and rewarding their scientific excellence. This year, 35 outstanding young women scientists competed for three scholarships, each worth €5,000. Among this year’s three recipients of the national UNESCO–L’Oréal “For Women in Science” scholarship is chemical engineer and researcher at the National Institute of Chemistry, Dana Marinič, who develops advanced materials and processes for the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air.

Dana Marinič is a researcher at the Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering at the National Institute of Chemistry. Her research on dynamic modelling of carbon dioxide capture on amine-functionalized sorbents contributes to the optimization of one of the most promising negative-emission technologies. By improving efficiency and reducing the cost of carbon dioxide capture, her work opens the way for more energy-efficient and industrially feasible solutions that can significantly contribute to the decarbonisation of society and the transition to a low-carbon future.

When receiving this award she said: "Receiving this award means a lot to me, as I see it as a wonderful recognition of my efforts and confirmation that my research is heading in the right direction. I hope that the award will contribute to greater recognition of direct CO₂ capture technology in the Slovenian research community and to a greater understanding of its potential, including in the evaluation of research projects."

_{Dana Marinič. Photo: L’Oréal – UNESCO}

The other two recipients of this year’s national UNESCO–L’Oréal “For Women in Science” scholarship are:

• Živa Alif, an agricultural economist and interdisciplinary researcher at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, who focuses on nature protection and biodiversity conservation;

• Nina Murks, a computer and information technology engineer, assistant and researcher at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics of the University of Maribor, who studies how the brain and muscles communicate using advanced algorithms.

At the scholarship award ceremony, Dr Tomaž Boh, Director-General of the Directorate for Science and Innovation at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, highlighted that Slovenia has a strong knowledge base and a high proportion of women among graduates and PhD holders:

“In research and development, women account for 37 percent of researchers, placing Slovenia above the European Union average. Nevertheless, women still progress more slowly in their careers, often earn less than men, and their contributions to science are less recognised and less frequently rewarded. Our two framework laws — the new Higher Education Act and the Scientific Research and Innovation Activity Act — require gender equality. Although the situation is improving, we still need events like today’s that bring women scientists to the forefront. That is why our ministry supports the L’Oréal-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ programme.”

The 20th award ceremony took place at Ljubljana Castle, with President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar as the keynote speaker. She emphasized that it is the responsibility of everyone — policymakers, researchers, and mentors — to show women that they are not only welcome in science, but that the community truly needs them.

Over its 20 years in Slovenia, the national L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” programme has recognised 58 outstanding young women scientists.

More information about the national L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” programme: https://www.gov.si/novice/2025-10-06-objavljen-natecaj-nacionalnega-programa-loreal-unesco-za-zenske-v-znanosti-2026/

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