Ingénieuses : Engineering Schools celebrate women

The low proportion of women engineers has always been a concern for CDEFI, as our mission is to promote Engineering training and careers, and to defend values of social openness, diversity and equal opportunities.

Alerted by many reports showing a serious lack of interest in science and technology among young girls, especially in Engineering training, CDEFI's former Education and Society commission decided to create a specific operation in 2011 in order bring more girls to Engineering schools.

Learn more about the Ingénieuses initiative on www.ingenieuses.fr. 
 
 

Objectives 

The Ingénieuses initiative is a competition and a national communication operation. Its objectives are :
  • promoting Engineering training and careers among women;
  • challenging preconceived ideas and gender stereotypes;
  • encouraging gender equality;
  • encouraging young girls to become engineers.

​Who can participate and how?

The Ingénieuses initiative include several calls for projects and applications : 
 
  • A call for projects to Engineering schools
Schools are invited to submit any project or action that meets one or more of the objectives of the Ingénieuses operation. Participation consists in submitting a project describing the proposed action. It can be individual or collective, and projects can be submitted by the School, the management team, teaching and administrative staff, a student association, a group of students, girls and/or boys, or even by an individual student. Projects may be recurrent or specifically developed for the event. A prize is also awarded to a project that obtained the Cap Ingénieuses label. As of 2023, a new high school prize is included, which will be awarded by a panel of high school students from the Paris region! 

 
  • A call for application to female Engineering students in France and the Maghreb 
All female Engineering students are invited to apply for the female Engineering student awards. These two awards, created in partnership with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), are open to all female students, regardless of their year of Engineering study, whether in France at an accredited Engineering school or in the Maghreb at an AUF member institution. The aim of the award is to recognise female students who are particularly involved in community work, and who demonstrate a high level of awareness of the issues surrounding gender equality and gender balance in careers and trainings. 

 
  • A call for applications to working women engineers.
All female Engineering graduates are invited to apply for the women Engineering awards. Two prize are awarded to two working women, regardless of their background, age, experience, training or sector of activity. The aim is to reward women engineers whose careers are a real source of inspiration for younger generations.

 

2023 Operation 


The 2023 call for projects and applications closed on 8 March 2023.

Ingénieuses jury is made up of two panels : a partners panel and a high school panel, which usually meet at the end of March/beginning of April to select nominees.

CDEFI and its partners awarded the prizes at a ceremony on 11 May2023. 

Learn more about Ingénieuses 2023