Women's* Empowerment Convention Wins Equality Award of the University of Münster

12 January 2024 | Münster

Great atmosphere and excellent entertainment marked the University of Münster's New Year's reception at the Münster Castle on Friday evening, January 12. The focal points of the event were the New Year's address by Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels and the presentation of three awards, each showcased in short films.

Once again, this year's New Year's reception served as the festive backdrop for the presentation of three Rectorate awards - the Teaching, Equality, and Student awards.

The Equality Award 2023, endowed with a total of €20,000, was awarded to two projects by the Rectorate: "SmartMatters4You," a collaboration between the MexLab Physics and the interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center "Intelligent Matter," and the "Women's Empowerment Convention" under the umbrella of the REACH - EUREGIO Start-up Center organized in partnership with the University of Münster and our Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre of the FH Münster. The jury decided to honor both projects as they originate from fields where women are significantly underrepresented.

The "Women's Empowerment Convention" brings together students, university staff, and campus-related start-ups, as well as business representatives and economic promoters. The event provides participants with the opportunity to discuss and network on topics related to equality, leadership, careers, and entrepreneurship. Given that only 20 percent of women are involved in the entrepreneurial scene and related areas, the Rectorate considers the promotion of such initiatives especially crucial. With a large number of internal and external experts, the congress held for the first time in November 2023 has the potential to generate regional and even national attention, contributing to the strengthening of the university's position.

The Women's* Empowerment Convention will be established as one of REACH's flagship events and will continue in the coming years, with the next edition scheduled for April 23, 2024. The prize money will be utilized by REACH to incorporate exciting program elements for the upcoming convention.