In a bid to address gender barriers in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the United Kingdom (UK), in collaboration with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, has opened this year's edition of free scholarship grants.

This year's application to ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’ Education (ASEAN-UK SAGE) Programme will welcome 11 women in STEM from Southeast Asian countries and in Timor-Leste.

The initiative reaffirms the UK’s commitment to empowering and enabling more women to lead in the field of STEM.

The fully funded scholarship programme offers qualified women from 10 ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste the opportunity to pursue Master’s degrees at two of the UK’s leading universities: The University of Warwick and The University of Manchester.

Too few women in STEM

In Southeast Asia, there is a mixed picture of gender parity in access and performance in STEM subjects.

Despite outperforming boys in mathematics and science in primary and secondary education, women remain underrepresented in STEM in tertiary education for only 19.3 percent women compared to 39.8 percent men obtain STEM degrees.

Women doctoral degree students are a minority. According to UNESCO, women account for a minority of the world’s researchers.

In 2019, fewer than 30 percent of researchers worldwide were women and only 30 percent of female students select STEM-related fields in higher education.

Specifically for East Asia and the Pacific, women researchers accounted for 25 percent.

This disparity continues into the workforce, with the 2022 United Nations progress report on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, Gender Equality, indicating that only 20 percent of jobs in STEM sector are held by women globally and only 16.5 percent women inventors are associated with a patent.

Bridging the gap

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme tackles gender barriers to basic digital skills for employment, aiming to support the development of basic digital skills for marginalized groups to improve employment opportunities and therefore quality of life, which helps narrow the development gap in Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships support this goal by providing financial assistance to disadvantaged women from ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste to access UK education in key STEM-related fields.

"ASEAN’s workforce is vast, and it is imperative to harness the full potential of humanity by encouraging both girls and boys, men and women, to pursue and excel in STEM education, which is critical for the future world of work. By doing so, we ensure that ASEAN remains at the forefront of global economic and technological progress," ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Dr. Koo Kim Hourn said.

"This scholarship comes at a timely moment as we in ASEAN look towards increasing the involvement of ASEAN women in STEM fields, reinforcing our commitment to gender inclusivity and sustainable development in alignment with regional and global priorities," Hourn added.

Meanwhile, HMA Laure Beaufils, Ambassador of the UK to the Philippines, said the ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships "demonstrate the UK's commitment to inclusive and sustainable development through education and women's empowerment."

"The exceptional women who are undertaking the scholarships this year will return to their home countries to launch their STEM careers, driving science and innovation. They will advocate for women and inspire the next generation," Beaufils said.

"And we hope they will build on their experience to develop research collaborations between ASEAN and the UK, where our universities are known for their top-notch STEM programmes," she added.

In 2024, the first year of the ASEAN-UK SAGE scholarships, 12 women from nine countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste) went to the UK to study a range of STEM subjects from Environmental Data Science and Machine Learning to Engineering Business Management at master’s level at Imperial College London and the University of Warwick.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE offer complements the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM which launched on 18 February.

According to Lotus Postrado, Philippine director of the British Council, the programme offers over 65 scholarships globally, including 25 for outstanding women from East Asian countries this year.

"These prestigious scholarships are more than just financial support — they are a gateway to world-class education, cutting-edge research, and a powerful global network of women leaders in STEM," Postrado stressed.

"With both scholarship programmes, we want to equip talented women with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive, investing in a future where they will break barriers, drive discoveries, and inspire the next generation."

Applications for both the ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships and the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM are now open until mid-April 2025, covering tuition fees, stipends, travel costs, visas, and health coverage.

The ASEAN–UK SAGE Programme is implemented by the British Council, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Australian Council for Educational Research, and EdTech Hub.