Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MINDtheGEPs (Modifying Institution by Developing Gender Equality Plans)
Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2023-07-31
Despite the progress made in recent years, achieving gender equality in academic and research contexts remains a challenge.
MINDtheGEPs Project specifically aims at identifying and addressing the obstacles toward gender equality in Research Performing Organizations (RPOs). MINDtheGEPs’ work packages aim at removing barriers to recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers, addressing gender imbalances in decision making and strengthening the gender dimension in research. These are the key challenges that need to be addressed, in order to halt the waste of talent that undermines Europe’s future progresses, and to diversify the views and methodologies, so as to increase the quality, the methodological accuracy and the relevance of the research.
MINDtheGEPs addresses these challenges by a process of sustainable, systemic cultural and structural changes in RPOs, aiming to: implement 7 GEPs in the implementing partner institutions; strengthen and complement National Frameworks; monitor the gender gap reduction to increase research value and innovation excellence; to improve the diversification of scientific teams, in terms of human resources, research contents and publications and teaching curricula.
MINDtheGEPs takes a multidisciplinary approach for challenging gender imbalances across five different countries with traditional gender regimes (Italy, Spain, Serbia, Ireland, Poland) and across various types of Research Performing Organisations (RPOs): 4 public universities (UNITO, MTU, UG, UJ) and 1 public non-academic research institute (CNR); 1 academic (ETF) and 1 private technological institute center (CTAG). The consortium, led by the University of Turin’s CIRSDe, comprises also three non-implementing organizations bringing complementary expertise in monitoring and evaluation (K&I), research communication (Uppsala University) and scientific publishing (ELS).
MINDtheGEPs Project specifically aims at identifying and addressing the obstacles toward gender equality in Research Performing Organizations (RPOs). MINDtheGEPs’ work packages aim at removing barriers to recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers, addressing gender imbalances in decision making and strengthening the gender dimension in research. These are the key challenges that need to be addressed, in order to halt the waste of talent that undermines Europe’s future progresses, and to diversify the views and methodologies, so as to increase the quality, the methodological accuracy and the relevance of the research.
MINDtheGEPs addresses these challenges by a process of sustainable, systemic cultural and structural changes in RPOs, aiming to: implement 7 GEPs in the implementing partner institutions; strengthen and complement National Frameworks; monitor the gender gap reduction to increase research value and innovation excellence; to improve the diversification of scientific teams, in terms of human resources, research contents and publications and teaching curricula.
MINDtheGEPs takes a multidisciplinary approach for challenging gender imbalances across five different countries with traditional gender regimes (Italy, Spain, Serbia, Ireland, Poland) and across various types of Research Performing Organisations (RPOs): 4 public universities (UNITO, MTU, UG, UJ) and 1 public non-academic research institute (CNR); 1 academic (ETF) and 1 private technological institute center (CTAG). The consortium, led by the University of Turin’s CIRSDe, comprises also three non-implementing organizations bringing complementary expertise in monitoring and evaluation (K&I), research communication (Uppsala University) and scientific publishing (ELS).
As well known, proper qualitative and quantitative evidence of the gender gaps, and possible explanations for them, have been of crucial importance for designing and implementing GEPs. That is the reason why WP2 Assessing gender imbalances represented the core of the work performed in the first reporting period. In the second reporting period the project workplan is centred around the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of self-tailored Gender Equality Plans in the partners involved, thus WP3 Designing GEPs for systemic institutional change, represents the operative target of the project.
During the 2nd reporting period 7 out 7 partners have approved a GEP or a gender equality scheme that included the evidence from the WP2 research activities.In the “Ex-ante version of the 7 GEPs at each implementing organization” (D3.2) the structure of the 7 GEPs have been designed, detailing objectives and measures have been reported, and the related nature of the actions (cultural or structural) has been specified. Such structure has been applied to the four MINDtheGEPs Key-areas, the additional fifth area “Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment”, recommended by the European Commission, and the two additional Pillars identified in the MINDtheGEPs approach as crucial for the success and sustainability of the GEP: 1. Governance and monitoring, and 2. Training, awareness and communication. A specific reflection about a better integration of intersectional approach/aspects, was triggered/promoted within each core team and within the institution. GEPs improvements have been reported in D3.3 “Insights of GEPs improvement”.
Furthermore, the activities foreseen and undertaken by the consortium in WP4 Balancing recruitment, retention and career progression, WP5 Empowering women in decision making process and WP6 Gendering Research and Teaching were pivotal for the achievements of MINDtheGEPs objectives. In particular the elaboration, organization and the provision of a chain of trainings on gender equality with different targets, contents and approaches gave the consortium the possibility of raising awareness on a large scale and at different levels of the organizations, as well as the ability of establishing network between research organizations and publishing houses and editors. To improve the diversification of scientific teams in terms of human resources two different kinds of training were foreseen and started to be held: the BREAKTOP_LAB and the EMPOW_LAB. The BREAKTOP_LAB was designed for women and men in top management positions, those that have a role in decision-making bodies or recruitment/promotion panels. The EMPOW_LAB was designed for junior researchers at the beginning of their career in order to support their career progression through reinforcement of their skills in conducting research. For improving the integration of the gender and sex dimensions in research contents not only was elaborated and submitted D6.4 “Gendering scientific publications Guidelines”, but also was organized and held a workshop in Belgrade titled “Gendering Scientific Publications – 2nd MINDtheGEPs Train the Trainers Workshop”.
During the 2nd reporting period 7 out 7 partners have approved a GEP or a gender equality scheme that included the evidence from the WP2 research activities.In the “Ex-ante version of the 7 GEPs at each implementing organization” (D3.2) the structure of the 7 GEPs have been designed, detailing objectives and measures have been reported, and the related nature of the actions (cultural or structural) has been specified. Such structure has been applied to the four MINDtheGEPs Key-areas, the additional fifth area “Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment”, recommended by the European Commission, and the two additional Pillars identified in the MINDtheGEPs approach as crucial for the success and sustainability of the GEP: 1. Governance and monitoring, and 2. Training, awareness and communication. A specific reflection about a better integration of intersectional approach/aspects, was triggered/promoted within each core team and within the institution. GEPs improvements have been reported in D3.3 “Insights of GEPs improvement”.
Furthermore, the activities foreseen and undertaken by the consortium in WP4 Balancing recruitment, retention and career progression, WP5 Empowering women in decision making process and WP6 Gendering Research and Teaching were pivotal for the achievements of MINDtheGEPs objectives. In particular the elaboration, organization and the provision of a chain of trainings on gender equality with different targets, contents and approaches gave the consortium the possibility of raising awareness on a large scale and at different levels of the organizations, as well as the ability of establishing network between research organizations and publishing houses and editors. To improve the diversification of scientific teams in terms of human resources two different kinds of training were foreseen and started to be held: the BREAKTOP_LAB and the EMPOW_LAB. The BREAKTOP_LAB was designed for women and men in top management positions, those that have a role in decision-making bodies or recruitment/promotion panels. The EMPOW_LAB was designed for junior researchers at the beginning of their career in order to support their career progression through reinforcement of their skills in conducting research. For improving the integration of the gender and sex dimensions in research contents not only was elaborated and submitted D6.4 “Gendering scientific publications Guidelines”, but also was organized and held a workshop in Belgrade titled “Gendering Scientific Publications – 2nd MINDtheGEPs Train the Trainers Workshop”.
At the internal level, the project permitted attaining a profounder understanding on the gender biases and imbalances as well as the commitment of professors, researchers and technical and administrative staff. Every implementing partner has now a deeper knowledge of its present practices and procedures on gender equality, as well as the practices and procedures that should be adopted to guarantee meaningful improvements. The Project also facilitated the increasing of gender awareness among staff and governing/managing bodies, since the internal bodies in charge of the GEP have been created: the departmental delegate network (MDN) and the GEPs Implementing Board ensure not only the disseminations of the actions included in the plan but also the effectiveness of their applications.
At the external level, the project activities had an impact on other RPOs willing to develop their own GEPs, thanks to WP8 Dissemination&Communication, that not only aims at spreading project’s activities, but also at sharing meaningful and adaptable resources (including best practices, tools and tested methodologies) that will facilitate other European RPOs in pursuing a systemic institutional change. It is already possible to measure the impact of MINDtheGEPs’ dissemination of results looking at the 9 documents shared by the consortium on Zenodo with a total of 527 views and 291 downloads.
Furthermore, also WP3 already had an external impact thanks to the GEP web discussion forum that involved project partner, sister projects, advisory board and professional associations, and thanks to the national committees that involve national key actors.
As for the expected results, implementing GEPs in seven public and private institutions, most of them with a large number of employees and in one case (CNR) on a national scale, will increase the number of research organisations which systemically counteract gender inequalities. MINDtheGEPs will favour, in the medium-long term, an improved societal relevance of scientific research in terms of technologies and innovations. Besides spreading the project’s results thanks to tha activities foreseen in WP8, the MINDtheGEPs chain of trainings, in particular the EMPOW_LAB and the BREAKTOP_LAB, will multiply the feasibility and visibility of “gendered innovations” in the scientific community, thus fostering their replication.
At the external level, the project activities had an impact on other RPOs willing to develop their own GEPs, thanks to WP8 Dissemination&Communication, that not only aims at spreading project’s activities, but also at sharing meaningful and adaptable resources (including best practices, tools and tested methodologies) that will facilitate other European RPOs in pursuing a systemic institutional change. It is already possible to measure the impact of MINDtheGEPs’ dissemination of results looking at the 9 documents shared by the consortium on Zenodo with a total of 527 views and 291 downloads.
Furthermore, also WP3 already had an external impact thanks to the GEP web discussion forum that involved project partner, sister projects, advisory board and professional associations, and thanks to the national committees that involve national key actors.
As for the expected results, implementing GEPs in seven public and private institutions, most of them with a large number of employees and in one case (CNR) on a national scale, will increase the number of research organisations which systemically counteract gender inequalities. MINDtheGEPs will favour, in the medium-long term, an improved societal relevance of scientific research in terms of technologies and innovations. Besides spreading the project’s results thanks to tha activities foreseen in WP8, the MINDtheGEPs chain of trainings, in particular the EMPOW_LAB and the BREAKTOP_LAB, will multiply the feasibility and visibility of “gendered innovations” in the scientific community, thus fostering their replication.