WHY WE NEED EU-FUNDED PROJECTS?
The case of the Czech Republic:
- In 2012 % of women in research the lowest since 2001 when sex-disaggregated statistics started to be collected
- Limited policy support for gender equality in research and innovation
- No policy or strategy
- No dedicated programme or funding
- Responsible stakeholders neglect the issue
- Limited awareness of gender issues in research
- Limited expertise in state and public administration
- No activity in research performing or funding organizations
EU-funded structural change projects are a crucial instrument to start institutional changes
Learn, share, educate, “funding” leverage, legitimacy of topic
1. 21/11/2013 genderSTE 1
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS AS TOOLS
FOR CHANGE
STRUCTURAL CHANGE
GENDER IN RESEARCH
GENDER AND CITIES
GENDER AND TRANSPORT
GENDER AND CLIMATE
INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
Marcela Linková
National Contact Centre for Gender & Science
Institute of Sociology of the Academy of
Sciences of the Czech Republic
2. WHY WE NEED EU-FUNDED PROJECTS?
• The case of the Czech Republic
– In 2012 % of women in research the lowest since 2001 when sex-
disaggregated statistics started to be collected
– Limited policy support for gender equality in research and innovation
– No policy or strategy
– No dedicated programme or funding
– Responsible stakeholders neglect the issue
– Limited awareness of gender issues in research
– Limited expertise in state and public administration
– No activity in research performing or funding organizations
• EU-funded structural change projects are a crucial instrument
to start institutional changes
– Learn, share, educate, “funding” leverage, legitimacy of topic
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3. TRIGGER
• TRansforming Institutions by Gendering contents and Gaining Equality in Research
• FP7, SP4 CAPACITIES, SCIENCE-IN-SOCIETY-2013
• European Commission, DG R&I, Grant Agreement 611034
• Funding scheme Coordination and Support Action (CSA)
• Starting date: 1.1.2014, duration 48 months
• Project budget 3 761 428,80 €, EC contribution 2 179 369,00 €
• COORDINATOR: DIPARTIMENTO PER I DIRITTI E LE PARI OPPORTUNITA, DPO, Italy
• Partners
– ASSEMBLEA DELLE DONNE PER LO SVILUPPO E LA LOTTA ALL'ESCLUSIONE SOCIALE, ASDO, Italy
– UNIVERSITA DI PISA, UNIPI, Italy
– VYSOKA SKOLA CHEMICKO-TECHNOLOGICKA V PRAZE, VSCHT Praha, Czech Republic
– INSTITUTE OF SOCIOLOGY OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE CR, ISAS CR, Czech Republic
– BIRKBECK COLLEGE - UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, BBK, United Kingdom
– UNIVERSITE PARIS DIDEROT - PARIS 7, UPD France
– UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID, UPM, Spain
• Areas of action
– Working environment
– Content and methods of scientific research
– Scientific leadership at different levels
• Integrated model of mutual learning
4. • Prestige and credibility arguments
– EC’s structural change programmes since 2009
– NSF ADVANCE Programme since 2001, with over 130 mil. USD
– Examples from major European universities and member states
• EU policies: monitoring and reporting
– Structural change
• Resolution of the Competitiveness Council from 26. 5. 2010
– European research area
• Priority 5 Gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research
• ERA Communication from 17. 7. 2012
• ERA Progress Report
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MAJOR ROLE OF THE EU POLICY: POLICY ARGUMENTS
5. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARGUMENTS (1/2)
• Excellent science
– Gender bias precludes quality
• Research shows that women-researchers are systematically under-rated compared
to men-researchers
• Neglect of the gender dimension risks socially irresponsible, limited knowledge
with potentially adverse affect on human health and life
• Build a full portfolio of expertise for participating in Horizon 2020
– Integration of the gender dimension in research content
• Build new expertise and research niches
• Be ready for H2020 calls with the gender dimension flagged up
– Gender in teams / career advancement / leaderships
• Learn to meet the legal requirements of Horizon 2020
• Internationalization
– Achieve standards customary in prestigious, western European / US
institutions
– Make institutional procedures and culture legible to foreign
researchers
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6. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARGUMENTS (2/2)
• HR Excellence in Research
– Croatian institutions highly active
– Use the HR Strategy for Researchers to push for concrete
measures
• Gender equality
• Transparency, accountability, working conditions, career breaks
etc. are all gendered
• Strategic development of an institution
– Institutions must react to changing organization of research
• Increased competition and competitiveness
• Growth in competitive funding, including competitive
distribution of core institutional funding
• Omnipresence of research assessment
• Fragmentation of research careers, growing precarity
• International mobility (particularly postdoctoral stage)
– What are the gendered impacts of these changes?
• Easy and free way to learn and exchange what works
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7. TIPS
• Harness EU policy for your goals, including strong statements made by leading
representatives (e.g., the Commissioner) at international venues (e.g., Gender
Summit)
• Build a strong position for gender equality based on examples from similar or
neighbouring European countries
– Norway may be far too advanced for a useful comparison
• Build national alliances
– Find individuals within institutions who support gender equality and network
– Liaise with the national Helsinki Group representative and support each other
• Use the European Research Council (ERC) as an example for research funding
organizations
– It is prestigious and has addressed gender bias in evaluation
– Get acquainted with latest research on gender bias in research assessment
• Develop baseline sex-disaggregated statistics
– Your institution may be very surprised to see the results – “I see” moment
8. REMEMBER
• Once you start, things start happening… on their
own, too
– The mere presence of a project has an impact
• Heightened awareness and sensitivity
• But also visible and invisible resistances
• Don’t despair if the impact may sometimes be
essentialist or focused only on issues related to
motherhood/parenthood
– Take such a situation as a further opportunity to explain
the gendered nature of social reality
• Be patient, things don’t change overnight: the
project is just the start
9. CONTACT
Marcela Linková
National Contact Centre for Gender & Science
Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Jilská 1
110 00 Prague 1
Tel: 222 222 322
marcela.linkova@soc.cas.cz
www.zenyaveda.cz
www.nkc.cz
http://www.facebook.com/NKCzenyaveda
LinkedIn page: NKC gender & science
http://twitter.com/NKC_CZ
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