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Gender and research funding in a
Norwegian context
Gender Equality at the University. Findings from the GENDEQU project University of Warsaw 22 June 2016. Prof. Agnete Vabø NIFU
Forever Young, Forever Female: A Gender
perspective on funding of young
researchers in Norway
Dorothy Sutherland Olsen
GENDEQU project
Research design
Literature study (Norwegian and European studies)
Analysis of published information from the Research Council of Norway
(RCN)
Interviews with 8 program managers at RCN (4 male & 4 female)
Interviews with 8 senior researchers (4 male & 4 female)
Interviews with 8 junior beneficiaries (i.e. young researchers who had
succeed in gaining competitive funding from RCN, 4 male & 4 female)
Interviews carried out in 2014 & 2015. Recorded and transcribed.
Methods and findings discussed in joint meetings with Norwegian and Polish
researchers
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Analytical framework for contextualizing different national
research funding systems
On the “interface” policy, structure and practice at various levels-
Legal state of system
EU funding
Research community
Research organisation (institute sector)
Recruitment practice career system
Research funding- state private funding agencies
Performance based indicators
Some characteristics of the Norwegian Research System
ONE central research council; few alternative sources of research
funding
Long tradition for focus on gender equality
Potential risk of conflict of interest - “Everybody knows everybody else”
However:
The grant application system is strictly regulated
The Research Council is continuously trying to make the grant
application process more transparent.
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Main categories of research funding at RCN
Broad thematic programmes (large programmes, eg. Biotechnology)
Independent researcher initiated projects (eg FRIPRO, postdoc, mobility
etc.)
Support to research networks
Support to research infrastructure
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Significant features; Norway
Small scale
Habilitation – formalised = time consuming – English- no preselection
One dominating funding council RCN
Low response rate in general
Less female applicants
State dominated& welfare state
Mainstreaming of gender perspective in research policy
Some lateral funders – cancer research – gender bias
New modes of organization and funding
Regional/decentralisation
Public sector innovations
System structure reforms- mergers
Research careers; conditions and trajectories
Institutional strategies impacting research funding! and conditions– Part time
– Diversification positional hierarchy
– Sabbaticals as management tools
– Research groups and funding criteria
Men and women in a typical academic career
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Candidate Research
fellow
Post doc Associate
professor
Full
professor
Women Men
Per cent
Source: NIFU/Register of Research Personnel, Candidate register 2013Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Professors by field of science
0102030405060708090
100Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Full p
rofe
ssor
Pro
fessor
II
Humanities Social
sciences
Natural
sciences
Engineering
and
technology
Medicine
and health
sciences
Agricultural
sciences
Women Men
Per cent
Source: NIFU/Register of Research PersonnelDorothy Sutherland OIsen
Academic career in humanities
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Candidate Research
fellow
Post doc Associate
professor
Full
professor
Women Men
Per cent
Source: NIFU/Register of Research Personnel, Candidate register 2013Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Proportion of women and men in grade A
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100D
enm
ark
Fin
land
Fra
nce
Icela
nd
Germ
any
Neth
erlands
Norw
ay
Sw
eden
Women Men
Per cent
Source: She figures 2012Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
National context
Gender equality in HE and research = high priority
Justice, democracy, credibility, research relevance- and quality
Committee for gender balance and diversity
Many measures implemented. Recently on institutional level much
attention has been paid to increase the number of female professors.
Mentoring sabbaticals….fixing the women
All the major universities now have institutes studying gender issues
Gender equality in research a high priority of– national
research council delegated authority to develop national
research policy
Involved in IGAR Gender Analysis in Research EU
Gender perspectives in research Integration of gender analysis in
research / all applicants expected to explore gender
perspective&implications of their research project
Fri prosjektstøtte: 422 millioner til 60 prosjekter innenfor
medisin, helse og biologi for 2016
Søknad
stype
Ant. søknader behandlet Søknader innvilget
tot. kvinne mann
tot. kvinne mann
ant. % ant. % ant. %
Forsker-
prosjekt 338 115 223 33 10 12 10 21 9
Unge
forskert
alenter 118 49 69 21 18 5 10 16 23
Mobilite
ts-
stipend 22 12 10 6 27 4 33 2 20
Totalt 478 176 302 60 13 21 12 39 13
Tendency to create new top initiatives when greater gender
balance achieved?
FRIPRO Toppforsk 2016 (46 projects 15 og 25 mill.)
9 of 46 granted projects are directed by women.
Young talented – women=lower application rate and responce rate
Age limit 40
“Free” project grants FRIPRO
EURYI European Young Investigation Awards (12% women/25% of
applicants)
Non/intended ? consequences
Work in favour of theoretical disciplines and theoretical subdisciplines
Segments such as physics, maths and linguistics where talents “reveal”
early
Excellence / associated theoretical, exact, measurable fag/ astrophysics/
not the practical subjects
Technical and clinical / applied / subject poorly represented
Further research questions
Does mentoring and other HR/career promotional initiatives at the individual
level solve the gender equality challenges in the long term perspective?
A need to pay more attention to developments in policy and market that
shapes career dynamics of research policy- financial conditions and how
this interplay with specific gendered career logics of various fields of
science and disciplines (Vabø et al 2016)
Influence of steering on financial conditions changes both at the
international and the institutional level
How does this interplay with new modes of organizing research
Some indications from our interviews of potential to
increase number of applications from women
“There have been few initiatives aimed at increasing the number of
women applying for funding, but those implemented were successful”.
“Some more recent attempts to increase the number of grant applications
from groups who do not normally apply have attracted many women”.
Agency employees reported that more women than men called for
information before sending an application.
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Some results:
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Number of research
projects4257 4414 4631 4895 5037
Number of female
project leaders1040 1052 1137 1221 1227
% of female project
leaders24,4% 23,8% 24,6% 24,9% 24,4%
.
Number of female researchers receiving funding over a 5 year period
RCN 2009
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Challenges reported by programme managers at RCN
Sometimes difficult to find people to evaluate grant proposals:– “we choose people we know”
– “we choose people who will accept the invitation to evaluate”
– However, one person can be invited to evaluate only 3 times
Theme groups decide on priorities within their field– “often the group know each other and are all in agreement about what should be included”
– All the discussions are about the “top” applications i.e. those with high scores
– “There is a risk that research proposals which diverge from the normal will not be
approved, in theory this should affect men as much as women”
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Challenges of establishing a research career - some
quotes from interviews with researchers
“Before I had children I used to think about work all the time. On the way to the bus I would be thinking about my next experiment or a new project, now I think about what nutritious food I can give my children” (Junior beneficiary, nano/bio/IT-F).
“I gave up a relationship to get this position, it might be the only break I get” (Junior beneficiary Social Science-M).
“If you don’t get established by the time you are 30 it will be too late” (Senior researcher, medicine-M).
I cannot take the risk of being unemployed. I have two children. If I do not have a permanent position lined up soon, I will have to leave research (Junior beneficiary, medicine-F).
I came to Oslo because I got this prestigious grant, but the department would not give me a laboratory. Several men who came here after me got labs. I cannot produce results without a lab” (Junior beneficiary Social science-F)
“If only 1 in 10 applicants get a grant, it is not worth the time” (Junior beneficiary, medicine).
“we never get many women applying for senior positions, maybe they think it has already been decided, but it has not” (Senior researcher Humanities)
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Some conclusions on the grant application system:
Program managers at RCN consider that the procedures for applying for
research grants in Norway are well organised and transparent.
The system is regulated and program managers at the Research Council
are aware of the challenges of gender balance.
Both junior and senior researchers had a positive view of the grant
application system.
However cliques form and some program managers are concerned that
applications which diverge from the norms, may loose out on funding.
Most of the challenges mentioned apply to men and women
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
Some conclusions on support & career development for
young researchers:
Interview data (from senior & junior researchers) confirms earlier studies
on the importance of becoming an established researcher during ones
30s.
Interview data also provided examples of the necessity for researchers to
be mobile and to work outside normal office hours.
Interviewees reported a great variation in the support and the
environment around young researchers. Some examples were :– Courses on writing research applications
– Support from colleagues
– Support for labs & equipment
Both junior and senior researchers thought there was room for
improvement in support for younger researchers
Dorothy Sutherland OIsen
