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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

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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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

• 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

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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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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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

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

CONTACT

Marcela LinkováNational Contact Centre for Gender & Science

Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicJilská 1

110 00 Prague 1Tel: 222 222 322

marcela.linkova@soc.cas.cz

www.zenyaveda.czwww.nkc.cz

http://www.facebook.com/NKCzenyaveda LinkedIn page: NKC gender & science

http://twitter.com/NKC_CZ

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