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Evaluation of initiatives to promote gender equality in research policy and research organisations

 

Specific challenge:

In the field of research, initiatives have been developed in European countries and beyond aiming at promoting gender equality. They include direct support to female researchers’ careers, specific awards, gender balance in decision-making, gender-budgeting the integration of a gender dimension in research and programmes. Some initiatives have a more comprehensive scope such as charters, performance agreements and gender equality plans. Others are tied with the funding of research organisations and Higher Education Institutions. They shall have been initiated by public authorities/entities or private organisations and have a national or regional scope. Few of these initiatives have been evaluated so far and there is no common framework methodology to conduct such evaluations in Europe.

Scope:

The proposals shall develop concepts and methodologies for the evaluation of initiatives mentioned above, providing an adequate analysis of how gender issues are considered in science management and policy-making and how they contribute to achieve three main objectives: equal participation and progression in research careers, gender balance in decision-making and the integration of a gender dimension in research content and programmes. The proposed evaluation framework shall cover a selected range of initiatives with a national or regional scope:

  • on research quality and productivity as well as innovation;
  • on research organisations and Higher Education Institutions in terms of structure; efficiency, competitiveness, quality of the workplace, recruitment capacity;
  • at research system level in terms of intensity and productivity.

The proposed framework covers a selected range of initiatives from several EU countries using a comparative approach. It will contribute to develop a common understanding of the reach, value and limits of such evaluations. The proposals should also include an appropriate involvement of policy-makers to help integrate the findings of the evaluations in research and innovation policies.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of the order of EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected impact:

The research will provide concepts and methodologies fitted to conduct evaluation of gender equality initiatives in Europewith national or regional scope. It shall also provide a better understanding of the impacts of current gender equality initiatives, from the science-management and policy-making perspectives. This will help identify best practices to be promoted. In the medium term, it will help adapt gender equality initiatives and increase their efficacy, leading to an improved research intensity and productivity and furthering the progress towards the achievement of the European Research Area.[1]

Type of action: Research and Innovation Actions.

[1] COM(2012) 392 final