Modifying Institution by Developing Gender Equality Plans

Project Information

MINDtheGEPs

Grant agreement ID: 101006543

DOI

10.3030/101006543

Project closed

EC signature date 23 November 2020

Start date 1 February 2021

End date 31 July 2025

Funded under

• Promote gender equality in particular by supporting structural change in the organisation of research institutions and in the content and design of research activities

Total cost

€ 2 936 022,50

EU contribution

€ 2 936 022,50

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MINDtheGEPs (Modifying Institution by Developing Gender Equality Plans)

Reporting period: 2023-08-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

For its whole duration, MINDtheGEPs Project aimed at removing barriers to recruitment, retention and career progression of researchers, particularly women, addressing gender imbalances in decision making and strengthening the gender dimension in research and teaching. MINDtheGEPs’ Consortium made all the necessary and possible efforts to reach the objectives of the project:
1. Implementation of 7 GEPs in the implementing partner institutions
2. Strengthen and complement National Frameworks
3. Monitor the gender gap reduction to increase research value and innovation excellence
4. Improve the diversification of scientific teams, in terms of human resources, research contents, publications and teaching curricula.
These objectives were addressed by MINDtheGEPs with a process of sustainable, cultural and structural changes. Thanks to this “multiple” approach MINDtheGEPs made great progress in line with European Commission and European Research Area’s (ERA) key priorities on gender equality. At the end of the Project, MINDtheGEPs Team can happily announce that all the 7 implementing partners have elaborated, realized and monitored well thought and structured GEPs.
MINDtheGEPs, led by the University of Turin’s CIRSDe, included five countries with traditional gender regimes (Italy, Spain, Serbia, Ireland, Poland) and across various types of Research Performing Organisations: 4 public universities (University of Turin, Munster Technological University, University of Gdańsk, Jagiellonian University) and 2 public research institutes (National Research Council; the School of Electrical Engineering-University of Belgrade) and 1 private technological institute (Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia). The consortium comprises three supporting organisations bringing expertise in monitoring and evaluation (Knowledge and Innovation), research communication (Uppsala University) and scientific publishing (Elsevier).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Many actions have been undertaken to ensure the effective implementation of the 7 MINDtheGEPs’ GEPs. In particular tasks and deliverables of “WP3 Designing GEPs for systemic institutional change” were devoted to the identification of best practices of the 7 GEPs and their dissemination in the scientific community. As foreseen, D3.4 “GEPs White Book and Final Sustainability Plans” not only represents an essential tool for promoting outside the project the actions of the GEPs, but also provided tips for making them sustainable.
The Monitoring and Evaluation system established in “WP7 Monitoring and evaluating GEPs” promoted interactions – particularly during on-site visits – with the internal governance and monitoring systems of the GEP’s implementing organisations. These interactions supported both the monitoring of GEP implementation and the definition of key quantitative and qualitative indicators for each strategic area of intervention. This also contributed to a more effective alignment between the activities foreseen in the MINDtheGEPs project and those included in the GEPs of individual organisations, thus supporting the achievement of Objective 3.
To improve the diversification of scientific teams in terms of human resources two different kinds of training were foreseen and held: the BREAKTOP_LAB and the EMPOW_LAB. The BREAKTOP_LAB was designed for the 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. Two deliverables summarize the work performed for providing both the BREAKTOP_LAB and the EMPOW_LAB: Programme of the EMPOW_LAB (submodule KA4) training course and web-page materials; D.6.3 Programme of the BREAKTOP_LAB (submodule KA4) training course and web-page materials.
For improving the diversification of research contents and publications it was essential the coordination among partners that made possible the organization of the Open Forums “Advancing Gender Equality in Research: Insights & Synergies from the Elsevier 2024 Gender Report” and “Leveraging scientific publishing for systemic change”; the publication on Zenodo of several briefs & working papers.
For improving the diversification of research contents and publications, MINDtheGEPs Consortium decided to make an extra-effort working for the publication of the research’s results gained during the first and second reporting period under WP2: a MINDtheGEPs book presenting the results of the comparative analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, on gender equality and its status of the art in the 7 implementing partners. The book, edited by Cristina Solera and Manuela Naldini and titled Gender (In)equality in Research and Science: A Multilevel Analysis across Europe, will be published in open access by Edward Elgar in 2026.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

MINDtheGEPs’ activities are pivotal for stimulating institutional awareness and structural change towards gender equality. Their relevance extends beyond the project, addressing systemic challenges and fostering scientific communities’ long-term cultural transformation.
At internal level MINDtheGEPs’ trainings, the EMPOW and BREAKTOP_LAB, with the 7 GEPs’s, multiplied the feasibility and visibility of gendered innovations improving the underrepresented gender’s careers. The trainings’ chain enhanced partners’ internal expertise offering foundation for broader gender-sensitive practices’ integration.
The strategic synergy among “WP2 Assessing gender imbalances”, “WP6 Gendering Research and Teaching” and “WP8 Dissemination&Communication” allowed the publication of the following briefs on Zenodo, improving the external impact:
• No data: No policies! The MINDtheGEPs approach to evidence-based policies for Gender Equality Plans, Solera Cristina, Balzano Angela, Turco Federica;
• Gender Imbalances at the Meso-Level: Gathering Insights Through Interviews with Key Informants and Researchers, Naldini Manuela, Musumeci Rosy, Balzano Angela;
• Gender Imbalances at the Meso-Level: Gathering Insights from Researchers Through a Web Survey, Solera Cristina, Sanseverino Domenico, Tattarini Giulia;
• Gender Imbalances at the Meso-Level: A Multi-Indicator Approach to Organisational Gender Data, Solera Cristina, Balzano Angela, Sanseverino Domenico;
• Gender Imbalances at the Macro-Level: A Comparative Analysis of Partners' Legal and Policy Contexts, Solera Cristina, Balzano Angela;
• Gender quotas & positive action: An attack on meritocracy?, Cipriani Nastassja, Colonnello Claudia, Holm Bodin Anna, Solera Cristina.
Other publications on Zenodo spread externally the knowledge gained with WP4 and WP5:
• Raising awareness & challenging stereotypes: Training senior leaders to promote gender equality, Krzemińska Katarzyna, Migalska Alexandra, Sekuła Paulina, Stoecker Ewa;
• Empowering women in research careers: Training early career researchers to promote gender equality, Krzemińska Katarzyna, Migalska Aleksandra, Sekuła Paulina, Stoecker Ewa.
MINDtheGEPs briefs were viewed a total of 5338 and downloaded 1859 times, with an average download rate of 37,59%. At its end in August 2025, MINDtheGEPs had more than half of the total number of views (9 000) and downloads (3 300) of all project outputs on Zenodo, representing an open access capacity-building platform and providing tools, methods and peer learning opportunities.

MINDtheGEPs Key Areas