Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GENDERACTIONplus (Gender Equality Network to Develop ERA Communities To coordinate Inclusive and sustainable policy implementatiON)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-06-01 al 2023-05-31
Building on the Horizon 2020 project GENDERACTION (2017-2021), the overall goal of GENDERACTIONplus is to contribute to advancing gender equality and inclusiveness objectives of the new European Research Area. Thematically, the focus is on: 1) intersectionality and inclusiveness; 2) gender-based violence; 3) gender dimension in research, innovation, and teaching; 4) monitoring and evaluation of ERA gender equality actions; and 5) supporting institutional change through Gender Equality Plans (which are mandatory for application to Horizon Europe).
Specifically, the project aims to: 1) Develop strategic policy advice on existing and emerging policy solutions in the five thematic areas; 2) Enhance the policymaking process through engaging with stakeholders, CSOs and citizens; 3) Build capacities, competence, and expertise for gender equality and mainstreaming in R&I among the policy and RFO community members, with special attention to countries with a less comprehensive policy; 4) Create impact through communication, dissemination, and exploitation, including national impact plans and an EU impact plan, policy briefs and position papers based on the policy advice developed.
This work will be achieved through the work of a policy Community of Practice consisting of national authorities from 11 MS and 2 AC and 7 MS Associated partners and a research funder community of practice consisting of 8 MS RFOs and 2 AC RFOs and 6 Associated partners, and 3 RFOs joined through Memorandum of Understanding.
Throughout the life of the project, the GENDERACTIONplus will work toward making the following impacts: 1) Advanced policy coordination among MS and AC and through stakeholder and citizen engagement; 2) Improved research careers and working conditions in European R&I, by developing policy dialogue and solutions on inclusion and intersectionality, combating gender-based violence and promoting institutional changes through GEPs; 3) Increased research quality and social responsibility of knowledge through the integration of gender dimension in R&I, and 4) Reduced geographic inequality by targeting less experienced/engaged countries and regions.
Specifically, the project aims to: 1) Develop strategic policy advice on existing and emerging policy solutions in the five thematic areas; 2) Enhance the policymaking process through engaging with stakeholders, CSOs and citizens; 3) Build capacities, competence, and expertise for gender equality and mainstreaming in R&I among the policy and RFO community members, with special attention to countries with a less comprehensive policy; 4) Create impact through communication, dissemination, and exploitation, including national impact plans and an EU impact plan, policy briefs and position papers based on the policy advice developed.
This work will be achieved through the work of a policy Community of Practice consisting of national authorities from 11 MS and 2 AC and 7 MS Associated partners and a research funder community of practice consisting of 8 MS RFOs and 2 AC RFOs and 6 Associated partners, and 3 RFOs joined through Memorandum of Understanding.
Throughout the life of the project, the GENDERACTIONplus will work toward making the following impacts: 1) Advanced policy coordination among MS and AC and through stakeholder and citizen engagement; 2) Improved research careers and working conditions in European R&I, by developing policy dialogue and solutions on inclusion and intersectionality, combating gender-based violence and promoting institutional changes through GEPs; 3) Increased research quality and social responsibility of knowledge through the integration of gender dimension in R&I, and 4) Reduced geographic inequality by targeting less experienced/engaged countries and regions.
The first year of the project implementation focused on two main activities. Firstly, a benchmarking of national and research funder policies was carried out in the five thematic areas, to establish the state of the art of policy implementation and to identify existing gaps. Secondly, an initial round of capacity-building activities was conducted for the two CoPs on areas of mutual concern, to establish a common ground on gender equality in R&I. The capacity-building plans of the two CoPs build on a needs assessment, which served to identify the three capacity-building topics in the first year. These were carried out between January and May 2023 on: 1) citizen and stakeholders engagement (national authorities & RFOs); 2) gender dimension in research and innovation (RFOs); 3) building a national gender equality discourse (national authorities); 4) intersectionality and inclusiveness (national authorities & RFOs).
In addition to this, the work of the two CoPs was launched, support was provided to project partners and associated partners on the expectations and design of the National Impact Plans to ensure the uptake of the policy advice generated in the project. In addition, communication and dissemination activities were launched (including project website, Twitter account, and newsletter) and contacts were established with relevant stakeholders and sister projects and.
In addition to this, the work of the two CoPs was launched, support was provided to project partners and associated partners on the expectations and design of the National Impact Plans to ensure the uptake of the policy advice generated in the project. In addition, communication and dissemination activities were launched (including project website, Twitter account, and newsletter) and contacts were established with relevant stakeholders and sister projects and.
The benchmark survey among project partners and Associated Partners on the five thematic areas created new knowledge on the state of adoption and implementation of gender equality and inclusiveness policies in Research and Innovation at the national level. It served to identify policy evolution across the consortium, giving an insight into the Widening differences. In the upcoming period, the results of the benchmarks will serve to start developing policy advice and engaging with the relevant stakeholders, including those involved in the implementation of ERA Actions 3, 4 and 5, and ensuring the uptake of this policy advice.
In the area of the integration of the gender dimension in R&I specifically, the benchmark builds on a similar exercise of mapping policies conducted by the GENDER-NET Plus initiative in 2020, which in turn was an update of a former mapping conducted by GENDER-NET in 2015. By ensuring updated information on the gender dimension in R&I policies for both the Commission and “sister projects”, GENDERACTIONplus has generated knowledge that will be crucial to assess progress, identify gaps, and propose an innovative design of these policies in the upcoming years.
In the area of the integration of the gender dimension in R&I specifically, the benchmark builds on a similar exercise of mapping policies conducted by the GENDER-NET Plus initiative in 2020, which in turn was an update of a former mapping conducted by GENDER-NET in 2015. By ensuring updated information on the gender dimension in R&I policies for both the Commission and “sister projects”, GENDERACTIONplus has generated knowledge that will be crucial to assess progress, identify gaps, and propose an innovative design of these policies in the upcoming years.