Final Report Summary - CEC-WYS (Central European Centre for Women and Youth in Science)
It has long been recognised that the position of women in science is an important issue that is of interest not only to women in science but also to research infrastructures in general, in particular with regard to the efficiently utilising all talents that are available in research and development (R&D). Over the past 30 years, various activities have been launched in western Europe both at the individual level of female mobilisation and networking and at the institutional level. In response to mobilisation and activism of women in science, activities in support of gender equality in science at institutional level in Western Europe have flourished over the past decade, including the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research.
In central and eastern Europe, the structural obstacles at national level (aversion to the implementation of equal opportunities policies), the structural obstacles in R&D (horizontal and vertical segregation, pay gap, lack of transparency in career advancement, etc.) and the personal and historical obstacles (distaste toward advocating women's interests among women researchers, unequal gender contract, etc.) create a roadblock to a successful implementation of gender equality in R&D. To remedy this situation efficiently, a pan-regional activity is required. This will facilitate synergies at national level in the individual countries involved, contribute to networking of women scientists in the region, and provide a European added value in that by fostering networking and research cooperation across the continent, it will contribute to the structuring of the European Research Area (ERA).
Thus, building upon the policies and activities of the EC establishment of Helsinki Group in 1999, the ETAN report of 2000, the European Commission's ENWISE project monitoring the position of women in science in the wider Europe, and the planned establishment of the European Platform for Women Scientists, a regional centre (which brings together partners from Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) titled the Central European Centre for Women and Youth in Science (CEC-WYS) was established to address the obstacles and problems summarised above. In its documents, the European Commission recognises a threefold relationship between women and science: science for women (research must address women's needs as much as men's needs), science about women (research must be conducted to enhance our understanding of gender issues) and science by women (women's participation in research must be encouraged both as scientists / technologists and within the evaluation, consultation and implementation processes).
The centre focuses in particular on the third aspect, concentrating on activities aimed at mobilising and networking women in science in the central European region. This goal is important from two perspectives:
Firstly, studies show that women are underrepresented in official scientific networks and in top scientific councils that set science policy and also largely excluded from unofficial networks (sometimes referred to as 'old boys' networks') and therefore they are in great need for structures for networking, exchanging experience and information, and building contacts.
Secondly, with the growing professionalisation and complexity of the research structures, Europe places increasingly more emphasis on structuring ERA. In this respect, the centre works as one of the structuring bodies in the central European region. It is also expected that the centre will build close ties to western research infrastructures, thus contributing to the involvement of women scientists and young people in science from the central European region in international research projects.
The project has created an interdisciplinary database of women scientists from central Europe. They promoted awareness of this database among national and international organisations, industrial bodies and R&D employment sites. Furthermore it developed an information flyer and held a workshop for women to inform and mobilise them to register in the European Commission database of expert evaluators.
To succeed in its aim to empower scientists and reaching for scientific excellence by building capacity and skills they have developed a project sourcebook which introduces the European Commission research funding tools and offers experience-based tips and suggestions on proposal writing and project coordination and management.
CEC-WYS partners have fostered reflective practices among scientists by developing a manual on the inclusion of the gender dimension in research questions and methodology and organised workshops to introduce the concept and look at concrete examples of how this can be done. CEC-WYS partners held seminars for young men and women scientists, aiming to prepare you researchers to take ownership of their research projects, and to develop skills in communication and responsible conduct of science, and provide them with skills to enable them to develop into effective supervisors and mentors, based on the Reflexives programme.
They have also developed a career resource website to orientate and guide researchers beginning their research careers, and those scientists who feel like they would like to expand their research horizons beyond their national funding opportunities.
Based on the Enwise expert group recommendations concerning the position of women in science in central and eastern Europe, CEC-WYS partners monitored policy developments by conducting a mapping exercise and writing national reports and a comparative international report with which to lobby at national level. CEC-WYS conducted the Enwise Workshop on Young Scientists, wrote a workshop report, 'Nurturing or Frustrating Ambition?', and analysed a follow-up online questionnaire on early career stage researchers' perceptions of the issues they face. Results have been made publicly available and we aim to synergise with the activities of other organisations concerned with young scientists as a tool to lobby for policy development.
In central and eastern Europe, the structural obstacles at national level (aversion to the implementation of equal opportunities policies), the structural obstacles in R&D (horizontal and vertical segregation, pay gap, lack of transparency in career advancement, etc.) and the personal and historical obstacles (distaste toward advocating women's interests among women researchers, unequal gender contract, etc.) create a roadblock to a successful implementation of gender equality in R&D. To remedy this situation efficiently, a pan-regional activity is required. This will facilitate synergies at national level in the individual countries involved, contribute to networking of women scientists in the region, and provide a European added value in that by fostering networking and research cooperation across the continent, it will contribute to the structuring of the European Research Area (ERA).
Thus, building upon the policies and activities of the EC establishment of Helsinki Group in 1999, the ETAN report of 2000, the European Commission's ENWISE project monitoring the position of women in science in the wider Europe, and the planned establishment of the European Platform for Women Scientists, a regional centre (which brings together partners from Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) titled the Central European Centre for Women and Youth in Science (CEC-WYS) was established to address the obstacles and problems summarised above. In its documents, the European Commission recognises a threefold relationship between women and science: science for women (research must address women's needs as much as men's needs), science about women (research must be conducted to enhance our understanding of gender issues) and science by women (women's participation in research must be encouraged both as scientists / technologists and within the evaluation, consultation and implementation processes).
The centre focuses in particular on the third aspect, concentrating on activities aimed at mobilising and networking women in science in the central European region. This goal is important from two perspectives:
Firstly, studies show that women are underrepresented in official scientific networks and in top scientific councils that set science policy and also largely excluded from unofficial networks (sometimes referred to as 'old boys' networks') and therefore they are in great need for structures for networking, exchanging experience and information, and building contacts.
Secondly, with the growing professionalisation and complexity of the research structures, Europe places increasingly more emphasis on structuring ERA. In this respect, the centre works as one of the structuring bodies in the central European region. It is also expected that the centre will build close ties to western research infrastructures, thus contributing to the involvement of women scientists and young people in science from the central European region in international research projects.
The project has created an interdisciplinary database of women scientists from central Europe. They promoted awareness of this database among national and international organisations, industrial bodies and R&D employment sites. Furthermore it developed an information flyer and held a workshop for women to inform and mobilise them to register in the European Commission database of expert evaluators.
To succeed in its aim to empower scientists and reaching for scientific excellence by building capacity and skills they have developed a project sourcebook which introduces the European Commission research funding tools and offers experience-based tips and suggestions on proposal writing and project coordination and management.
CEC-WYS partners have fostered reflective practices among scientists by developing a manual on the inclusion of the gender dimension in research questions and methodology and organised workshops to introduce the concept and look at concrete examples of how this can be done. CEC-WYS partners held seminars for young men and women scientists, aiming to prepare you researchers to take ownership of their research projects, and to develop skills in communication and responsible conduct of science, and provide them with skills to enable them to develop into effective supervisors and mentors, based on the Reflexives programme.
They have also developed a career resource website to orientate and guide researchers beginning their research careers, and those scientists who feel like they would like to expand their research horizons beyond their national funding opportunities.
Based on the Enwise expert group recommendations concerning the position of women in science in central and eastern Europe, CEC-WYS partners monitored policy developments by conducting a mapping exercise and writing national reports and a comparative international report with which to lobby at national level. CEC-WYS conducted the Enwise Workshop on Young Scientists, wrote a workshop report, 'Nurturing or Frustrating Ambition?', and analysed a follow-up online questionnaire on early career stage researchers' perceptions of the issues they face. Results have been made publicly available and we aim to synergise with the activities of other organisations concerned with young scientists as a tool to lobby for policy development.
