Final Report Summary - TANDEMPLUS IDEA (Establishment of an international strategic development between leading European universities with the aim of increasing the number of female professors ...)
Based on the observation of a continuing underrepresentation of women in science and technology and in academic leadership positions, and on structural and systematic disadvantages for female scientists in male-dominated scientific cultures, the project analysed the situation in four European countries and developed a target-oriented programme for female postdocs. Using mentoring as an instrument of gender-oriented human resources development, it supported high-qualified female scientists from the partner universities to prepare for an international career in science and for an academic leadership position.
Between 2008 and 2009, 16 female postdocs from London, Delft, Zurich and Aachen participated in a programme based on the 3 modules mentoring, training and networking. In the mentoring part, they were paired with an international mentor of high academic reputation who supported them personally and professionally in their development. Training seminars on career-related topics prepared the participants for the requirements of international careers, while the networking events with international speakers and guests offered the opportunity to socialise and consolidate their networks.
The four project events took place alternately at the four partner universities, thus each time offering new stimuli and insights into different scientific cultures. The three modules served to foster a network of female scientists and to encourage the participants for a career in science.
Ultimately, it also aimed at increasing the number of female professors on European and international level and in general at ensuring more gender equality in science. That, in turn, will not only mean more female role models for future generations of students, but also the possibility to integrate more diverse perspectives into research and teaching in science and engineering.
As a pilot project for international mentoring, TANDEMPLUS IDEA was evaluated scientifically. The evaluation served to adapt the programme to the needs of its participants, but also to further develop the concept mentoring on an international basis. Because of its positive evaluation results, TANDEMPLUS IDEA can be seen as a model of best practice for an international mentoring programme, and will continue to the discussion on mentoring and scientific career development in the future.
The programme was presented on various conferences and in numerous articles and publications, most prominently at the final conference of the project entitled 'Going Diverse: Innovative Answers to Future Challenges - International Conference on Gender and Diversity in Science, Technology and Business' in October 2009, that also concluded the mentoring scheme. At this occasion the results were presented to an international audience and discussed in the context of human resources and organisational development. Selected contributions from this event were collected in the final publication of the project, appearing in summer 2010.
During the project evaluation it became clear that TANDEMPLUS IDEA has been successful in its immediate objectives. It had concrete effects on the career planning and development of 16 high potential female scientists, and encouraged them for an international career in academia. It also enlarged the mentees' contacts and established a functioning network of female scientists who will in the future continue to collaborate and support each other. The mentees' activities in their own web log, their plans to start a joint scientific project and write an article on the project together are significant enough.
Another success was the increased awareness of gender and equality issues among the programme participants. Mentees and mentors, some of whom had never been aware of the structural conditions women in academic leadership positions face, were sensitised for these factors and stimulated to consider them in their own action. It was a clear aim of the project that gendered and, in general, more diverse perspectives will in the future be integrated into scientific research, and TANDEMPLUS IDEA made a first step towards this.
Other objectives are long-term and still need to be observed in the future. Only then will be visible in how far the number of female professors in science could be increased and more gender equality reached. The desired chain of reaction of more female role models who inspire more women to study and pursue a career in engineering and natural sciences will only be possible with this increase in the number of female professors.
Nevertheless, TANDEMPLUS IDEA has made a first step towards the implementation of gender mainstreaming into natural and technical sciences, and it has shown that mentoring can be a valuable instrument for creating equal opportunities in science. In view of the existing quality standards for mentoring programmes (see Ada Lovelace et al., 2008) TANDEMPLUS IDEA contributed to the further development of the instrument.
The quality standards list the various factors for successful mentoring regarding:
1) its prerequisites (e.g. concept, financial and institutional resources, public relations);
2) the mentoring relationship in itself (e.g. conditions, methods, content and topics);
3) the realisation of the structural frame (referring for example to the selection criteria, the matching, a thorough information of all participants and the quality management).
Between 2008 and 2009, 16 female postdocs from London, Delft, Zurich and Aachen participated in a programme based on the 3 modules mentoring, training and networking. In the mentoring part, they were paired with an international mentor of high academic reputation who supported them personally and professionally in their development. Training seminars on career-related topics prepared the participants for the requirements of international careers, while the networking events with international speakers and guests offered the opportunity to socialise and consolidate their networks.
The four project events took place alternately at the four partner universities, thus each time offering new stimuli and insights into different scientific cultures. The three modules served to foster a network of female scientists and to encourage the participants for a career in science.
Ultimately, it also aimed at increasing the number of female professors on European and international level and in general at ensuring more gender equality in science. That, in turn, will not only mean more female role models for future generations of students, but also the possibility to integrate more diverse perspectives into research and teaching in science and engineering.
As a pilot project for international mentoring, TANDEMPLUS IDEA was evaluated scientifically. The evaluation served to adapt the programme to the needs of its participants, but also to further develop the concept mentoring on an international basis. Because of its positive evaluation results, TANDEMPLUS IDEA can be seen as a model of best practice for an international mentoring programme, and will continue to the discussion on mentoring and scientific career development in the future.
The programme was presented on various conferences and in numerous articles and publications, most prominently at the final conference of the project entitled 'Going Diverse: Innovative Answers to Future Challenges - International Conference on Gender and Diversity in Science, Technology and Business' in October 2009, that also concluded the mentoring scheme. At this occasion the results were presented to an international audience and discussed in the context of human resources and organisational development. Selected contributions from this event were collected in the final publication of the project, appearing in summer 2010.
During the project evaluation it became clear that TANDEMPLUS IDEA has been successful in its immediate objectives. It had concrete effects on the career planning and development of 16 high potential female scientists, and encouraged them for an international career in academia. It also enlarged the mentees' contacts and established a functioning network of female scientists who will in the future continue to collaborate and support each other. The mentees' activities in their own web log, their plans to start a joint scientific project and write an article on the project together are significant enough.
Another success was the increased awareness of gender and equality issues among the programme participants. Mentees and mentors, some of whom had never been aware of the structural conditions women in academic leadership positions face, were sensitised for these factors and stimulated to consider them in their own action. It was a clear aim of the project that gendered and, in general, more diverse perspectives will in the future be integrated into scientific research, and TANDEMPLUS IDEA made a first step towards this.
Other objectives are long-term and still need to be observed in the future. Only then will be visible in how far the number of female professors in science could be increased and more gender equality reached. The desired chain of reaction of more female role models who inspire more women to study and pursue a career in engineering and natural sciences will only be possible with this increase in the number of female professors.
Nevertheless, TANDEMPLUS IDEA has made a first step towards the implementation of gender mainstreaming into natural and technical sciences, and it has shown that mentoring can be a valuable instrument for creating equal opportunities in science. In view of the existing quality standards for mentoring programmes (see Ada Lovelace et al., 2008) TANDEMPLUS IDEA contributed to the further development of the instrument.
The quality standards list the various factors for successful mentoring regarding:
1) its prerequisites (e.g. concept, financial and institutional resources, public relations);
2) the mentoring relationship in itself (e.g. conditions, methods, content and topics);
3) the realisation of the structural frame (referring for example to the selection criteria, the matching, a thorough information of all participants and the quality management).
