During the first 15 months of the project, the foundations of a coordination, management and mutual learning structure have been laid. As part of WP2, a Project Management Plan has been designed, and all relevant information uploaded in an online collaboration and storage system that ensures full compliance with Data Protection requirements. The Kick-Off Meeting and two Consortium Follow-Up Meetings were organised. These meetings have been prepared with participatory methodologies in order to be tipping points for knowing and understanding each partner’s changing context and for deepening consortium ownership and engagement feelings.
After the production of a common baseline of indicators (WP3), each partner has worked on the collection of their institutional data. This process has been a precious source of information for the institutional needs assessments reports and for the identification of topics which should be further analysed by each partner.
Further, training and capacity building have been key activities (WP4), providing tools and methodologies required for the design, implementation and evaluation of structural change processes. Also, the partners have seen SUPERA trainings as opportunities to engage institutional “allies” with the SUPERA project and its objectives, as well as key opportunities for team building within the consortium.
WP5 and WP6 have worked on the transition from the results of the institutional needs assessments to the design and implementation of Gender Equality Plans. The main efforts have been located on the establishment of gender mainstreaming support structures by each partner, via Gender Equality Hubs and Fab Labs.
Besides the continuous monitoring of activities within WP7, through participation in all meetings and development of SUPERA’s activities, along with monitoring and evaluation calls, the main output of this WP has been the development of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. This approach has definitely enhanced and enriched partners’ evaluation culture and has helped to identify important windows of opportunities for change.
Throughout this first reporting period, designing a communication and dissemination plan has been a relevant effort towards defining the communication strategy, which has also set measurable communication objectives. SUPERA partners have participated and organised activities to raise awareness and to understand the importance of gender equality in research organisations and academia, not only internally but also on public activities and in collaboration with other H2020 structural change sister projects. Also, the project’s visual identity was created and the project website was launched