The EQUAL4EUROPE consortium consists of 6 Research Performing Institutions (RPI), one international association of universities and one consultancy bureau who all have a clear focus on arts, humanities, medicine, social sciences, business and law (AHMSSBL). Whereas in the past gender equality was especially recognized as an issue by science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) RPIs, as is evident in the large number of research projects dedicated to this subject, it is now also more and more being recognized by AHMSSBL institutions. Within this project, we will develop free knowledge, tools and best practices for AHMSSBL institutions related to:
- Removing barriers to the recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers;
- Addressing gender imbalances in decision making processes; and,
- Integrating the gender dimension in research and innovation content.
The overall assessment of the EQUAL4EUROPE project confirms that all objectives have been successfully reached. All research institutions participating in the project have successfully adopted and implemented a Gender Equality Plan (Objectives 3 and 4). The assessment of their implementation and impact (Objective 5) reveals that, although there are differences across the research institutions - given the importance of context, resources, and commitment in implementing gender equality measures - all institutions have engaged with relevant stakeholders (Objective 2) and increased gender awareness at organizational level (Objective 1), as there is a shared belief that institutions need to improve their policies and measures to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men and the need to act to achieve gender equality. Furthermore, the EQUAL4EUROPE consortium has adopted different measures to guarantee the transfer and sustainability of the results of the project, including knowledge exchange with the publication of many toolkits, reports and policy briefs and the elaboration of recommendations on the introduction of gender equality standards in accreditation agencies (Objective 6) and the creation of the Gender Equality and Diversity Officers Network (Objective 7).