Periodic Reporting for period 3 - LeTSGEPs (Leading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans in research performing organisations)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
The LeTSGEPs (Leading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans in research institutions) project, funded under the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme, was a direct response to the SwafS-19-2018-2019 call, which aimed to promote gender equality in the research landscape. This call was an integral part of the European Commission's strategy to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA), recognising gender equality not only as a fundamental right but also as a necessary condition for research excellence and societal relevance. At the core of LeTSGEPs was its alignment with the ERA’s objectives to foster gender equality in research and innovation. The project addressed several key areas: reducing gender imbalances in research institutions, promoting women’s career progression, and integrating the gender dimension into research content and teaching. By focusing on these areas, LeTSGEPs aimed to contribute significantly to the ERA’s broader goal of creating a more inclusive, innovative, and reflective research environment across Europe.
Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) play a crucial role in achieving gender equality by promoting women’s career, balance in decision making and the inclusion of the gender dimension in research and innovation processes, inside higher education and research organizations. LeTSGEPs main aim has been to support their design and implementation and ensure their sustainability in six different institutions and likewise countries thus extending to the whole society the general objective of acting to reach gender equality. In a climate of solidarity and exchange of best practices, a pool of more experienced partners and scientific advisors joined forces together to provide less experienced ones an active support in all the steps leading to the implementation of GEPs tailored to their gender inequality context.
The LeTSGEPs project has adopted a holistic methodology, combining the development and implementation of GEPs with a robust framework for Gender Budgeting (GB), which involves gender-sensitive analysis of budgets throughout the budgetary process in order to promote gender equality. This combined approach, integrating both GEPs and GB, is based on the belief that budgets reflect an institution's real policy commitments and are crucial to the sustainability of gender equality initiatives. The project's monitoring and evaluation framework played a key role in assessing the effectiveness and adaptability of the GEPs, ensuring that they could evolve in response to the dynamic needs of the participating institutions.
Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) play a crucial role in achieving gender equality by promoting women’s career, balance in decision making and the inclusion of the gender dimension in research and innovation processes, inside higher education and research organizations. LeTSGEPs main aim has been to support their design and implementation and ensure their sustainability in six different institutions and likewise countries thus extending to the whole society the general objective of acting to reach gender equality. In a climate of solidarity and exchange of best practices, a pool of more experienced partners and scientific advisors joined forces together to provide less experienced ones an active support in all the steps leading to the implementation of GEPs tailored to their gender inequality context.
The LeTSGEPs project has adopted a holistic methodology, combining the development and implementation of GEPs with a robust framework for Gender Budgeting (GB), which involves gender-sensitive analysis of budgets throughout the budgetary process in order to promote gender equality. This combined approach, integrating both GEPs and GB, is based on the belief that budgets reflect an institution's real policy commitments and are crucial to the sustainability of gender equality initiatives. The project's monitoring and evaluation framework played a key role in assessing the effectiveness and adaptability of the GEPs, ensuring that they could evolve in response to the dynamic needs of the participating institutions.
A robust methodological approach on the integration of Gender Budgeting (GB) in GEPs was produced and shared with all partners. A strong emphasis was placed also on capacity building through specifically developed training materials. Training sessions were integral components, aimed at equipping the participating RPOs and their staff members involved with the tools and knowledge necessary to implement effective GEPs. Individual sessions for the RPOs decision-makers have also been provided to have them “on board” in the crucial phase of implementation and then refinement of GEPs.
To a certain extent, these activities fostered also the building of a community of practice, enabling institutions to learn from each other’s experiences and challenges.
Particular attention has also been devoted to involve young researchers in LeTSGEPs activities both during project meetings and conferences and with a dedicated International Summer School on Gender Budgeting and Gender Equality Measurement. The school aimed at enabling early career researchers and Phd students to explore the topics of gender discrimination, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, gender equality planning, gender equality measurement, sustainability and social accountability with a practical approach based on the analysis and interpretation through case studies and simulations. Scientific advisory board members and other scholars were involved in lecturing and in mentoring the young participants who also developed during the School further interest in carrying out research activities on gender equality, gender budgeting and public policies evaluation in a gender perspective.
Dissemination and communication activities have been devoted to the general objective of increasing the number of RPOs implementing GEPs. These activities have been further intensified in the third reporting period to share LeTSGEPs results beyond the Consortium.
PARTICIPATION (both internal and external) was strongly encouraged, as well as networking enhancement, with the aim to make the achieved results sustainable and beyond the end of the project.
In addition to this, DISSEMINATION and COMMUNICATION continued internally and especially externally. The LeTSGEPs Final Conference has been jointly organized with the sister project CALIPER with 216 participants (100 in presence and 116 online).
A significant product of LeTSGEPs further contributing to the dissemination of methodologies, results and experiences is the Handbook for sustainable GEPs now available in open access in LeTSGEPs website in English (also available for readers with visual impairments) and into the national languages (AL, DE, ES, FR, IT, SRB) of the countries involved in the project with special attention to the consistency to gender sensitive language guidelines.
To a certain extent, these activities fostered also the building of a community of practice, enabling institutions to learn from each other’s experiences and challenges.
Particular attention has also been devoted to involve young researchers in LeTSGEPs activities both during project meetings and conferences and with a dedicated International Summer School on Gender Budgeting and Gender Equality Measurement. The school aimed at enabling early career researchers and Phd students to explore the topics of gender discrimination, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, gender equality planning, gender equality measurement, sustainability and social accountability with a practical approach based on the analysis and interpretation through case studies and simulations. Scientific advisory board members and other scholars were involved in lecturing and in mentoring the young participants who also developed during the School further interest in carrying out research activities on gender equality, gender budgeting and public policies evaluation in a gender perspective.
Dissemination and communication activities have been devoted to the general objective of increasing the number of RPOs implementing GEPs. These activities have been further intensified in the third reporting period to share LeTSGEPs results beyond the Consortium.
PARTICIPATION (both internal and external) was strongly encouraged, as well as networking enhancement, with the aim to make the achieved results sustainable and beyond the end of the project.
In addition to this, DISSEMINATION and COMMUNICATION continued internally and especially externally. The LeTSGEPs Final Conference has been jointly organized with the sister project CALIPER with 216 participants (100 in presence and 116 online).
A significant product of LeTSGEPs further contributing to the dissemination of methodologies, results and experiences is the Handbook for sustainable GEPs now available in open access in LeTSGEPs website in English (also available for readers with visual impairments) and into the national languages (AL, DE, ES, FR, IT, SRB) of the countries involved in the project with special attention to the consistency to gender sensitive language guidelines.
With reference to the three main impact areas of the call, LeTSGEPs results and impacts can be summarized in:
1- INCREASE IN THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CAREERS PROSPECTS
LeTSGEPs directly supported six (6) RPOs to implement Gender Budgeting and GEPs and influenced a wider number of research institutions through dissemination and exploitation activities. The initial budgeting and auditing phase provided the base knowledge to better understand in each institution how to remove barriers preventing women to advance in their career. These initiatives aimed to provide equal opportunities for women in science and academia by addressing existing gender disparities and creating supportive environments and resources tailored to women's career advancement.
2- IMPROVEMENT OF GENDER BALANCE IN DECISION-MAKING BODIES IN RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
LeTSGEPs paid specific attention to GEPs’ measures aiming at removing barriers that generate discrimination against women in the academic environment to improve gender balance in scientific boards and decision-making bodies. The impact is already visible in implementing partners’ data that show the improvement of gender balance in decision-making bodies.
3 - INCLUSION, OF THE GENDER DIMENSION IN RESEARCH CONTENT AND INCREASE IN THE QUALITY AND SOCIETAL RELEVANCE OF PRODUCED KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS
LeTSGEPs has implemented actions aimed at raising awareness of training staff about the inclusion of the gender dimension in research design and in the analysis of research outcomes. This was mainly achieved through seminars and webinars, which provided platforms for discussion, education, and dissemination of knowledge on the subject. These events were important for the training of researchers and staff on the importance of gender perspectives in research methodologies, project design and implementation, with the goals of contributing to a more inclusive and gender-sensitive research environment.
1- INCREASE IN THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CAREERS PROSPECTS
LeTSGEPs directly supported six (6) RPOs to implement Gender Budgeting and GEPs and influenced a wider number of research institutions through dissemination and exploitation activities. The initial budgeting and auditing phase provided the base knowledge to better understand in each institution how to remove barriers preventing women to advance in their career. These initiatives aimed to provide equal opportunities for women in science and academia by addressing existing gender disparities and creating supportive environments and resources tailored to women's career advancement.
2- IMPROVEMENT OF GENDER BALANCE IN DECISION-MAKING BODIES IN RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
LeTSGEPs paid specific attention to GEPs’ measures aiming at removing barriers that generate discrimination against women in the academic environment to improve gender balance in scientific boards and decision-making bodies. The impact is already visible in implementing partners’ data that show the improvement of gender balance in decision-making bodies.
3 - INCLUSION, OF THE GENDER DIMENSION IN RESEARCH CONTENT AND INCREASE IN THE QUALITY AND SOCIETAL RELEVANCE OF PRODUCED KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS
LeTSGEPs has implemented actions aimed at raising awareness of training staff about the inclusion of the gender dimension in research design and in the analysis of research outcomes. This was mainly achieved through seminars and webinars, which provided platforms for discussion, education, and dissemination of knowledge on the subject. These events were important for the training of researchers and staff on the importance of gender perspectives in research methodologies, project design and implementation, with the goals of contributing to a more inclusive and gender-sensitive research environment.