KEY CONCEPTS

Gender issues need to be integral and not supplemental both to scientific research cultures and to the knowledge provided by research teaching curricula.
Gender equality and diversity in research teams is crucial for RPOs (Research Performing Organisations) to maximise their research effectiveness.
Every gender aspect of research programmes is dealt with in the perspective of enhancing the reliability of research output.
Strongly aligned with European Research Area Communication key priority, the aim of PLOTINA is to foster excellence and promote social values in innovation an research by:
  • Strengthening women’s unused talents
  • Ensuring a diversification of views and approaches – taking into account gender dimensions – in research
The key challenges are defined by two areas of intervention:
  • The achievement of systemic changes at the institutional level (human resources)
  • The revision of research programmes through inclusion of gendered dimensions (gender-aware science)

Approach

PLOTINA will contribute to the key challenges by firstly assessing the Gender Inequality and lack of integration of Gender into research and training programmes within its partnership against the European background. Secondly, the assessment will be used to design a practical approach for the development and implementation of self-tailored Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), with innovative and sustainable strategies for the RPOs involved.
6 out of 10 PLOTINA partners have been chosen to represent the different kinds of European RPOs: old and new HEIs; research-only organisations; small and large; STEMM-only and full diversity disciplines.
These partners also belong to different locations in Europe, which ensures the diversity in social and cultural background.
The project foresees 4 overall stages:
  • Assess the current situation of the partner RPOs
  • Design Gender Equality plan for each RPO
  • Design, implement, evaluate actions in the Partners RPOs to address the GEPs’ targets
  • Take the experience of working within our own RPOs to create a platform of resources that can be used by the RPOs across Europe to implement their own GEPs suited to their own situations.
PLOTINA’s RPO members will be supported by partners with expertise in coaching Small and Medium Enterprises in developing GEPs.  The non-RPO members will contribute to establishing impartial evaluation protocols for GEPs and the development of indicators to assess and measure progress.