The topic of women in science and the European research area was discussed during the conference ‘WiSER – Women in Science and European Research‘, organized on 4th December 2020 by Polish Science Contact Agency of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Information Office of Wielkopolska Region in Brussels. The aim of the event was to focus on the issue of persistent gender inequalities in the European Research Area (ERA).
The situation of women in science has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been reflected in a reduction in the number of academic papers and applications for scholarships or grants submitted by women, who often have to reconcile their professional career development with family responsibilities. This confirms the necessity of introducing institutional solutions aimed at supporting women in the area of research and innovation.
The invited speakers – representatives of EU institutions and representatives of universities, research institutions and organizations promoting women in research and science – discussed the opportunities and challenges related to the implementation of gender equality policy in academia and research. The scientific community of Wielkopolska Region was represented by prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, the first rector of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, while the Polish Academy of Sciences was represented by prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń, director of the Institute of Nencki Instiute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.
On behalf of Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture. Education, Youth and Sport, the event was opened by a member of her cabinet, Snezhina Petrova, who emphasized the importance of women in science and research. At the same time, she raised the topic of the European Research Area, which supports the implementation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) that are intended to be a factor conducive to positive change at the level of organizations participating in the research and innovation framework program. In addition, Ms Petrova indicated that the EU agenda will focus on two areas: countering gender-based violence in academia and integrating the gender dimension into research and innovation.
During the event, moderated by Dr. Michał Matlak, the speakers discussed in two thematic panels. The first panel was devoted to the European perspective on activities undertaken at EU level to support women scientists. It was indicated that the future Horizon Europe (HE) research and innovation framework program will place a much greater emphasis on strengthening gender equality than before. It is also worth emphasizing here that already in March 2020, the European Commission announced the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 under the slogan ‘A Union of Equality’. The second panel was dedicated to the exchange of experiences and views on empowering and engaging women in academic environment, and this part was very popular among the participants of the WiSER event.
The event was attended by over 150 participants across Europe, including people representing the scientific community (universities, research organizations or institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences), scientific organizations (financing and executive agencies), as well as organizations dealing with the issue of gender equality in the context of research and innovation. An important group of participants were experts from the R&I Brussels-based liaison offices.
Polish Science Contact Agency PolSCA together with the Information Office of Wielkopolska Region in Brussels kindly invite you to visit theWiSER website, where a full summary with an audio-video recording of the event was published.
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Published: 2020-12-09, J. Kramarczyk
Translated: 2021-05-01, J. Kramarczyk
Updated: 2021-02-02, J. Kramarczyk
Visuals: @PolSCA
Original source: The Information Office of Wielkopolska Region, December 2020
