Leading Innovative measures to reach gender Balance in Research Activities

ended

The main goals of LIBRA are to implement innovative Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) that will empower women researchers to achieve successful careers in science, remove gender barriers and biases at an institutional level, and raise awareness of gender aspects in the experimental design of pre-clinical research projects. To achieve these goals we will: 1) conduct an initial external assessment of each partner organisation to identify gender bias at an institutional level, including a tailored version of the Gender Career-Family Implicit Association Test to analyse the current cultural and institutional attitudes towards gender issues; 2) design and implement innovative strategies to remove any identified biases or barriers, including the identification of best practices and subsequently the development of training programmes to improve the recruitment of women in science, the raising awareness of the central importance of including gender aspects in experimental design, mentoring schemes and family-friendly policies; and 3) define targets, agree on quantitative and qualitative indicators, monitor results, and ensure sustainability of the project. LIBRA will be in a position to impact gender equality and mainstreaming of sex and gender issues in research throughout Europe. It will contribute to the European Research Area objectives to boost women’s careers, promoting their leadership in research and in decision-making processes. Our partners are also involved in other national and European (e.g. ERC working group on gender) initiatives, such that our results will also contribute to structural, institutional and sustainable changes well beyond the lifetime of the project.