INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research

The INTEGER project brings together a balanced and complementary consortium of organisations which share a top level commitment to the implementation of sustainable transformational change to improve the career progression of women scientific researchers. The consortium is made up of three implementing organisations - two Higher Education Institutions, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and the University of Siauliai, Lithuania, and a research institution, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France, as well as a specialist external evaluator, GESIS, the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany. The UKRC participated as a co-ordinator and external gender expert until month 14, followed by an interim from Bradford College, and their withdrawal, at month 18. Subsequently, the co-ordination will be ensured by CNRS, and the respective gender expertise role will continue to be provided by the gender units within each implementing organisation, with the input of an Expert Group and a network of Ambassadors.The project will utilise a simultaneous top down and bottom up approach to improve learning and engagement, and will ensure the lessons learned from delivery of other past and current projects is fully incorporated and built upon in the initial stages of implementation. The use of Transformational Gender Action Plans formed from established gender tools, tailored to individual organisations, fully and properly implemented down to the local level from senior management, and with measured outputs to promote, embed and mainstream gender equity within the participating organisations, will result in the desired outcome of improved career progression for women. Sustainability will be secured by bringing about the desired structural change across the range of organisations through embedding and mainstreaming gender good practice. Changes will endure beyond the life of the project as a result of enhanced capacity built within partner organisations, and the ongoing commitment of senior management within those organisations as a result of recognised benefits, in terms of enhanced reputation and profile. Specifically, the creation of guidelines on good practice based on measured and effective implementation with clearly demonstrated results will ensure the methods developed within the project continue beyond the life of the project.