GRACE final webinar series: The challenges of developing gender equality plans (GEPs) in Research Funding organisations

Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) play an increasing role in research systems by orientating research investments and inducing change in the way research organisations work. Halfway between research organisations and policymakers, RFOs also influence change in national research policies. Due to this peculiar position, they could also play a pivotal role in promoting gender equality in R&I, using research grants as a tool to help research organisations embed the gender dimension in research contents, favour women scientists in their career development, and support their access to leadership positions. However, like any other organisation, RFOs also reproduce forms of gender inequality themselves. It is thus very unlikely that they succeed in fighting gender inequality in the research system if they don’t address this issue internally as well. Hence the importance of encouraging RFOs to develop and improve Gender Equality Plans. This leads to various understudied questions, such as how to tailor the GEP-based approach to the RFOs’ peculiar features, how to develop reliable tools to measure gender dynamics in RFOs, or how to better connect RFO’s internal and external activities supporting gender equality.

This webinar will discuss the challenges in developing Gender Equality Plans and showcase best practices in this field.