Gender-SMART

Gender-SMART aims

Gender-SMART is about achieving gender equality in Research Performing and Research Funding Organizations operating in the agricultural and life sciences research field. This field, essential to humanity and strongly affected by gender biases, is of specific relevance to implement changes aiming at making research more open to societal challenges. Gender-sensitive institutional strategies and research actions will generate enhanced, relevant and fully inclusive innovation processes.

Gender-SMART unites 9 diverse organizations from 8 European countries which will collaborate to address gender inequalities and integrate a gender perspective in research. They will also be:

1) Building a gender equality culture; developing equal career support measures; reshaping decision-making and governance; 2) Integrating gender in funding, as research and teaching are shared challenges identified by partners; 3) Defining and operationalizing transformative, tailor-made Gender Equality Plans structured around these shared challenges with the help of professional gender experts who provide support in the domains of capacity building to steer change and guide monitoring & evaluation processes.

This iterative process towards change is based on four pillars:

1) LEARN from each other and from what exists; 2) INDUCE visible and measurable changes, based on a common understanding of the project impact pathway and by using inclusive and participatory approches; 3) MONITOR AND EVALUATE progress, encompassing external monitoring and self-monitoring actions; 4) SHARE the project results with a broad range of stakeholders and contribute to buidling a community of practitioners in Europe and beyond. Explicit commitment from senior and middle management in the Partner organisations was secured prior to writing the proposal and is incorporated in the project governance and activities.

2020

The goal of Gender-SMART project is to achieve gender equality in seven Research Performing and Research Funding Organisations operating in the agricultural and life sciences research field. Just on the verge of having their Gender Equality Plans endorsed or adopted by the top management, the COVID-19 outbreak hit. Amidst the outbreak, CIHEAM BARI, the Gender-SMART project partner responsible for dissemination, launched a survey “Gender-SMART at the time of Coronavirus“ on 6 April 2020 to map the impact of COVID-19 on research staff in the consortium partner organisations. Since the start of the outbreak, countries around Europe, all plunged into this unprecedented public health emergency, have been announcing measures to support their economies/work policies. This is why the survey was designed to take the pulse of Gender-SMART research funding and performing organisations and academia and get a snapshot of the current state of play for work reorganisation and impact on people’s life.

Besides this, the project joined the sister projects and contributed to the online campaign called “#GearingLeaders,“ committed to increasing the number of women in leadership roles. It also aimed to raise awareness on the importance of women in these positions and greater gender equality across all disciplines and positions.