Mutual learning workshop addressed gender bias in research and innovation funding

Last week, GENDERACTIONplus Research Funder community gathered for an insightful mutual learning workshop (MLW) dedicated to a critical issue in research funding: mitigating bias.

The workshop, designed in collaboration with Joanneum Research, work-group lead Emer Cahill, and Vinnova as the Community of Practice (CoP) lead, offered participants a dynamic platform to share, learn, and innovate on this complex challenge.

Mitigating bias is fundamental to ensuring that public funds for research are distributed equally and fairly. Extensive research has revealed various factors that can introduce bias at different stages of the funding process. Addressing these requires not only raising awareness but also building capacity among Research Funding Organizations (RFOs) to identify and counteract such biases effectively.

A needs assessment conducted in the GENDERACTIONplus RFOs CoP identified bias mitigation as an urgent issue for the CoP. This workshop took a significant step towards addressing this priority by selecting subtopics and corresponding speakers.

In this workshop, the RFO CoP focused on various forms of bias in each of the steps of the funding cycle and developed ideas how to overcome them.

The aim of this workshop was to engage CoP members in designing the “perfect” unbiased call co-creatively. Designed to be interactive and collaborative, the event combined expert insights with co-creative breakout sessions. A guideline capturing the insights, tools, and recommendations generated during the event is now being developed.