Meet GENDERACTION dream team!

30.9.2021

GENDERACTION project ends. There is a lot of work behind us; we have reached many achievements and successfully met our goals. Now it is a great opportunity to introduce who stands behind these accomplishments!

 

Aldona Tomczynska

Aldona works in the National Information Processing Institute (OPI, Poland). In the Laboratory of Data Bases and Business Analytics Systems, she was with her colleague Anna responsible for the development and implementation of the data dashboards. The dashboards consist of visual reports that display important metrics on women in science and higher education. Aldona participated also in the preparation of the manual for Polish stakeholders regarding Gender Equality Plans in Horizon Europe.

 

Angela Wroblewski

In GENDERACTION Angela was involved in WP3 – monitoring of National action plans implementation – which allowed her to continue her work on gender indicators in R&I. Furthermore, Angela supported the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research in developing and implementing the National impact plan. She says: “I enjoyed the application-oriented work within the GENDERACTION project which aimed at supporting an evidence-based gender equality discourse at European and national level. The exchange in the mutual learning workshops provided a starting point for such a discourse.”

 

Anna Knapinska

In the GENDERACTION project, Anna represented the National Information Processing Institute (OPI, Poland). In the Laboratory of Data Bases and Business Analytics Systems, she was with her colleague Aldona responsible for the development and implementation of the data dashboards. The dashboards consist of visual reports that display important metrics on women in science and higher education. Anna participated also in the preparation of the manual for Polish stakeholders regarding Gender Equality Plans in Horizon Europe.

 

Astrid Schwarzenberger

Astrid and her team from DLR Project Management Agency – Contact Point Women into EU Research – contributed mainly to Work Package 4, organising up a mutual learning workshop in Berlin on institutional change.

 

Averil Huck

Averil worked with the Czech team at the Center for Gender & Science of the Institute of Sociology of Czech Academy of Sciences for two years and contributed to researching good practice on gender perspectives in international cooperation in science and innovation as part of WP6. She also assisted the team during various mutual learning workshops and in writing policy briefs.

 

Dalibor Drljaca

Dalibor is a leading consultant in the Europroject centre from Banja Luka. Dalibor participated in all activities on GENDERACTION project providing the information and data from Bosnia and Herzegovina necessary to achieve the project objectives and to gain the project results. “GENDERACTION project was an inspiration to many people being in contact with the project results to reset their views and actions towards minimising gender issues in science and research, as well as in the academic community in general”, says Dalibor.

 

Fredrik Bondestam

Fredrik participated on the advisory board from the start, and during the last project year, he was responsible for task on gender and sustainability in ERA, producing a research review and several policy briefs together with colleagues at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, University of Gothenburg.

 

Hana Tenglerová

Hana was in GENDERACTION responsible for WP7 – Communication and dissemination activities. She especially enjoyed the search for the windows of opportunity to increase awareness about GENDERACTION and its outputs, cooperation on social media campaigns with sister projects, and communication with European stakeholders. “My involvement in GENDERACTION and at the same time in advocacy activities at the national level contributed to the use of GENDERACTION findings for strengthening the gender equality agenda in Czech R&I and increase of the project impact. It´s a win-win situation.”

 

Janet Mifsud

“GENDERACTION provided a unique opportunity for both RFOs and RPOs and other stakeholders to work together to ensure better gender access in research. I am really pleased that the University of Malta had the opportunity to provide a unique venue for facilitating the dissemination of this message beyond the EU to Third Countries, through the organisation of a mutual learning workshop with over 30 participants from more than 20 non-EU countries,” notes Janet.

 

Jennifer Harper

Jennifer and her team’s main contribution was on the strategic policy advice particularly in relation to ERA, the Mutual Learning Workshop held in Malta, and disseminating project news at the national level.

 

Kalypso Sepou

Kalypso is heading the European Programmes Department at the Research and Innovation Foundation in Cyprus. She was leading  GENDERACTION Work Package 4 entitled “Mutual Learning and Capacity Building”. Together with the Task Leaders, she was responsible for (a) the design and organization of Targeted Training Seminars and webinars for stakeholders, decision-makers and National Contact Points across Europe, and (b) activities promoting Best Practice Exchange amongst stakeholders.

 

Lydia Gonzales Orta

Lydia works in FECYT that has been supporting Zulema Altamirano and the Women and Science Unit of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation since the beginning of the GENDERACTION project. Lydia has collaborated in the development of the policy brief series to influence negotiations for Horizon Europe as well as in the definition of the strategic advice regarding the role of funding agencies, partnerships, and disruptive measures for gender equality, among others. “We have particularly enjoyed engaging directly with national representatives from EU Member States and Associated Countries involved in the consortium and the SWG GRI to achieve common goals,” says.

 

Magdalena Chrobak-Tatara

Magda participated in the GENDERACTION project from the side of the Polish Ministry of Education and Science. Magda was involved in preparations of the EGET workshop for Polish RFOs and RPOs as well as a manual for Polish stakeholders regarding Gender Equality Plans in Horizon Europe. She tested the data dashboards, prepared by OPI – Poland’s project consortium member – from the customer’s perspective helping it to make it a user-friendly statistical tool. Magda took also an active part in the dissemination of the project’s policy briefs to the Polish stakeholders involved in the ERA policymaking.

 

Marcela Linková

Marcela was GENDERACTION project coordinator, working with the work package leaders and all partners to achieve the project objectives and more, representing the project and its outputs at various events. “I am proud of what we, together, have achieved, especially in relation to getting gender equality on the agenda of Horizon Europe negotiations and continuing the policy dialogue at the joint conference with SI PRES Deepening ERA through gender equality. We have built a true community of practice for sharing, learning from each other, supporting each other and taking action together.”

 

Marina Angelaki

Marina has been involved in the report that explored the possible intersections between gender and open science and open innovation policies. In addition, she has been involved in the organization of trainings for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs).

 

Martin Degand

Martin used the opportunity to share the Wallonia-Brussels Federation experience in supporting gender equality in R&I through mutual learning workshops and other GENDERACTION events and brought the best practices (and rationale to support it) to foster gender equality at home.

 

  Martina Fucimanová

Martina was GENDERACTION project manager. She kept all project partners in the loop, organized project events, and made sure that all deadlines and reporting duties are met. „It was a great pleasure and honor to be part of such an important project and support colleagues from different countries. It is really inspiring to see what can be accomplished if there is a sense of passion for the work.“

 

Roberta Schaller-Steidl

On behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science, and Research, Roberta was involved in the GENDERACTION project in cooperation with the Institute of Advanced Studies as a person responsible for WP 3 (benchmarking and assessment of ERA priority 4 implementation). Roberta enjoyed the exchange within the Community of Practice provided by the GENDERACTION project a lot because this was highly valuable for the gender equality discourse at the national level. “The assessment criteria and the monitoring framework developed within GENDERACTION supported our reflection on the progress achieved. The project also raised my awareness for the further need for action,” adds Roberta.

 

Zulema Altamirano Argudo

Zulema is the head of the Women and Science Unit of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation that has led the work on strategic policy advice conducted during the whole GENDERACTION project. “We have defined, together with national representatives and other colleagues, the strategies and messages launched to integrate a gender perspective in Open Science & Open Innovation, in the negotiations for Horizon Europe and the Structural Funds as well as in the role of funding agencies, partnerships, among others,” says Zulema. Her team has also contributed to spreading the word of gender equality in R&I in the Spanish system of science, technology, and innovation. “We are always grateful to GENDERACTION for its support to national structures on gender & science that are crucial to advance at the national level,” adds Zulema.

 

 

We also want to thank the following:

  • project partners: Ana Puy, former head of the Women and Science Unit of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Ursula Konecnik from the Science Directorate of the Slovenia Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Jacqueline Grech from the Malta Council of Science and Technology, Brian Warrington and JosAnn Cutajar from the University of Malta, Alexandra Bitušíková from Matej Bel University in Slovakia, and Sonay Gönenli from TUBITAK in Turkey;
  • our Associate partners: Benjamin Monnoye from FWB-Directorate General for Non-Compulsory Education and Scientific Research in BELGIUM and Rita Hauchecore from the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation of the Flemish Government in Belgium, and Jona Pálsdottir from the Ministry of Science, Education and Culture in Iceland;
  • members of our Advisory Board on Priority 4 implementation: Brita Vegeberg from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science in Denmark, Maya Widmer from GEMO Widmer and Irene Rehmann from the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research in Switzerland, Alma Hasanović from the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Heidi Holt Zachariassen from the Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research, Universities Norway in Norway, and Christina Hadulla-Kuhlmann from Division for Equal Opportunities in Education and Research at the BMBF in GERMANY;
  • and the Advisory Board on gender in international cooperation in STI: Gulsun Saglamer from Istanbul Technical University in TURKEY; Inés Sanchéz de Madariaga, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality Policies in Science, Technology, and Innovation in Spain; Elizabeth Pollitzer from Portia, UK; Gloria Bonder from the Department of Gender, Society and Policies of FLACSO in Argentina and Martina Hartl, the SFIC Chair, from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.