Conference on combatting gender-based violence in academia on 24-25 November

The conference on combating gender-based violence in academia and titled ‘Ending gender-based violence in academia’ (www. gbv2022. eu) will take place on 24-25 November 2022 in Prague and online. The conference will present and discuss policies and actions aimed at gender equality, safety and inclusiveness in academia and research.

Gender-based violence is one of the five proposed thematic areas of the Gender Equality Plans, and is one of the dimensions addressed in the Ljubljana Declaration on Gender Equality in Research and Innovation, with an emphasis on the need for additional policy coordination and action.

The high-level conference will address the long-standing problem of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, in academia & research. Existing studies and policy documents identify the need for organised actions in this area, as well as the development of infrastructure to address the issue.

The conference will bring together representatives of national authorities, funded research organisations, student organisations and other relevant bodies of the European Research Area (ERA) in order to promote the debate on the actions needed to eradicate gender-based violence. Emphasis will be placed on the protection of students and academic staff, especially mobile students and researchers in the early stages of their careers.

Learn more about the speakers and the Conference programme.

The National Documentation Centre (EKT) has always served the goal of gender equality in the fields of research & development and innovation by participating in research projects on policy formulation, producing statistics, recording young female researchers, highlighting their achievements.

EKT is a partner in the GENDERACTIONplus project which is based on the following five main thematic areas: (i) intersectionality and inclusion, (b) gender violence in academia, (c) gender dimension in Research & Innovation, (d) monitoring of gender equality actions at Member State level in the new European Research Area (ERA), including the development of a monitoring mechanism and indicators, and (e) the development of a system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation and impact of gender equality plans as the main instrument to promote inclusive institutional changes in the new ERA.

The overall objective of GENDERACTIONplus is to contribute to the promotion of gender equality in the ERA through capacity building, policy exchange and coordination, as well as the provision of strategic policy advice. Through these activities, the project will help support the coordination and mainstreaming of gender equality policy in the new ERA. GENDERACTIONplus aims to eliminate gender inequality and reduce socio-economic inequalities – including those based on disability, ethnicity and LGBTIQ+ – through research and innovation systems and will strengthen the effort to integrate gender equality into the new ERA, promoting it in the European Research and Innovation System.

EKT actions on the participation of women in research

EKT actions, concerning documentation, information, counselling and networking, to support women's participation in research projects, the development of female entrepreneurship and the promotion of innovation, had already begun in 2007. Within the framework of the PERIKTIONI Network and the project ‘Mapping the Scientific Area of Greek Female Research Personnel’ (2007), EKT carried out, for the first time, an extensive inventory of Greek women researchers.

Since then, EKT has participated in a number of European projects aimed at enhancing the participation of women in the fields of R&D through the formulation of appropriate policies at European and national level, as well as at the level of individual research bodies.

EKT, as the National Authority of the Hellenic Statistical System, collects data for the mapping of the Greek Research, Technology, Development, Innovation (RDI) system, and in this context has included statistics on the participation of women in research and development in the list of national statistics it publishes. At the representation level, EKT is a national representative in the ERAC Standing Working Group on Gender in Research and Innovation (ERAC SWGGRI). At the same time, it is the country's statistical representative for the European Commission's flagship publication ‘She Figures’ and systematically records the participation of women in the fields of research, development and innovation, both at European and national level. Finally, through its targeted publications, it emphasises the linking of indicators with specific policies, helping to improve the effectiveness of public policies for gender equality.

It should be noted that EKT, responding to modern requirements and monitoring the plans that have been drawn up both at national (National Action Plan for gender equality 2021-2025) and at European level (Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025 , Gender equality in the European Research Area), has prepared and published the policy and action plan for gender equality which is its practical plan of actions to promote equal opportunities between women and men.