(CASPER) Certification-Award Systems to Promote gender Equality in Research

Certification-Award Systems to Promote gender Equality in Research (CASPER)

Progetto finanziato dall’Unione Europea nell’ambito del Programma Horizon 2020 Ricerca e Innovazione
Grant Agreement: 872113
Durata: 24 months
Data di inizio: 1/01/2020
Sito ufficiale del progetto

Il progetto CASPER ha l’obiettivo di valutare la possibilità di istituire un sistema europeo di riconoscimento o certificazione dell’uguaglianza di genere nelle organizzazioni di ricerca. Sulla base di una valutazione approfondita degli schemi esistenti, il progetto si propone di elaborare e convalidare quattro scenari, tra cui uno scenario “no action”, attraverso un processo di co-creazione con attori nazionali e internazionali. Ogni scenario sarà testato ex ante attraverso una metodologia “walk-through”, al fine di comprenderne i punti di forza/debolezza, i costi/benefici, gli altri impatti positivi/negativi o la loro rilevanza contestuale, e sarà successivamente convalidato con gli attori coinvolti.
Il progetto si concentrerà principalmente sulle disuguaglianze di genere nella ricerca e nell’innovazione, e incorporerà una prospettiva intersezionale laddove possibile. La durata prevista è di due anni e verranno presi in considerazione non solo l’Unione Europea e i suoi Stati membri, ma anche altri paesi in cui già esistono sistemi di certificazione/premio per la parità di genere, come Norvegia, Islanda, Svizzera, Stati Uniti e Australia.
All’interno di CASPER, K&I – oltre a partecipare a tutti i work packages – è responsabile del processo di convalida degli scenari che verranno co-creati. Seguendo una metodologia di tipo “walk-through”, ogni fase degli scenari sarà analizzata in modo approfondito con gli attori interessati presso cinque istituti di ricerca europei. L’obiettivo è quello di cogliere nella pratica, grazie alle diverse prospettive di tutti gli attori coinvolti nei diversi siti, la complessità dell’implementazione dei diversi scenari, raccogliendo così informazioni di prima mano per redigere una serie di raccomandazioni riguardanti ognuno di essi.

Notizie

Identifying policy recommendations on the certification/award system

The results of the validation activities (through questionnaires, follow-up interviews and walkthrough test), processed to highlight strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each scenario, have been discussed in two workshops within the CASPER consortium, including members of the International Advisory Board. The objective was to identify those policy measures that could realistically optimise the advantages and minimise the shortcomings of each scenario while maintaining their distinctive identity as alternative, credible policy options, each one presenting a specific trade-off profile. The connection with the Horizon Europe GEP requirement is also incorporated in many recommendations, aiming at harmonising the two policy ...

Validating the scenarios through walkthrough tests

The second consultation approach of the validation process entailed conducting – between September and December 2021 – ten institutional walkthrough exercises in European RPOs to test the feasibility of the individual features of one scenario among EUQUAL, the GES4R, and the European Athena SWAN. In each involved institution, a group of internal stakeholders of four to seven people “walked through” the various steps of the implementation of one of these scenarios to assess its usability and identify the main challenges they would face along the way. A total of 57 people participated in the tests, constituting a balanced panel in ...

Validating the scenarios through structured questionnaires and follow-up interviews

Within Task 6.1 “First validation of scenarios with policy-makers and key stakeholders”, the first three scenarios and – to a more limited extent, also the fourth one – have undergone the first step of the validation process. Between June 1st and October 20th 2021, key stakeholders (representatives of research performing and research funding organisations, experts, and policy-makers) have been consulted through structured questionnaires (including both closed- and open-ended questions) and semi-structured follow-up interviews to assess several criteria of the scenarios, such as the overall attractiveness and feasibility of each scenario, the feasibility of the individual features of the scenarios, and ...

Four concept scenarios

Following ten stakeholder workshops, two online open forum discussions, and three additional workshops with different target groups (national policy-makers, RFOs, and private sector organisations), the CASPER consortium, in May 2021, selected and developed for the validation phase three scenarios for a Europe-wide Gender Equality Certification or Award Scheme (GECAS) as well as a fourth no-action scenario.The first scenario is the creation of a brand-new Europe-wide GECAS (also named “EUQUAL”). This scenario is the most ambitious. It could achieve higher impacts but also costs more to implement. The second is based on an existing European award scheme, the HRS4R, and is ...

Developing four system scenarios through ten co-creation workshops with stakeholders

Between mid-January and mid-February 2021, within the framework of Task 5.2, ten co-creation online workshops with stakeholders were organised in order to develop four "system scenarios" (3 + one scenario without direct action). Workshops' participants worked together in plenary or in small groups on the Miro collaborative online board using virtual posters to add sticky notes, pictures or comments. There was a total of 133 participants in the workshops including different groups of stakeholders, experts, members of the consortium, and facilitators. The participants came from 26 European countries plus Australia. Out of the 133 participants, 88 were external to the ...

Distilling prerequisites of an effective certification/award scheme for gender equality in research: online workshop

To conclude the assessment of existing certification/award schemes for gender equality for Research Performing Organizations, making the object of WP4, and moving forward the design of scenarios for establishing a European award/certification system, which is the purpose of WP5, an internal online workshop with the CASPER consortium partners took place on October 21 and 22, 2020. Representatives of the EC DG RTD Gender Sector also attended the initiative.This activity was part of task 4.3, devoted to distil key prerequisites for an effective award/certification system and was hinged on the results of the previous actions of review and assessment of similar ...

Assessment of the certification schemes of gender equality: K&I contribution to the fieldwork

As part of the evaluation of gender equality certification/award schemes (CAS) in research and non-research institutions (WP4, task 4.2), coordinated by the Oxford Brookes University team, between May and July 2020, Marina Cacace and Giovanna Declich of K&I carried out 16 qualitative interviews to promoters and users of certification/award schemes Europe-wide, as well as gender experts.The interviewees from Italy, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, and Estonia were consulted about the CAS they were involved in and their suggestions for a possible future European certification scheme for gender equality.A synthetic report based on the evidences collected has been drafted to inform the ...

Kick-off meeting of the CASPER project in Strasbourg

The first project meeting of CASPER was held on 9 and 10 January 2020 at the headquarters of the coordinator (European Science Foundation) in Strasbourg. On this occasion, the different organisations and teams introduced themselves, and the general approach of the project was presented by the Oxford Brookes University team, before reviewing and discussing all the work packages.The presence of Anne Pépin (Senior Policy Officer of the European Commission, SwafS/Science with and for Society Unit, DG Research and Innovation) throughout the project allowed putting the project in the more general context of the Commission’s policies for gender in science in ...