Europe expected to tie research funding to gender equality action

5.10.2020

The European Commission’s plan to establish an Athena SWAN-style initiative to address gender inequality in academia has been welcomed by sector leaders, who predicted that taking action to improve diversity will become a requirement for obtaining research funding from Brussels.

Marcela Linkova, coordinator of GENDERACTION, a group of national policy experts appointed by EU member states and associated countries, said she “welcomed the plan…that gender equality plans are likely to be a requirement for applicants for Horizon Europe”. “The message must be clear that public funding for research and education cannot go to supporting institutions that discriminate, promulgate stereotypes or who are unable to make full use of the talents they employ,” said Dr Linkova, who chairs the ERA committee’s working group on gender. “The time has come to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, because inequality continues, including the gender pay gap and gender-based violence in academia,” added Dr Linkova.

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