Photo: the poster presented at the Conference "Ready for dialogue?" (Berlin, 5 October 2015) and European Gender Summit 7 (Berlin, 6-7 October 2015) (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).

Practicing STAGES: process and results

The organisational context

The "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iasi (UAIC) is the oldest higher education institution in Romania. Founded in 1860, UAIC has a recognised tradition of excellence and innovation in education and research. Nowadays, with 25,000 students and 1,900 academics, researchers and administrative staff, the university enjoys high prestige at national and international level and cooperates with 286 universities world-wide, being a member of some of the most important university networks and associations: European University Association, Coimbra Group, Utrecht Network, International Association of Universities, Network of Francophone Universities.

The Project STAGES is consonant with the UAIC's objective to develop international cooperation with other universities in domains of common interest as, in this case, promoting gender equality in science through structural transformations within organisations. It is also noteworthy that during the STAGES implementation, on March 2014, UAIC received from the European Commission the distinction/logo Human Resources Excellence in Research, for which are foreseen, among other requested conditions, principles and criteria of Gender Equality (like gender balance in staff composition, recruitment, promotion and representation in leaderships).

Aims and objectives

The STAGES project at the UAIC focus on the following aims and objectives:

• Promoting organizational awareness on gender issues in science and technology as well as on gendered content of research and innovation
• Introducing new institutional practices and structures to improve gender equality in science
• Developing research studies on the dynamics of structural change designed to address gender imbalance in universities
• Increasing the visibility of the scientific achievements of the UAIC's women senior and young researchers
• Supporting young researchers' career development in science
• Fostering knowledge and strategies to integrate the gender dimension in research and academic teaching.

The Action Plan and the Participatory Strategy of implementation

The UAIC's self-tailored Action Plan (AP) targeted 9 out of 15 faculties, namely Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography & Geology (Life and Earth Sciences), Mathematics, and Computer science (Formal Sciences), Economics and Social Political sciences (Social Sciences) and Letters (Humanities), but its outcomes extended to the whole university. It was designed, from its inception, to develop a participatory strategy of implementation, so as to integrate different categories of stakeholders/beneficiaries: academics, researchers, managers as well as PhD, MA and BA students. The Action Plan foresaw also partnerships and cooperation with the national agencies responsible for higher education evaluation and research funding (ARACIS, UEFISCDI) and the Ministry of Education and Research, thus ensuring the possibility to generate a positive impact at national level for other academic and research institutions in Romania.

The Action Plan included over 90 activities (given that many of the 40 basic actions had 2-4 or more annual editions), which have been carried out by 130 organisers and contributors, and attended by over 2,500 beneficiaries: professors, researchers, managers, post-doctoral, PhD and MA students (see the summary of AP below). For reporting on these actions, a number of 12 Deliverables (with more than 1,000 pages) have been prepared and sent to EC DG Research and Innovation as the UAIC's contribution at the STAGES project.

Strategic areas/ Objectives	Actions	Number/ Time
1. Actions promoting change in organizational culture and formal/ informal behaviors	1.1. Setting up the UAIC’s Network of Women Academics and Researchers	1 action/ 2012
	1.2. Documenting and evaluating both qualitatively and quantitatively equal opportunities	2 surveys/2012, 2015
	1.3. Developing gender-disaggregated statistics and gender-sensitive indicators	1 action/2012
	1.4. Organizing a Workshop for research results presentation	1 action/2012
	1.5. Drafting and establishing guidelines and policies	1 action/2012
	1.6. Establishing a Senate position for the representatives of the UAIC Network of Women Academics and Researchers	1 action/2013
	1.7. Setting up periodic reporting practice on equal opportunities in the Senate/Rectors board	3 reports/2013. 2014, 2015
	1.8.Setting up periodic training modules for University’s employees	8 events/modules, 2012-2015
	1.9. Setting up periodic training modules for University’s managers	4 events/modules 2012-2015
	1.10. Institutionalization of the “UAIC’s Network of Women Academics and Researchers”	1 action/2013
	1.11.Documenting the integration of a special chapter (or special provisions) on Equal Opportunities of women and men in the UAIC Charter	1 action/2013
	1.12. Study on developing national standards for gender equal opportunities in funded research (based on a comparative analysis between RO and EU countries, carried out in cooperation with ARACIS and UEFISCDI/CNCSIS)	1 action/2014
	New actions
	1.13. Website building and permanently updating for the communication and dissemination of the UAIC- STAGES project activities	1 continuous action 2012-2015
	1.14. Setting up the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science	1 action/2013
	1.15 .Setting up the UAIC gender equal opportunities database (GEOD) in accordance with the EC indicators (in cooperation with UAIC Centre for GES)	2 actions/2014, 2015
	1.16. Preparing the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science for continuing and developing the GES activities initiated by the UAIC-STAGES project (sustainability plan and responsibilities distribution)	1 action/2015
	1.17. Special trainings for the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science staff (international exchange of experience and transfer of knowledge/good practices) for continuing and developing the GES activities	2 actions/2014, 2015
	1.18 Final assessment of the UAIC-STAGES’ team contributions in producing structural changes to achieve gender equality in science at the UAIC	1 action/2015
2. Actions promoting work-life balance	2.1. Proposals for improving and developing existing childcare services for academics and researchers	3 actions/2013, 2014, 2015
	2.2 Dissemination information on childcare and other services delivered to staff	4 actions/2012-2015
3. Actions supporting early stage career development	3.1 Negotiating with the National Agency (CNCS) to extend provision of grants to be allocated for women professional development.	1 action/2013
	3.2 Providing information and advice on career and professional development	4 actions/2012-2015
	3.3 Early career researchers day	4 events/2012-2015
4. Actions challenging gender stereotypes and consequent horizontal segregation	4.1. Creating the Compendium of women researchers at UAIC	1 continuous action 2012-2015
	4.2. Setting up the special exhibition on Women and Science at UAIC’s museum	1 action/2014
	4.3. Organizing the Annual thematic workshop of UAIC’s Network of Women Academics and Researchers	4 events/ 2012-2015
5. Actions aimed at gendering S&T contents and methods	5.1.Implementing a cross-disciplinary teaching module on gender and science	2 actions/2014, 2015
	New actions
	5.2. Introduction of the theme Gender Equality in science in PhD studies	3 editions/2013, 2014, 2015
	5.3 Organizing a special section, round table or thematic workshop on Gendered Innovation and Research within the International and national scientific events hosted at the UAIC, in order to promote the approach of Gender in content and methods of science	2 actions/2014, 2015
6. Actions promoting women’s leadership in the practice of research	6.1. Carrying out a national evaluation study on women’s participation in the funded research	1 action/2014
	6.2. Publication and wide dissemination of the outcomes of the study	1 action/2014
	6.3. Negotiating the integration of the national guidelines for project applications with provision encouraging women’s participation.	1 action/2013
7. Actions promoting women leadership in the management of research	7.1. Negotiating proposals of new transparent rules and procedures for appointing/electing members of the high-level boards and commissions	1 action/2013
8. Actions promoting women’s leadership in scientific communication	8.1. Acknowledging the successful careers of female researchers in S&T –through permanent sections on women’s achievements on the project’s website and periodic media campaigns	1 continuous action 2012-2015
	8.2. Documentary films/videos on “Life and career of outstanding women scientists in Europe”	3 films /2013, 2014, 2015
	8.3.International Conference//Colloquium “Women and Scientific Research: Outcomes and Future Challenges”	2 conferences/ 2013, 2015
	8.4. Establishing the “Science and Technology Excellence Awards” for outstanding women in S&T	3 events/editions 2013, 2014, 2015
9. Actions promoting women’s leadership in innovation processes and science-society relationships	New actions
	9.1. Organizing the annual public event “Women Researchers Day”	3 editions/2013, 2014, 2015
	9.2.Writing and publishing a scientific book on Gender Equality in Science	1 action/2015
	9.3. Developing cooperation and partnership in order to extend and multiply the UAIC’s experience and good practices set up during the STAGES project to the other universities in Romania (in collaboration with ARACIS, UEFISCDI, MEN and universities)	1 action/2015

Summary of the UAIC-STAGES Action Plan

The own built on practice strategic model "Fixing the transformative and formative praxis"

The Strategy guiding the implementation was mainly based on our own research and direct experience of gender equality in our university, which highlighted that performing real organisational change presupposes creating new structures and initiating new practices as well as a permanent reflection on this process. With reference to the project's objectives, we synthesised our practical experience and reflection on practice in a new model of structural changes to achieve gender equality in science, called FIXING THE TRANSFORMATIVE AND FORMATIVE PRAXIS. The FTFP is a complex, multi-layered model of participatory strategy based on a systemic approach focusing on:

• ACTION: transformative gender practices involving the whole organisation as a community of practice;
• RESEARCH: gender knowledge produced by Participatory Action Research and learning through reflective practice;
• COMMUNICATION: performative communication praxis that challenges reproductive gender practices;
• INNOVATION: creating new organisational structures and practices (Transformative Praxis) and, through this process, developing competences for knowing and acting to promote gender equality in science (Formative Praxis).

Briefly, the basic assumption of this orientation is a two-fold process: involving the whole academic and research community in the transformative practices and, in this way, by mutual learning and organisational learning, developing a proactive attitude towards gender equality in science (for more info see our presentations Balahur, Doina (2013) Structural Transformations to Achieve Gender Equality in Science: Experience and Good Practice from the Oldest Romanian University. From Talks to Action in Real Life, Vilnius Conference "Structural Change Promoting Gender Equality in Research Organizations", Vilnius, Lithuania, available at: http://www.sapgeric.eu2013.vu.lt/presentations/ and: Vilnius Conference, 2013 - http://stages.csmcd.ro/resources/presentation_uaic_balahur_romania.pdf).

According to our strategy, the actions aiming at structural change have been differentiated by objectives and concerned areas:

1	Actions for setting up new organisational structures able to promote gender equality on the institutional agenda
2	Action research for gender analysis, data collecting, and monitoring gender dynamics
3	Actions for gender awareness-rising and increasing visibility of women researchers
4	Action programmes for improving women's representation on boards
5	Actions connecting gender equality to the UAIC's institutional strategies and programmes
6	Actions for fostering gender approaches in research and education
7	Actions for international networking with professional communities engaged in promoting gender equality in science
8	Actions for sustainability/development of the UAIC's gender equality programmes

It is worth mentioning that this new strategic model is built on the "cooperation paradigm", which presupposes the stakeholders' agreement on common targets and collaborative relations between the change agents, thus replacing the "conflict paradigm" which is prevalent in the old models for GE programmes (see Doina Balahur, "Promoting the "co-operation paradigm" for gendering the universities and science organizations. A model of real transformation to achieve gender equality in science" (available at http://gender2014.conf.tuwien.ac.at/fileadmin/t/gender2014/Full_Papers/Balahur_UAIC_VIENNA_PAPER.pdf). Based on the "cooperation paradigm" for structural change in organisations we pursued to actively engage in the transformative and formative praxis both representatives of the management and organisational units such as: HR Department, Doctoral schools, Projects Management, research and academic departments. We also developed partnerships with national authorities responsible for research and education (MEN, ARACIS, UEFISCDI) for activities carried out at national level and for extending and multiplying the UAIC's experience and good practices to other Romanian universities. Externally, collaborative relations were built with European institutions and gender experts from ERC, LERU, CNRS France, EIGE, EPWS, Yellow Window, TUWien, ITC-ILO, Gender Summit, who contributed to our actions.

Main significant results: new institutional structures and new organisational practices

Considering the results with respect to the project's purpose of making organisational changes to achieve gender equality in science, the real relevant transformations initiated and produced at UAIC consist in: 1) setting up new institutional structures; and 2) initiating new organisational practices. The new institutional structures represent the main transformational agencies created and sustained for promoting gender equality actions that gradually became patterns for new organisational practices. Their effects resulted in increasing gender awareness, introducing gender challenges on the institutional agenda, advancing gender equality programmes, which progressively determined structural change in the organisation.

The NEW INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES and their functions are:

• The UAIC's Centre for Gender Equality in Science, the first centre for coordinating research, monitoring and documentation on gender equal opportunities in academia and research set up in a Romanian university, similar to the existent Gender Equality Centres from prestigious universities worldwide. After its institutionalisation through the decision of the Rectors' Board and the UAIC's Senate, and its inclusion in the official organisation chart (2013), the Centre was charged to elaborate gender equality programmes according to the European policies, national laws and the provisions of the UAIC's Charter on the university's mission, objectives and responsibilities as well as to give periodic reports on dynamics of gender equality in science (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/organizationalstructure);
• The UAIC Network of Women in Academia and Research, the first institutionalised association including women and men academics and researchers who are interested in promoting organisational development in order to implement practices and programmes for improving gender equality at UAIC (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/networkobjectives). The Network organised more than 60 activities and events within the STAGES framework and, by arousing interest and attractiveness, continuously enlarged its composition (counting now 92 members, both women and men, senior and young researchers, managers and staff from different faculties). Consequently, it has gradually become a principal change agent for fostering GES programmes (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/networkactivities);
• The UAIC Research Group on Gender Studies, a multidisciplinary research team, composed of researchers with gender expertise from previous national and international projects as well as young researchers, tasked with conducting studies and evaluation on gender equality in science in Romanian institutions, particularly at UAIC (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/researchobjectives). By adopting the methodology of participative action research, the group also aimed to involve the beneficiaries in collecting data, framing issues and interpreting the results, thus being oriented by the formative role of gender research;
• The UAIC-STAGES Communication Team, including specialists in communication sciences geared towards elaborating and implementing a multimedia communication strategy to increase the public visibility of the scientific performances of women researchers and to publicise and disseminate gender equality actions promoted at UAIC. (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/communication). As a special communication tool the team built a dedicated website (www.stages.csmcd.com) targeted both internally - for the UAIC's Network members - and externally - for any interested reader from Romania and abroad. The website presents over 160 activities achieved during the project, in 250 informative articles (news, interviews, documents) and 1,100 photos and videos, and got a large audience with over 16,700 visitors.

Photos: Posters from the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A place for Women in Science" (23 June-11 July 2014). (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).

The NEW ORGANISATIONAL PRACTICES, specified through concrete achievements, include:

• Practices of gender analysis and data collecting. These practices are constituted in the process of deepening knowledge and investigation on structural gender inequalities at UAIC. They emerged from research-based actions as: Documenting and evaluating both qualitatively and quantitatively equal opportunities; Developing gender-disaggregated statistics and gender-sensitive indicators, and other longitudinal studies. By extending perspectives, research referred at the national level, by mapping gender equality in research policies and programmes (as in the National evaluation study on women's participation in funded research), and integrated, as well, a European perspective, by studying Development of national standards for gender equality in funded research based on a comparative analysis between RO and EU countries. These gender analysis practices, representing a novelty at UAIC, were carried out by the Research Group on Gender studies, and their results were largely disseminated within workshops, trainings, courses, and publications.
• Practices of monitoring gender equality dynamics, evaluation of activities and programmes, and periodic reporting. Such practices also emerged from research-based actions (such as Creating a systematic Gender Equal Opportunities Database in accordance with the EC indicators; Drafting guidelines for policies; Documenting the provisions on gender equal opportunities in the UAIC's Charter), but their finality was to monitor the dynamics of gender equality and to evaluate gender equality in science activities and programmes. In this process, permanent evaluation and self-evaluation, based on the appreciative inquiry methodology, were conceived as intrinsic dimensions of the structural changes strategy. The gender equality monitoring practices were also completed with the practice of regular reporting to the management boards. After its institutionalisation (2013), the new UAIC Centre was officially charged to monitor, evaluate and give periodic reports on gender equal opportunities.
• Practices of gender problematisation by introducing gender issues and challenges on the institutional agenda. By organising public events as workshops, trainings, courses or conferences on gender topics, such problematising-based practices promoted gender equality in science as a relevant theme on the institutional agenda, thus entailing the increase of gender awareness, enlarging participation of the stakeholders and mobilising them as change agents. Consequently, we organised: Annual thematic workshops of the UAIC's Network of Women on gender equality strategies; Periodic training modules for university's employees and managers; Special sections on Gendered Innovation and Research within International and national scientific events hosted at UAIC; International conferences on Gender Equality Management (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/trainingprograms).

Photos: Posters from the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A place for Women in Science" (23 June-11 July 2014). (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).

• Practices to increase women's visibility, voice and recognition. Being aware that public communication is essential for increasing visibility and to stimulate acknowledgement of outstanding women researchers, several communication-based practices with large participation and enthusiastic feedback from beneficiaries were initiated and organised: The annual public event "Women Researchers Day" to celebrate women in science (3 editions, 2013-2015); The annual Excellence Awards for women researchers (3 editions, 2013-2015); Producing and presenting the Documentary films ''UAIC Profiles of Women in Science" (3 editions, 2013-2015); Organising the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A Place of Women in Science". These actions were attended by 500 beneficiaries, the exhibition had around 1,500 visitors, and the 3 films posted also on YouTube got over 1,600 views. Other forms of public communication for increasing women's visibility and recognition were: Creating an open source database/compendium of women researchers; Promoting interviews in mass media and on the UAIC-STAGES' website; Sustaining PR campaigns on the role and responsibilities of women in science (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/media).
• Practices of building cooperative relations and positive attitude by involving the UAIC's management in gender equality activities. Based on "the cooperation paradigm" as a pillar of our strategy for structural change by transformative and formative praxis, the team was permanently striving to ensure the support of the top and middle managers, through direct engagement in gender equality actions. In turn, the openness of the UAIC's management for this project was manifested from the beginning. Creating cooperative relations and positive attitudes by involving the managers in our activities stimulated their interest and support for promoting Gender Equality Management policies and programmes. These building cooperation practices included: Organising periodic meetings with the UAIC's Rectors to present the activities and results of the UAIC-STAGES project and to consider their direct commitment in different actions; Including top UAIC representatives (the Rector and two Vice-Rectors) in the Advisory Board; Involving women and men in leadership positions (Deans, Department heads, Senate members) as contributors to the Network's activities; Organising special dialogues on gender equality in science between managers and European gender experts invited at UAIC.
• Practices of connecting gender equality to the UAIC's institutional strategies and programmes. Such practices resulted from initiating institutional debates on the beneficial correlations between scientific excellence, gender equality and responsible research by fostering topics such as Excellence without gender bias, HR Excellence in Research and Gender Equality Programme, Gender Equality and Innovation Management in Academia or Responsible Research and Innovation: Gender in Entrepreneurial University. Other actions supported the university's quest for internationalisation and competitiveness by providing specific resources made available within the project, like Documenting European policies and programmes on gender equality in science; Comparing gender statistics in academia and research in EU, RO and UAIC; Analysing research funding systems in EU in order to develop national standards for GES. Engaging the team in supporting the UAIC's process of European certification "HR Excellence in Research" by highlighting the relevance of principles concerning GES was also an example for such practices, as well as Providing gender consultancy on European Gender Equality Policies for the Human Resources, Projects Management, and International Relations Departments.

Photos: Posters from the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A place for Women in Science" (23 June-11 July 2014). (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).

• Practices for improving organisational practices related to the gender balanced representation in research and academic leadership. Given the transformative character of this project, some actions directly focused on undertaking critical analysis, followed by appropriate constructive proposals, in order to improve the existing practices, especially when they are connected with gender structural disparities. Such actions were: Negotiating proposals of new transparent rules and procedures for appointing/electing members of the high-level boards and commissions; Proposals for introducing provisions encouraging women's participation in grants application; Proposals for extending provision of grants to be allocated for women professional development. A concrete form of gender representation was applied by Establishing a Senate position for the representative of the UAIC Network of Women. To improve leadership practices concerning gender balanced representation it is important that the networking activities initiated by the UAIC Network, and continued through other networks of women created by its inspirational model, are further sustained.
• Practices supporting the UAIC's programme for work-life balance and childcare services. Such practices attested also the reformist character assumed by the project. In this case, starting with the services provided by the UAIC's existing childcare programme (based on the "Junior" Kindergarten and primary school for children of UAIC employees and students), some improvements were proposed and influenced by actions like: Prospecting organisational opportunities to support families by developing existing services; Disseminating information on childcare and other services delivered to staff; Setting up a partnership agreement with different childcare institutions in the city to extend services for university staff.
• Practices for encouraging young women researchers and cultivating women mentorship. Actions supporting the establishment of such practices were: Organising annual early-career researchers' days to reinforce the motivation and strengthen researchers' confidence (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/earlycareer); Providing information and advice on professional development for young researchers; Involving the members of the Network in trainings and open courses for early career researchers for sharing their successful experience and offering role models; Acknowledging the tradition of women's mentorship at UAIC and cultivating these formative relations by publicising influential examples http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/womenmentorship).

Photos: Posters from the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A place for Women in Science" (23 June-11 July 2014). (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).

• Practices of integrating gender in the content and methods of research and education. Considering this important direction for promoting GES, new practices were introduced at UAIC: Implementing a cross-disciplinary teaching module on gender and science in PhD/MA programmes; Introducing the theme Gender Equality in Science in the PhD studies; Organising scientific events on Gendered Science with applications in Medical Chemistry, in Geography & Environment science, and in Economics; Supporting specialisation in gender equality in science by providing grants/documentary internships for young researchers; Promoting publications on relevant GES themes.
• Practices for developing connections with international Women Researchers Networks and sustaining the UAIC's participation at European conferences and projects on gender in research and education. Actions for international networking with European Associations of Women in Science and gender experts' communities, as well as with other universities' Centres for Gender Equality were considered an important component of our strategy. There are several examples of connections already established between the UAIC Centre and the UAIC Network of Women and prestigious international institutions, associations and networks like ERC, EIGE, LERU, CNRS France, EPWS, Gender Summit, aiming to integrate our approaches on gender equality in science in the European context.
• Practices of developing cooperation and partnership in order to extend and multiply the UAIC's experience and good practices to other institutions in Romania. Such practices constitute both a form of broad dissemination of our project achievements at national level and a form of preparation for future projects and joint activities with other partners. As such, we developed actions in collaboration with ARACIS, UEFISCDI, MEN and universities to extend and multiply the UAIC's innovative experience. It is worth mentioning, in this context, the presentation of the UAIC-STAGES activities and results as an example of "Success story" in the documents of the National Conference of Research and Innovation, held in Bucharest in October 2013, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, who launched the EU Framework Programme "Horizon 2020" in Romania (http://stages.csmcd.ro/index.php/timeline_page5).

The creation and institutionalisation of such organisational structures as the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science and the UAIC Network of Women in Academia and Research, the large participation in the new organisational practices, which gained an impressive public renown (such as the annual events Women Researchers Day, Women Excellence Awards, the documentary films "UAIC Profiles of Women in Science", the Exhibition "UAIC - A Place for Women in Science"), the experience earned in organising trainings, courses, workshops and conferences on gender equality in science, as well as the appreciation of the practices adding a gender equality dimension to university policies and strategies are, altogether, sound premises for ensuring the sustainability and development of the action-programmes initiated by the UAIC-STAGES project.

Photos: Posters from the Documentary Exhibition "UAIC - A place for Women in Science" (23 June-11 July 2014). (Source: Archive of the UAIC-STAGES Project).