Due to the impressive work of the specialists who collect them and set up the most comprehensive European database on Gender and Science Research, more than 4,500 academic and scientific publications in this domain are again accessible online, after some years of interruption (see site). The initiative belongs to the consortium and the collaborators of the FP7 project "Meta-analysis of gender and science research" (coordinated by Dr. Maria Caprile) who documented this rich thematic collection of studies and articles in their synthetic reports on the European gender research. The Gender and Science Database - GSD covers the research produced in all European languages over a three decades period (beginning with 1980). In this context, the Romanian literature on Gender and Science was presented by Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, who is also the author of the country’s report for Romania.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), located in Vilnius, Lithuania, has organized a two-days working meeting with 33 representatives of European Universities and academic institutes from almost all EU countries in order to explore and decide how to collaborate further in the area of quality of research and how to strengthen the dissemination of each other working results. The meeting had an intensive working character, each one of the 4 working groups approaching a focused theme respectively: Engaging researchers and academia in EIGE’s research (WG 1), Synergies in the dissemination of study results (WG 2), Co-operation with EIGE’s Resource and Documentation Centre (WG 3) and Co-operation with academia to enhance gender mainstreaming (WG 4). Romania was represented by Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, Director of the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science. More info on the meeting here.

A scientific seminar on “Women in science” has been organized by the Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration in collaboration with the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science on the 6th March 2014. Invited speakers were Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, Director of the Centre, coordinator of STAGES project at the UAIC, who presented the theme “Gender in science” from a European perspective, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Costel Istrate, from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEEA), who spoke about “The woman’s role in accounting”. There were also present Prof. Dr. Adriana Prodan, Director of the Doctoral School, and Prof. Dr. Adriana Zaiț, from FEEA. More than 25 PhD students and young researchers in Economics and Business studies have attended this seminar that integrated the topics of gender equality in science in their doctoral programme.

The second documentary film in the series “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science" aiming at promoting the scientific achievements of women researchers from our University has been produced on the March 2014. The protagonists of this edition are the women scientists and professors who work within the field of “Life and Earth Sciences” (Biology, Chemistry, Geography-Geology) and have obtained nationally and internationally recognized results in their scientific careers, becoming this way role models for early career researchers, PhD candidates and MA students. (please click to see the film)

The main aim of this workshop was to present the first results of the project and to open a public debate on new policies and instruments to promote structural changes in order to achieve gender equality in science. The presentations have been given by the STAGES team leaders of the five research institutions that are partners in the Project’s Consortium: Daniela Falcinelli (University of Milan, Italy), Jürgen Wilke (Fraunhofer-IAO, Stuttgart, Germany), Evanthia Kalpazidou Schmidt (University of Aarhus, Denmark), Doina Balahur (“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania) and Inge Blejenbergh (Radboud University of Nijmegen, Netherland), and also by Marina Cacace (ASDO, Italy). Some representatives of the similar FP7 European projects on Gender in science have shared their experience in a “Dialogue on the structural change”: Uduak Archibong (Genovate Project), Silvana Badaloni and Yvonne Pourrat (Gender Time Project), Pat O’Connor (FESTA Project), Anne Pépin (Integer Project), Flavia Zucco and Barbara De Micheli (GenisLab Project). Gilles Laroche (Head of Unit, DG Research and Innovation) and Viviane Willis-Mazzichi (Head of Sector) as well as preeminent gender-and-science experts like Caroline Bélan-Ménagier, Inés Sanchez de Madariaga, Virginia Valian, Jadranka Gvozdanovic, Alice Hogan, Claudine Hermann, Katrien Maes and Paul Walton have also contributed to this scientific event. (to see the agenda of the workshop and the Communication presented by Prof. Doina Balahur, please click here).

The National Center for Scientific Research – CNRS France and the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania, both currently involved in FP7 projects on Structural changes aiming to promote gender equality in science, have had the initiative to launch the “European Women Researchers Day” as a special annual occasion to jointly celebrate the Women in Science in several EU research institutions. The European Women Researchers Day is conceived to be an annual event taking place simultaneously in different research and higher education institutions around Europe which share a commitment to scientific excellence through gender equality. Its objective is to contribute to the career development of women researchers by increasing their visibility and creating opportunities for exchange and networking at the European and international level. The launching of the European Women Researchers Day will take place on the 28th March 2014, with events being held at the CNRS France and the UAIC Iasi, Romania. Partner organisations will join the events on site and via videoconferences and the internet. The objectives and the activities foreseen in the programme of EWRD 2014 are presented on the websites http://www.womenresearchersday.eu/, or http://www.womenresearchersday.com/, especially created to provide information on this initiative and also on our website (link).

In this TV live interview with Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, the coordinator of STAGES project at UAIC, it was presented, a day before the event, the programme of the ”Women Researchers Day”, the second edition 2014, organized at the UAIC, and the initiative to co-organize this year, together with the CNRS France, the first edition of the “European Women Researchers Day”, as an international public event that will be also attended by several other universities and research institutions from the European Union. Romanian National Broadcasting Company (TVR - Branch Iași), that presented the interview, will be also, like for the first edition held last year, our media partner in this event.

The second edition of this annual public event had the main objective making known the scientific achievements of women researchers and professors from the UAIC by presenting documentary films about their professional profiles and awarding their most relevant results in science as well as their contribution, as role models for young researchers, at the promotion of gender equality in science at the UAIC. The event organization has been ensured by the Center for Social Management and Community Development, the UAIC’s Center for Gender Equality in Science and the UAIC’s Network of Women in Academics and Research, within the frame of FP7 European project STAGES – “Structural Transformation to Achieve Gender Equality in Science”.

The Programme of this year included: *Opening speech: Prof. univ. dr. Vasile Ișan, Rector of the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi * Women and Scientific Excellence in Life and Earth sciences - a brief overview. Moderator: Prof. univ. dr. Doina Balahur, Director of the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science, coordinator of the UAIC-STAGES project * Film presentation: “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science (2). Life and Earth sciences”. Prof. dr. Elena Bâcu and Prof. dr. Alexandra-Raluca Iordan (Chemistry), Conf. dr. Luminița Bejenaru, Conf. dr. Zenovia Olteanu and Prof. dr. Maria-Magdalena Zamfirache (Biology), Conf. dr. Iuliana Breabăn (Geography-Geology) and young researchers groups from the Faculties of Chemistry, Biology and Geography–Geology.* The official ceremony “Women’s Annual Science and Technology Excellence Awards 2014” and “Women’s Annual Science and Technology Distinctions for Young Researchers 2014”. The event was attended by more than 170 participants – professors, researchers, managers, Post-docs, PhD, MA and BA students from the UAIC. (see the ceremony photo gallery on this website/home).

The academic and scientific personalities who received "Women's Science and Technology Excellence Award" for the whole career were: Professor emeritus Odette Blumenfeld (Faculty of Letters) and Professor emeritus Elisabeta Jaba (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration). The same awards with the mention of “Magda Petrovanu” Prize have been attributed to the scientists from the field “Life and Earth Sciences”: Prof. dr. Elena Bâcu and Prof. dr. Alexandra-Raluca Iordan (Faculty of Chemistry), Assoc. Prof. dr. Luminița Bejenaru, Assoc. Prof. dr. Zenovia Olteanu and Prof. dr. Maria-Magdalena Zamfirache (Faculty of Biology), and Assoc Prof. dr. Iuliana Breabăn (Faculty of Geography-Geology). At the same ceremony with the "Women's Annual Science and Technology Distinction for Young Researchers" have been awarded: Assoc. Prof. dr. Lenuța Alboaie and Assoc. Prof. dr. Corina Forăscu (Faculty of Computer Science), Dr. Mihaela Aurelia Danu (Faculty of Biology), and Dr. Alina Ghineț (Faculty of Chemistry).(see their resume on the “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science” and the ceremony photo gallery on this website/home).

Within the programme of the “European Women Researchers Day”, CNRS France (direction Mission for the Place of Women) and the UAIC Iasi have jointly organized an international video-workshop for early career researchers, post-doctoral fellows and PhD students interested in Research Networks in Europe, with the participation of several European universities involved in FP7 projects on Gender Equality in Science. The theme of this workshop was « Financing in European research, mobility opportunities and grant application support ». Among the speakers, Dr. Vannesa Campo Ruiz, Vice-Chair, European Commission Horizon 2020 “Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Advisory Group” and Member of the Horizon 2020 ad hoc Advisory Group on Gender, presented some topics and opportunities for funded research within the programmes Marie Curie Actions (see pdf), and Professor Helen Gleeson, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, has given useful advices on “Winning a fellowship”(see pdf). More than 25 young researchers from the UAIC have attended online this international workshop.

The TV report covering the public event “European Women Researchers Day” organized at the UAIC on 28th March 2014 was realized by journalists from TVR (the Romanian National Broadcasting Company) and transmitted on TVR 3 (TV channel with national audience) and TVR Iasi (TV channel with regional audience) on 1 April 2014.