"European Women Researchers Day" - an initiative to jointly celebrate the Women in Science in several EU research institutions

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 all the EU research institutions.

The objectives and the activities foreseen in the programme of EWRD 2014 are presented on the website, especially created by Andreea Dumitrașcu (FP7-INTEGER, Project manager, CNRS France) to provide information on this initiative.

EWRD Objectives

The European Women Researchers Day is 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 European and international level.

In the framework of FP7 projects funded by the European Union on the promotion of gender equality through structural change, universities and research institutions across Europe have designed and are implementing gender action plans to improve equality between women and men in research and academia. Among the common key themes of intervention identified following baseline data collection and analysis in the institutions involved, career progression, development and support, and increasing the visibility of women researchers were selected for joint implementation.

In 2014, launching events will be organised at the National Center for Scientific Research, France, and the University of ''Alexandru Ioan Cuza'', Iasi, Romania. Partner organisations will join the events either on site or via the internet.

Possible joint activities and opportunities to create “bridges” are:

• organising common workshops via videoconference,
• participating in workshops that take place in other countries via video or telephone conference,
• exchanges of scientists between countries,
• broadcast conferences in partner institutions,
• researcher-to-researcher connections via the internet.

By supporting the creation of a European Women Researchers Day, the FP7-funded projects on gender equality through structural change are making a joint statement towards an international acknowledgement of the importance of gender equality in science.

Following this year’s events, research and higher education institutions in Europe will be invited to state their interest in taking part in the organising committee of the 2015 European Women Researchers Day.

Videos, presentations, photographs and summaries of the activities will be available online after the events.

EWRD 2014 - Programme

The launching of the European Women Researchers Day will take place on 28 March 2014, with events being held at the National Center for Scientific Research, France and the University of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iasi, Romania. Partner organisations will join the events on site and via videoconferences and the internet.

The objective of this first edition of the European Women Researchers Day is to contribute to the career development of women researchers by providing them with role models and by creating an international context for exchange of good practice and networking. The focus will be on providing career development information and examples of women researchers’ career paths. The activities that will take place were identified based on the baseline data analysis carried out by organisations, and thus respond to needs expressed by women researchers.

The European Women Researchers Day 2014 brings together institutions involved in European Union FP7-funded projects on the promotion of Gender Equality through structural change, participating in joint activities and working towards a common statement.

2014 Organising Committee:

• Prof. Doina Balahur, University of ''Alexandru Ioan Cuza'', Iasi, Romania
• Dr. Anne Pépin, Mission for the Place of Women, CNRS
• Andreea Dumitrascu, Mission for the Place of Women, CNRS – INTEGER Project

2014 Participating Institutions are:

• National Center for Scientific Research, France (Organizer)
• University of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iasi, Romania (Organizer)
• Siauliai University, Lithuania
• Paris 7-Denis Diderot University, France
• Paris 5-Descartes University, France
• Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne University

EWRD 2014 - Activities

Workshop: Financing in European research, mobility opportunities and grant application support

Description: What are possible project and individual financing in mathematics and physics (Horizon2020, ERC grants, Marie Curie etc.) at European level, information on the financing and mobility opportunities in France and in the United Kingdom, and what support mechanisms for European funding applications exist at CNRS and at national level. Exchange of experience between institutions in different countries.

Speakers: Dr. Vanessa 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; Lison DEMICHELIS (Responsible for the European Union Programme at the DERCI, CNRS), Patrice Le Calvez (Laboratory Director, Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu), Aleksandra WALCZAK (physicist, researcher at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, ERC grant winner), Jean-François Huon, European Affairs Officer, Conférence des présidents d’université, representing Euraxess, mobility portal for researchers; Professor Helen Gleeson, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester; Emmanuel Alexandre, Responsible for Technology Transfer, CNRS; Mouna Tatou (moderator), member of the Administrative Committee of the National Association for PhD students, in charge of technology transfer at the Scientific Department of the Institut Mines-Télécom, ex-post-doc at the Solide Physics Laboratory (CNRS)

Organiser: CNRS and University of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iasi, Romania

Time and venue: 13h30-15h, Paris, CNRS headquarters, PMA Delegation, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Building K

Language: English

How to participate: If you are from CNRS or affiliated laboratories, please register on the official conference site. If you want to join us via videoconference, skype or telephone, please send an e-mail to andreea.dumitrascu@cnrs-dir.fr to arrange your participation.

Follow-up: Please check the Media section after the event for photos. Presentations will be available to participants.

Workshop: Scientific careers – Recruiting and avancement at CNRS and Universities

Description: In order to bring transparency and clarity on recruitment and promotion procedures, members of the juries will give practical information regarding which are the strong points of an application/promotion dossier, what should be avoided, how dossiers are discussed, how to know when is the right moment to apply for an advancement, how much publications count etc. Experiences researchers will bring their own career examples and will be ready to answer any questions raised. This workshop is dedicated to junior researchers and lecturers, and to PhD and post-doc students.

Speakers: Fatiha Alabau-Boussouira, mathematician, Proffesor at the University of Lorraine; Ellen Saada, mathematician, Senior Researcher at CNRS, member of the Section 41 of CoNRS; Colette GUILLOPÉ, mathematician, Proffesor at the University ofParis Est Créteil, Laboratoire d’Analyse et de Mathématiques Appliquées (LAMA); Marie-Aude MEASSON (moderator), physicist, Junior Researcher, CNRS

Organiser: CNRS

Time and venue: 13h30-15h, Paris, CNRS headquarters, PMA Delegation, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Building K

Language: French

How to participate: If you are from CNRS or affiliated laboratories, please register on the official conference site. If you want to join us via videoconference, skype or telephone, please send an e-mail to andreea.dumitrascu@cnrs-dir.fr to arrange your participation.

Follow-up: Please check the Media section after the event for photos. Presentations will be available to participants.

Conference: Equations that built careers

Description: Two experienced and well-known women researchers, one physicist and one mathematician, will talk about their research and their careers.

Speakers: Isabelle Gallagher, mathematician, first class professor (Paris 7- Denis Diderot University) at the Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu-Paris Rive Gauche (UMR 7586 CNRS-Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 et Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7), award winner of the Paul Doistau-Émile Blutet prize of the Science Academy in 2008 and junior member of the French Universitary Institute .
Lucia Réining, senior researcher at CNRS, Coordinator of the Theoretical Spectoscopy Group of the Laboratoire des Solides Irradiées (UMR 7642 CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique-CEA), Vice-president of the European Theoretial Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF), winner of the CNRS silver medal in 2003 and of an ERC Advanced Grant en 2012.

Opening: Anne Pépin, Director of the Mission for the PLace of Women at CNRS, and Giancarlo Faini, Scientific Deputy Director of the Institute of Physics

Organiser: CNRS

Time and venue: 15h15-17h15, Paris, CNRS headquarters, PMA Delegation, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Auditorium Marie-Curie

Language: English

How to participate:You can follow live our conference here. If you can come on site, please register on the official conference site.

Follow-up: Please check the Media section after the event for photos. The entire conference will remain available online after the event.

Women Researchers Day. Celebration of the UAIC Women in Science, second edition, 28 March 2014 - site

Description: The action aims to make known the scientific achievements of women researchers and professors from the UAIC by presenting documentary films about their professional careers and to award 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.

Organiser: 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''.

Programme: Ceremony of Scientific Excellence Awards

• Opening speech: Prof. univ. dr. Vasile Ișan, Rector of the ''Alexandru Ioan Cuza'' University of Iasi, Romania
• 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''.

Time and venue: 28 March 2014, 10.00-12.00 AM, UAIC, Building A, Senate Hall

Language: Romanian

How to participate: Please register at the UAIC’s organizers.

International Video-Workshop : Research Networks in Europe

Description: This workshop is dedicated to early career researchers and to PhD and post-doc students.

Programme: Research networks in Europe. International video-workshop for early career researchers and PhD students .With the online participation of the CNRS-France (direction Mission for the Place of Women) and several European universities involved in FP7 projects on Gender Equality in Science.

Time and venue: 28 March 2014, 14.00-16.00 AM, UAIC, Building A, Senate Hall

Language: English

How to participate: Please register at the UAIC’s organizers.

Follow-up: Please check the Media section after the event for photos. The entire conference will remain available online after the event.

EWRD 2014 - Partners

INTEGER Project

Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, France (INTEGER Project @CNRS)

TRIGGER Project:

Paris 7-Denis Diderot University, France (The Gender Equality Department @Paris 7)

STAGES Project:

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Romania (STAGES @UAIC)

GenderTIME Project:

Equal opportunities for women and men in engineering studies and careers in Europe, France
Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne University

Other organisations

• Paris 5-Descartes University, France (Gender Equality @Paris Descartes)