The idea of UAIC/CSMCD participation in this project was generated in Brussels, at the Final Conference of the FP7 Project META-ANALYSIS OF GENDER AND SCIENCE RESEARCH, entitled Beyond the leaky pipeline. Challenges for research on gender and science, held at the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men (19-20 October, 2010). At that time, Prof. dr. Doina Balahur, who was a member of the FP7 Meta-analysis team, met some of the future partners and talked about a possible project application on gender issues within the frame of the FP7-Capacities open call. The participants at that discussion were Marina Cacace (ASDO, Italy) and Inge Bleijenbergh (Radboud University, The Netherlands).

After the establishing of the main lines for developing the project proposal, an intensive work period followed (October 2010-January 2011). The future partners cooperated at the joint preparation of the application for the project competition FP7 Capacities/ SiS (Science in Society).

Following the application deadline, the process of evaluation of the proposals lasted some months. On Mid May 2011 the evaluation results have been announced. The STAGES project was selected among the winners. During the May 2011- July 2011 the negotiation with EC have been carried out and the General Agreement was signed.

Operationalisation of the main dimensions of the Action plan - strategic areas, objectives and actions - according to the specific organizational design of the UAIC. Formal and informal meetings with the University managers and staff members, the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the UAIC Action plan aiming to inform them about and to negotiate with them institutional and symbolic support for implementation of the STAGES Project.

The internal communication gets support of different media like UAIC intranet, the website of the University and the new website that will be built within the frame of UAIC STAGES Project. The external communication will include organizing public events, delivering press releases, producing documentary films, broadcasting reports, interviews and other media communications as parts of a coherent PR Campaign for the STAGES Project activities and their dissemination. In photos: Informing through the University intranet (www. mail. uaic.ro) the UAIC community of academics and researchers on the implementation of the STAGES project, its objectives and expected outcomes.

Reflecting the complexity and the large number of UAIC activities in the Action Plan, three different working groups have been organized:
1. The executive team for Action Plan implementation;
2. UAIC Research Group on Gender Equality in Science;
3. UAIC team for media communication and public relations.

The three working groups will act in order to support the new structure that will be created within the framework of the STAGES Project, namely UAIC Network of Women in Academics and Research. This new structure will bring together women and men from the UAIC Academic and Research staff, post-doctoral and Ph.D. students from the eleven Doctoral Schools of UAIC who share the objectives and the programs of STAGES Project and attend the activities and events organized within the STAGES Project at the UAIC.
The executive team for Action Plan implementation members are: prof. dr. Doina Balahur (coordinator), dr. Irina Popovici, dr.Magdalena Vicovan, dr. Romeo Asiminei, dr. Paula Braescu, dr. Alina Gentimir, and the Ph.D. students Lorena Tarlion, Cristina Fantaza, Diana Arhire, Diana Didilica, Anamaria Mandiuc, Daniela Caltea, Stefan Patrascu, Alexandra Zigman.

The 1st Steering Committee of STAGES Project Consortium Info: www.projectstages it/index.php/documents-en/meetings

The 1st Training module on Gender Equal Opportunities was dedicated to the senior managers and the staff from Human Resources Department of the UAIC. Within the training topics Prof.dr. Doina Balahur presented the main problems of gender equality in science and the strategic actions provisioned in the STAGES project.

The first study realized by UAIC Research Group on Gender Equality in Science. The main objective: documenting and evaluating both qualitatively and quantitatively gender equal opportunities in UAIC organization. The field research has been carried out with the contribution of: Prof.dr. Doina Balahur (coordinator), prof.dr. Elisabeta Jaba (Economics/ statistics), prof.dr. Liliana Mitoseriu (Physics), prof.dr. Alexandra Iordan (Chemistry), prof.dr. Adriana Prodan (Economics/ Management), conf.dr. Irina Manolescu (Economics/Management), conf.dr. Iuliana Breaban (Geography), lect.dr. Adrian Iftene (Informatics), lect.dr. Vera Popescu (Letters), lect.dr. Christiane Balan (Economics/Statistics), assist.dr. Romeo Asiminei (Sociology) and the Ph.D students Diana Arhire, Cristina Fantaza, Alina Gentimir, Ciprian Asiminei, Stefan Patrascu (Sociology), Madalin Patrascu (Informatics). Scientific adviser and communication reviewer: Paul Balahur-Dobrescu (Social Sciences/ Comunication Sciences).

Presented by TVR Iasi under the title "Impact. Egalitatea de Sanse" (Gender Equal Opportunities), the round table discussion that lasted 75 minutes pointed out various aspects of gender equal opportunities in research and academia, with special references to the UAIC Iasi. It was also publicly presented, for the first time in Romania, the European project "Structural Changes to Achieve Gender Equality in Science" (STAGES). Invited participants: prof. dr. Ovidiu Iancu, vice-rector of UAIC, prof. dr. Doina Balahur, STAGES Project coordinator, and prof. dr. Liliana Mitoseriu, member of UAIC Network of Women in Academics and Research.