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European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Innovation, FP7-SCIENCE-IN-SOCIETY 2011-1, STAGES, Structural Transformation to Achieve Gender Equality in Science (SiS.2011.2.1.1.-1)
Project co-funded by the General Inspectorate for relations with the European Union of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (IGRUE).
UAIC Research Group on Gender Equality in Science is a multidisciplinary research team set up within the frame of the STAGES project in order to conduct scientific studies and evaluations on Gender Equal Opportunities in Romanian educational and research institutions, particularly at the UAIC (see the main objectives, research group members, research and publications).
Since 2013, "Gender Equality in Science" is a theme for PhD studies at the UAIC. Prof. dr. Doina Balahur, scientific coordinator for PhD in Sociology, announced the topics and the bibliography for 2014 candidates competition. As for 2013, the research will be carried out in cooperation with the FP7 European project STAGES at the UAIC. (more info here).
The purpose of the documentary films in the series “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science" is to present the scientific achievements of women researchers from our University who have obtained nationally and internationally acknowledged results in their scientific careers, becoming this way role models for early career researchers, PhD candidates and MA students. The protagonists of the third edition are the women scientists and professors who work within the field of “Mathematics and Computer Sciences”, and “Social Sciences and Humanities”, respectively. By watching this promotional film one can meet Prof. Dr. Violeta Fotea (Faculty of Mathematics), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lenuța Alboaie and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Corina Forăscu (Computer Sciences) as well as Prof. Dr. Rodica Dimitriu (Letters), Prof. Dr. Adriana Prodan (Economics-Management) and Lecturer Dr. Snejana Sulima (Law). (please click to see the film)
Two years after the first edition (2013), the annual public event “Women Researchers Day” has already become a new tradition at the UAIC. Its main objective is to make known the scientific achievements of women researchers and professors from our University by presenting 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. Like the previous editions, the event has been organized 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 Academia and Research, within the frame of FP7 European project STAGES – “Structural Transformation to Achieve Gender Equality in Science”.
The Programme of this year focused on “Women and Scientific Excellence at the UAIC”, including the presentation of the third documentary film “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science” (with two sections - Mathematics and Computer Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities, respectively) and the official ceremony “Women’s Annual Science and Technology Excellence Awards 2015” and “Women’s Annual Science and Technology Distinctions for Young Researchers 2015”. As invited speaker, Dr. Marina Ranga, from Stanford University, H-STAR Institute, presented a conference on “Gender and Context in Academia. From the “Ivory Tower” to the Next Generation Entrepreneurial University”. The top management of the UAIC was represented by the Vice-rectors Prof. Dr. Ovidiu Gabriel Iancu and Prof. Dr. Dumitru Luca. The moderator of the event has been Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, Director of the UAIC Centre for Gender Equality in Science, coordinator of the UAIC-STAGES project. The event was attended by more than 70 participants – professors, researchers, deans and vice-deans, Post-docs and PhD students from the UAIC. (see the ceremony photo gallery on this website/home).
The invited speaker of the 2015 edition of “Women Researchers Day” has been Dr. Marina Ranga, senior researcher at the Human Science and Technology Advanced Research Institute (H-STAR), from Stanford University. Known by her studies on gender dimension in innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship, Dr. Ranga has a rich experience in science and technology policy research as a member of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Expert Group on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies and of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission for Science and Technology for Development. She is also a consultant for the European Commission (DG Research, DG Enterprise and Industry, DG Education, DG Regio) in several initiatives: PRO INNO TrendChart, ERAWATCH Research Inventory and Intelligence Services, METRIS - Analysis of Social Sciences and Humanities in EU27, European Observatory of Research Universities and Funding Agencies in EU27, evaluation of 2007-2013 Cohesion Policy of the European Union, State Aid for RDI, ERALAW, Regional Innovation Monitor. She led or contributed to various research projects for the European Commission, the OECD (Regional Competitiveness Initiative of Investment Compact for South East Europe), national and regional governments (e.g. Lithuania, Northeast and Southeast England, Northern Netherlands, Flemish government, etc.) and government agencies, e.g. the German Research Foundation (DFG). The lecture given by Dr. Marina Ranga has the theme “Gender and Context in Academia. From the “Ivory Tower” to the Next Generation Entrepreneurial University” (see the presentation pdf).
The academic and scientific personalities who received "Women's Science and Technology Excellence Award 2015" are: Prof. Dr. Rodica Dimitriu (Faculty of Letters), Prof. Dr. Violeta Fotea (Mathematics), Prof. Dr. Iuliana Georgescu (Economics), Prof. Dr. Diana-Mihaela Mardare (Physics), Lecturer Dr. Loredana Mereuță (Physics), Prof. Dr. Carmen Gabriela Pascariu (Economics), Prof. Dr. Lăcrămioara Petrescu (Letters), Prof. Dr. Adriana Prodan (Economics), Lecturer Dr. Snejana Sulima (Law), Prof. Dr. Daniela Tatiana Șoitu (Sociology), Prof. Dr. Adriana Zaiț (Economics), Researcher Dr. Alina Asandei (Physics).
At the same ceremony with the "Women's Annual Science and Technology Distinction for Young Researchers 2015" have been awarded: Dr. Mirela Airimioaei (Physics), Assist. Prof. Dr. Aurelia Apetrei (Physics), Lecturer Dr. Christiane Balan (Economics), Lecturer Dr. Mihaela Breabăn (Informatics), Assist. Prof. Dr, Ioana Grancea (Communication Sciences), Dr. Camelia Grădinaru (Communication Sciences), Dr. Nadejda Horchidan (Physics), Dr. Simona Mitroiu (Philosophy), Assist. Prof. Dr. Brândușa Alina Petre (Chemistry), Dr. Irina Șchiopu (Physics), Lecturer Dr. Mirela Șuchea (Physics), and Assist. Prof. Dr. Diana Trandabăț (Informatics) (see their resume on the “UAIC Profiles of Women in Science”).
Like in the previous edition, the European dimension of our event was highlighted by organizing an International video-workshop for early career researchers. The theme chosen this year has been “Evaluation criteria of excellence without gender bias in the European Research Council (ERC) starting grants”. Through online communication system, Severina Shopova, from Support to the ERC Scientific Council and Secretariat of the Scientific Council of the Gender Balance Working Group, and Jhansi Kota, from the ERC Scientific Department, Call coordination, presented information on the scientific excellence and gender balance criteria in the applications selection process for the ERC grants (see the presentation pdf). The participants – young researchers and their mentors - asked specific questions and received detailed answers. The arrangement for this online session was agreed with Prof. Dr. Isabelle Vernos, member of the ERC Scientific Council, Chair of Working Group on Gender Balance from ERC.
27 March 2015
The round table on career development in science in Romania started from the facts and figures included in several evaluations reports on Romania’s performances in RDI sector, especially the series of annual ERAWATCH Reports Country Profile, produced by the EC and JRC for the EU Member States. As author of such a Report, Dr. Marina Ranga presented some issues and challenges the Romania’s RDI sector is confronted with and emphasized the need to increase the innovation rates in universities and research institutions through cooperation and partnership with private industrial companies, this being also a strategy to contribute to better gender awareness both at the level of universities and industry. The event has been attended by scientific researchers, post-doctoral researchers and Ph.D. students from the faculties of Chemistry, Computer science, Biology, Economics, Sociology and Physics as well as by the representatives of the Research Departments of the UAIC and managers of RDI from the UAIC. Among the participants at the debates that followed the presentation have been Assoc.Prof. Corina Forăscu (Faculty of Computer Science), Prof. Dr. Daniela Șoitu (Department of Sociology and Social Work), Dr. Nadejda Horchidan (Faculty of Physics), Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur (UAIC-STAGES project coordinator) and Ms.Elena Felice, Head of Project Management Department.
The dialogue with Prof. dr. Vasile Ișan, the Rector of the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, was organized as a part of the activities dedicated to the annual celebration of the Women Researchers’ Day at the UAIC and was focused on the theme Gender Equality in Science and Innovation Management in Academia in the context of the current international trends and challenges concerning the new mission and the contribution the universities have to have in a world where innovation became the main source of development. During the meeting, Prof. Vasile Ișan underlined the impact the participation and membership of the UAIC at different European Universities Networks - like Coimbra Group and Utrecht Network - had on the UAIC strategy towards an entrepreneurial university, the important transfer of knowledge and good practices enhanced by networking with high profile universities in Europe and worldwide. Participants at this 2 hours dialogue have been Dr. Marina Ranga, senior researcher at the H-STAR Institute, Stanford University, Prof. dr. Doina Balahur (UAIC-STAGES Project Coordinator), Prof. Dr. Adriana Prodan (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration) and Prof. Dr. Daniela Șoitu (Department of Sociology and Social Work), members of the UAIC Network of Women in Academia and Research.
A TV report presenting the public event “Women Researchers Day” organized at the UAIC on 27th March 2015 has been realized by journalists from TVR Iasi (the Romanian National Broadcasting Company- Branch Iasi), our partner media for the STAGES project. The TV material has been included in the news programme “Regional Journal” under the title “A day dedicated to the women researchers”.
Based on the experience gained during the STAGES project and, especially, the good practices initiated in promoting Gender Equality in Science at the UAIC, our team seeks to develop cooperation and partnership in order to extend and multiply the lessons learned in this European project to other universities in Romania. On the 23-24 April, 2015, at the invitation of the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology from the West University of Timișoara, Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, coordinator of the UAIC-STAGES project, had meetings with the representatives of the senior and young researchers in the faculty and gave a presentation on Gender Equality in Science: National and European Dimensions. On this occasion, the achievements and the challenges of the UAIC-STAGES project on gender equality in science at the "Alexandru Ioan" Cuza University of Iasi have also been highlighted. The presentation has been attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology, Prof. Dr. Alin Gavreliuc, the Head of the Doctoral School of Sociology, Prof. Dr. Stefan Buzarnescu, the Head of the Department of Sociology, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ioan Pascuta, senior and young researchers from the Departments of Sociology, Human Resources, Psychology and Social Work as well as from the Doctoral School of Sociology. The debates that followed the presentation underlined the opportunities to transfer the good practice of the UAIC-STAGES project and to set up at West University of Timisoara strategies of promoting and monitoring gender equality in science and research content.
On behalf of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, the Technopolis Group (UK) and partners (ICF, Delft University and Facts of Life) are conducting an ex-post evaluation of the Work Programme "Science in Society" within the seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The UAIC-STAGES project has been selected to be included as one of the case studies for the Gender Equality theme of the evaluation based on 'its visibility, results and potential impact'. In a one hour interview taken by Dr. Tammy-Ann Sharp from Technopolis, Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, UAIC-STAGES project coordinator, presented the main achievements and impact of the project and its innovative aspects. The team leader stressed that conceiving, implementing and developing the Action Plan of the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University (with 40 actions-tasks and more than 90 activities) have been realized in a concrete cultural and historical environment. Considering these peculiarities and also valorising the deep and from-inside-knowledge of the university, as well as the evaluations carried out as partner in other European projects on gender equality in science, the UAIC-STAGES project developed a new model of structural transformation called 'Fixing the transformative and formative praxis' (FTFP-model), which is rooted in a different paradigm of gender and organizational change. Unlike the traditional approach structured by the conflict paradigm we switched to a different one, to the cooperation paradigm, and a participative approach. It has been proven a successful innovative development of the strategies on structural change in universities and research institutions". In the interview, Prof. Balahur also emphasized that the transformative and formative praxis involved a great number of active contributors (around 120 persons) and participants (more than 1000 persons) at different actions, and at the same time got the commitment and strong support of the top management of the UAIC.