European Commission

This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824544

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Gender & Diversity Consulting for research proposals and projects

Submitted by: Daniela Wilmes, Nathalie Wolf, Rectorate Staff Unit Integration Team – Human Resources, Gender and Diversity Management (IGaD)

- ongoing

Gender & Diversity Consulting for research proposals and projects

The Gender & Diversity Consulting service offers comprehensive support to third-party funding applicants and funding recipients at RWTH during the application and evaluation phases of research projects. Support is given during the duration of the research programme including follow-up applications.

RWTH's Gender and Diversity Consulting service starts with an initial, personal consultation. The consulting service provides information on gender- and diversity-related concepts, strategies and measures at RWTH and advises on the possible use of existing services within the research project. 
The team supports in drafting and implementing equal opportunity measures as well as in setting up a gender-sensitive research design. Finally, consultants help prepare and attend review procedures with the respective research funding agency. Furthermore, the consulting service provides input on the use of gender-sensitive language in the proposal text.

COMPASS PERSPECTIVE – in what way(s) was the measure C O M P A S S?

C – because it challenges and supports a large number of academic leaders who otherwise are not involved in gender and diversity issues.

M – because it raises awareness for the existing imbalances in science, in both respects: in the people doing the research and in the research subjects.

P – because it permanently reflects the gender and diversity issues of the project and constantly adapts them to the requirements.

A – because it helps increase equal opportunities and equality in research projects.

S – because it accompanies the full cycle of a third-party project – from application to implementation and aims to ensure that research conduct and content sustainably integrate gender and diversity dimensions.

ACTORS AND STAKEHOLDERS

  • Speakers, Coordinators and Principal Investigators of third-party funded research projects at all faculties of RWTH Aachen University
  • Division 4.2 – Management of Third-Party Funds of RWTH Aachen University
  • Division 12.2 – Management Development and Training
  • Vice Rectorate for Human Resources Management and Development
  • Vice Rectorate for Research and Structure
  • Head of Department 4.0 – Research 
  • Gender & Diversity consultant at the RWTH Rectorate Staff Unit Integration Team – Human Resources, Gender and Diversity Management (IGaD)

AUTHOR’S REFLECTIONS

What would you do the same/differently another time?
What have you learnt? Do you see relevance for this in other contexts?

At RWTH, Gender and Diversity Consulting for research applications is successfully integrated into the workflows of the university's internal research application consulting. For instance, a short guide to help applicants prepare for the initial consulting interview has been developed. Furthermore, the consultant makes use of existing national and European resources in order to illustrate the need and the ways gender and diversity can be considered in Research & Innovation e.g. by collecting Good Practice Examples at the Gendered Innovations webpage.
However, due to intensified focus on gender and diversity in Research and Innovation at national (German Research Funding Organisation, DFG) as well as European level (through Horizon Europe), there is a need to further expand consultation services and offers in order to meet the accompanying increase in demand.