UC part of European project to foster intersectional gender equality in research and higher education

The INCLUDE project has recently launched its work plan for promoting intersectional gender equality within the university community, with a special focus on biomedical research and innovation. The project, coordinated by Smart Venice and funded by the European Commission within the Horizon Europe programme, brings together 11 partners from 10 European countries, establishing a geographically inclusive consortium covering Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Europe.

The Institute for Interdisciplinary Research of the University of Coimbra (IIIUC) is responsible for implementing the INCLUDE actions at the University of Coimbra and leads one of the project's working groups, which focuses in particular on implementing pilot actions to improve the consortium's Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) and encourage their adoption by members who have not yet done so.

INCLUDE will address the structural challenges to gender equality in biomedical research by developing, testing and evaluating innovative Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) through cross-sectoral approaches. It will harness best practice and knowledge to promote inclusion in higher education and research institutions across different policy contexts, gaps and challenges.

The project's coordinators voiced their enthusiasm for the initiative during the official launch in Venice: “INCLUDE is a key step towards creating sustainable change, integrating intersectionality at the core of Equity and Gender Equality Plans, ensuring that our actions are inclusive, impactful and transformative”.

Jade Iafrate, Policy Officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research & Innovation (DG-RTD) and Silvia Abad, from the European Research Executive Agency (REA) opened the meeting. They emphasised that gender equality remains a top priority for the European Union and expressed high expectations for the INCLUDE project.

Intersectionality was defined during the discussions as "an analytical tool that examines the intersections of race, gender and class with other identities". Professors Dounia Bourabain of Hasselt University and Victoria Showunmi of University College London, both partners in the INCLUDE project, explained: "We need to use these intersections as a means to inform our communities and empower the INCLUDE project as agents of change."

The two-day meeting (14-15 January) served as a platform for the partners to align their strategies, outline the objectives of the project, and begin the joint design of pilot actions to promote equality and inclusion. Debates highlighted the importance of tailored training programmes, mentoring systems, thematic hubs and collaborative learning to build internal capacity and facilitate knowledge sharing across regions and institutions.

More information about the INCLUDE project is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projectsdetails/43108390/101188452/HORIZON

^{Translation: Diana Taborda}