Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
ISAS
Institute of Sociology is engaged in the pursuit of research into contemporary society and in the provision of post-graduate education in the field of sociology.
ID: 473027832884-08
Lobbying Activity
Response to Communication on the European Research Area Implementation
13 Sept 2024
The European Research Area is an essential policy instrument for coordinating R&I policies. For the future, it is vital that gender equality and gender mainstreaming continue as a priority for the ERA, with increasing stress on inclusiveness and intersectionality in the gender equality agenda. It is important to reinforce monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of ERA priorities; specifically for gender equality, it is necessary to introduce indicators related to institutional change through Gender Equality Plans and policies to combat gender-based violence in response to the zero-tolerance Code of Conduct launched as part of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024. It will be crucial to supplement the current outcome indicator of the proportion of women in Grade A. Lastly, it is important that Member States are accountable for implementing ERA priorities. The National Action Plans and Strategies instrument played a critical role in the previous policy cycle, and the National Action Plans and Strategies should be re-introduced, along with their monitoring and evaluation. In relation to the framework programme as the instrument to implement the ERA, it is imperative that the Commission launches the legal compliance checks of the GEP eligibility criterion, a step that was announced at the start of Horizon Europe and has not yet been implemented. Furthermore, to truly implement gender equality priorities in the ERA, it is important to ensure substantial and sustained funding and support for structural change projects implementing GEPs and increase funding for RIAs on gender and intersectionality aspects in research careers with a particular focus on the position of early-career researchers and gendered impacts of research assessment systems. For the next framework programme, it is important to continue GEPs as a mandatory requirement. Furthermore, the existing recommended thematic areas should be made compulsory. In addition, the integration of inclusive gender dimension should be an obligatory element in the next FP; an explanation should be required in projects that do not address sex/gender analysis (this should be absolutely mandatory in medical research).
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