Therefore, equality plans become an eligibility criterion, for which a transitional period will be established.

Some of the requirements of the equality plans considered by the European Commission include the formal publication of the approved equality plan on the institution's website, the existence of experts in equality policies to carry it out and the commitment of Human Resources, disaggregated data and the development of training in equality.

With regard to the content of the equality plans, these may address the following areas of action: organizational culture and work-balance; gender balance in decision-making; gender dimension in research and teaching; gender violence and sexual harassment.

The Women and Science Unit of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation supports this announcement by the European Commission, which reinforces the work being done in Spain to promote quality and adequately resourced equality plans in universities, public research bodies and funding agencies.

Get ready: A new ERA for Equality is calling

You can see the "Get ready: A new ERA for Equality is calling" session of the 2020 European Research & Innovation Days. The topic discussed here by Jean-Eric Paquet is is from minute 6:40 to 11: 40. Enjoy!

The speakers of this session are Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General DG R&I European Comission, Marcela Linková, Chair of the ERAC Standing Working Group on Gender in R&I, and Curt Rice, Rector of Oslo Metropolitan University. The moderator of the session is Lina Galvez Muñoz, MEP Vice Chair of the European Parliament's ITRE Commitee. 

CSIC and ICMAB Gender Equality Plan

The CSIC has already an Equality Plan in its website, which you can also find in the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee website. In this section of the ICMAB website, you can also find many different resources from the CSIC and from external institutions and organisations. 

The Women and Science Committee of the CSIC is also very active and published every year a report of the disaggregated data of the CSIC staff. You can find this and many other reports in the section of Women and Science in the CSIC website. 

From the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee we think that this measure is a step forward to Gender Equality in Resarch and Innovation. We will continue implementing the CSIC Gender Equality Plan, and improving our own Gender Equality Roadmap, as well as offering trianing sessions in gender issues, organizing women in science events, participating in gender perspective in research activities and encouraging scientific vocation in the young boys and girls. 

More information:

• Los planes de igualdad serán un criterio de elegibilidad en Horizonte Europa (24/09/2020)
• CSIC Women in Science 
• ICMAB Gender Equality