European Gender Summit
8-9 November 2011 • Brussels

A high-level European initiative

Deadline Early Bird Registration prolonged: 15 September 2011, Register here! or www.gender-summit.eu

The European Gender Summit is held under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and is supported by the European Commission through the Science and Society Programme (FP7). The event is supported by a range of high-level partners and patrons from different sectors and backgrounds (see our list of Patrons and Partners). The European Gender Summit is organised jointly by genSET - gender in science, the European Science Foundation and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology.
    

Scientific Quality through Equality

Knowledge and innovation are key drivers for sustainable growth and prosperity in Europe. Extensive research has demonstrated that the qulaity of research and development benefits significantly from adding gender as a critical success factor. The first European Gender Summit will network key players from all sectors to initiate the much-needed changes in the culture of reseach and innovation. Joint discussions will produce the first ever collective agreement on policy development on gender for innovation, the policy manifesto on "Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research."

Welcome Messages:

Professor Marja Makarow, Chief Executive, European Science Foundation

Welcome to the First European Gender Summit. It is our pleasure to host a wide community of engaged researchers and policy makers from all over Europe and beyond. Research and innovation need the best and brightest to challenge dogmas, confront unsolved problems and come up with new findings, perspectives and discoveries that improve our lives and strengthen our societies. We need to engage all talented individuals, and create opportunities and equal playing fields to benefit from their skills, expertise, and creativity. This goal is unlikely to be met if we let gender prejudices or societal barriers keep in the shadow almost half of the research community. Just as we acknowledge the benefits of cross-disciplinary research and innovation, we should  admit that men and women are equally valuable for the innovation enterprise. More effective bottom –up and top-down efforts at all levels of the educational and professional chain have to be combined in order to make this happen, ensuring that also women realise their potential to yield their best. Passive measures have proven to be insufficient. It is time for action. Let us share our ideas and trigger change in the European Research Area and beyond.

Dr Ángeles Rodríguez-Peña, President of the COST Committee of Senior Officials

The European Union regards gender balance as a key contributor to innovation yet recognises that more specific measures are required to reach the goals of an increasingly dynamic European Research Area. This Gender Summit is the place to kick start a much-needed structural change that would allow us to keep up with other social spheres and marketplaces. COST contributes to and fully supports the deep change in the institutional mindset of the research and innovation players - such as policy-makers, funding bodies, universities and companies - that will unlock the full potential of European society.
 
Professor Rolf Tarrach, President, University of Luxembourg

The Gender Summit provides opportunity for policy makers, gender experts and scientists to engage in an open dialogue on how the quality of knowledge production and research can be improved through gender mainstreaming.   It is important that knowledge of the effects of gender balance is publicized and integrated into discussions about gender mainstreaming within scientific institutions, on a European and national levels, and crossing cultural and linguistic barriers, in order to promote structural change.
 

How to Participate

Registration
  
Your Profile
During the registration process, you will be asked to provide information about your profile. We invite you to share your experiences, ideas, and expectations.  Collecting key questions and statements will enable us to design relevant networking sessions and foster exchange and discussion amongst participants.We invite you to share your experiences, ideas, and expectations.

Collecting key questions and statements will enable us to design relevant networking sessions and foster exchange and discussion amongst participants. If you give us permission, your profile will be made available in the Summit Networking Guide – an online resource allowing people to find out about participants, projects and themes most relevant to their interests before, during or after the event. It is up to you to decide how much – or how little of the information you submit will be made available.

Your Projects and Initiatives
Also during the registration process, you will be invited to submit your projects or initiatives in the field of gender and innovation. All relevant submissions will be published on the Summit page in the reference base of European gender initiatives. In addition, the genSET panel will select the most noteworthy submissions to be showcased at the stakeholder exhibition as examples of best practice.
The Scientific Committee is particularly interested to receive submission that showcase:
• case studies and examples of using sex/gender analysis in research process
• product/process innovations motivated by knowledge of sex/gender differences/similarities
• novel visualisation/modelling/representation of sex/gender characteristics/variables
• new multidisciplinary and intersectional research approaches to gender issues
• evaluations of initiatives/programmes promoting gender equality in science
• training programmes on sex/gender issues in science knowledge making/application/dissemination

Key resource for the conference:

 Recommendations for Action