News

8. March 2012 17:32

ESF Conferences Unit celebrates the International Women’s Day with a view on gender balance in research and innovation

More than 20 years of ESF Conferences have shown that bringing together a more diverse group of researchers – in terms of gender, background and age – will lead to more exciting discussions and more innovative results. This is a message we promote in all of our activities, in particular through the European Gender Summit and the Manifesto for Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research and Innovation.

ESF Research Conferences bring together researchers from different backgrounds and at different career stages to jointly discuss the latest developments in new and emerging fields of research. Our events promote free discussion and exchange of information, and aim to create long-term networks between participants.

Scientific excellence is the key criterion in the selection of conference topics, and we believe that active mainstreaming in terms of gender, nationality and age will further improve the quality of the discussions onsite and the conference outputs. Have a look at our calendar of events to see how this strategy pays off.

Quality research and innovation through equality is also the subject of the European Gender Summit. Extensive research has demonstrated that sensitivity to gender issues creates new opportunities for knowledge transfer and stimulates the research process. We are delighted that this message has been translated into the ‘Manifesto for Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research and Innovation’, which focuses on the concrete actions that should be taken at EU level to enhance research and innovation by addressing gender equality issues.

Trying to move towards a more gender balanced and cooperative approach, ESF Conferences Unit wishes you all a Happy Women’s Day!