Grupo Inmark

The Global Gender Gap Report of 2023, revealing a gender gap score of 68.4%, emphasizes the protracted nature of achieving full parity, estimating 131 years for closure. Besides, the European Gender Equality Index for 2023 shows modest improvement, yet only 2% of the population in this continent approach gender equality. Initiatives addressing gender inequality in research exist, but current challenges need comprehensive integration of gender-inclusive perspectives, urging governance bodies to actively promote and ensure success. The Gender STI Project, funded by the European Union, employs an interdisciplinary approach to advance gender equality in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI). One of the key activities undertaken within the framework of this project is the development of recommendations for the implementation of gender-inclusive policies in research. Following the Design-Thinking methodology, recommendations to reduce this gap have been generated, prioritized and refined in collaboration with international experts. The resulting action plan presented in this paper, provides a strategic roadmap for implementing gender-sensitive strategies in international STI cooperation. This action plan has already been endorsed by the European Commission, underscoring its significance as a valuable tool in the endeavour to address the gender gap. Its acceptance suggests that it can be implemented not only in Europe but also globally, serving as a meaningful contribution to advancing gender equality worldwide in STI.

The digital revolution made available vast amounts of data both in industry and in the research landscape. The ability to manipulate and extract knowledge and value from this data represents a new profession called the Data Scientist: expected to be the most visible job in future years. The EDISON project has been established in order to support universities, research centers, industry and research infrastructure organisations to cope with the potential shortfall of Data Scientists, to define the framework of competences as well as the body of knowledge for this profession. In this paper the EDISON team describes how it intends to nurture the profession of Data Scientist to cope with the expected increase in demand. The strategy proposed is based on both the analysis of the demand side (industries, research centers and research infrastructure organisations) and the supply side (Universities and training centers) bridging between the providers and employers by cooperating on the establishment of a Competence Framework and a Body of Knowledge for the Data Scientist Professional. The project will exploit piloting initiatives in cooperation with pioneer universities and also involve external experts as evangelists.