Gender and ICT is pleased to announce the beginning of INSPIRE, a new research project aimed to create the European centre of excellence for inclusive gender equality in research and innovation.
Funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, INSPIRE is coordinated by GenTIC and led by senior researcher Rachel Palmén as principal investigator. The research team also includes GenTIC researchers Jörg Müller and Lídia Arroyo.
INSPIRE aims to advance and disseminate knowledge on inclusive gender equality by creating centres of excellence that bring together renowned academic experts and practitioners around the shared goal of facilitating the design, implementation, and evaluation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) from an intersectional perspective. The project will close the existing gaps in knowledge and practice, with a focus on intersectionality and inclusiveness. It counts on 4 Knowledge & Support Hubs (KSHs) to develop cutting-edge knowledge on the topics of sustaining change, widening participation, intersectionality, and fostering innovation and change in the private sector. Building on the experiences of the ACT project, these hubs will provide support to 12 communities of practice that involve 95 institutions around Europe and Latin America.
On 13-14 October 2022, 33 members of the INSPIRE Consortium gathered in Barcelona for the kick-off meeting of the project to discuss the key elements of the 4-year work plan. Marta Aymerich, UOC Vice President for Strategic Planning and Research, and Maria Olivella, coordinator of the UOC Equality Unit, offered the welcome words to the gathering. The meeting also included the participation of Anne Pépin, Senior Policy Officer from the European Commission, who introduced the latest details of the EC policy perspective on gender equality and inclusion in research and innovation, and Mary Ann Danowitz, member of the INSPIRE Advisory Board.