Timetable & learning outcomes

Scientific excellence is a widely used concept in academic and research communities and is increasingly seen as a prerequisite for pursuing a scientific career and promoting research work. However, this concept remains vague and even tends, under the guise of neutrality, to harm women's careers in research and academia. The spread of excellence-based incentives to develop and fund the growth of research can amplify this trend and potentially counteract existing work to support women in science. The aim of the Redesigning Equality and Scientific Excellence Together (RESET) project is therefore to support a broadening of the definition of scientific excellence, based on the societal impact and inclusive dimension of research, training and innovation, in order to meet societal objectives in a sustainable way.

The objective of this summer school, in conjunction with the RESET programme, is to enable participants to understand the notions of sex, gender, intersectionality, meritocracy and scientific excellence and their impact on the academic world. Students will be able to reflect on a more inclusive definition of scientific excellence, consider the impact of research on equality and diversity, and understand the issues involved in taking gender into account in research.

Course content will enable participants to understand social inequalities at the major stages of an academic career, to identify situations of sexist and sexual violence and discrimination, and to take action to counter them. Tools will also be disseminated to be actors of cultural change and to know how to deal with work-life balance.

Tentative programme

Over the course of 3 days, this online summer school will cover the following topics:

Day 1

1) Kick-off and ice-breaker activity

2) Course 1 - Scientific excellence and gender inequality: levers to overcome the discrepancy

3) Course 2 (practical) - Taking gender into account in research content – RESET tools to fit the research funders

4) Case studies in various scientific fields (gender-responsive research)

Day 2

1) Introduction and ice-breaker activity (20 min)

2) Course 3 - Gender mainstreaming and intersectionality: a conceptual approach

3) Course 4 - Promoting inclusive and gender-neutral institutional communication - Adaptations of the RESET toolbox to Latin languages

Day 3

1) Introduction and ice-breaker activity (20 min)

2) Course 5 - Diversity and equality in communication: building healthy relationships

3) Course 6 - Work-life balance in academia: tools for a better reconciliation

Please note: sessions will take place between 13.00 and 18.00 CEST each day (Central European Summer Time).  Upon completion of the summer school, participants will be expected to put into practice the knowledge throughout the course by taking  part in a quiz covering the main concepts and data studied during the programme.

A certificate of participation will be awarded to students upon completion of the course.

Programme may be subject to change.