The Liberal Party ensured that the Norwegian Government got majority approval for its proposal for a joint anti-discrimination act, with a few exceptions. Most importantly, the employer’s reporting duty will continue, although it is unclear how.

It was high time to put more focus on ethnic diversity, according to stakeholders in academia. But there is scepticism about expanding the KIF Committee’s mandate even further.

The Research Council of Norway wants more women at the helm of the Centres of Excellence. But the centres themselves are afraid of losing the competition for funding if they choose a female director.

The vast majority of ethnic minorities in Norwegian academia are mobile researchers who have moved here to work in an academic position.

In the previous funding round for the Centres of Excellence (SFF) scheme, 23 percent of the centre directors were women. In this year’s round, no women will be directing the SFF centres on their own.

Leadership training on gender and diversity, a pilot study on the working environment, a job promotion project and a gender balance prize are just a few of the measures planned for the future.

KIF has presented universities and university colleges with a practical tool to use in their restructuring efforts to ensure gender balance and diversity.

Both the University of Oslo and the University of Bergen are hoping that the Gender Equality Act will be amended. It is the only way they will get their wish to use gender quotas to admit men to professional studies in psychology.

Gender equality is one of six priority areas in the new ERA Roadmap for research – and there will be regular follow-up of progress in this area in all European countries.

The University of Agder is now requiring its new upper-level managers to have competency in gender equality, based on a model from NTNU – and other institutions are considering following suit.

The percentage of immigrants and people with an immigrant background has increased in all position categories and subject areas in Norwegian research. This is one of the findings from the first official diversity statistics for academia.

The number of women in academia in Norway has increased, yet they are still a minority, and the target that women should make up half of all academic personnel in permanent positions has not been achieved. If the current rate of change in the higher education sector continues at the same tempo as it has in the 1990s and the current decade, it will take another 25 to 30 years before half of those in permanent positions are women. These figures emerge from a new report compiled by NIFU STEP.

Norwegian Minister for Education and research, Øystein Djupedal, emphasizes the use of positive discrimination to recruit more women to top positions in academia, and he is looking to the EU for the means to do this. However, he is receiving criticism for his budget from the opposition.

The start package was not a lifesaver, but it has given professor Heidi C. Dreyer the opportunity to work towards her long-term goals.