Mandate for the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science 2007–2010

As a measure that can promote equality between men and women in the university and college sector, the then-Department of Education and Research (UFD) established the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science on January 24 2004, for a three-year period. The committee received a mandate from the Department counsel in UFD for this three-year period.

Because of the good experiences with the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science, the Ministry of Education and Research decided to continue with the committee in 2007. A new Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science was named and will work during a three-year period as of April 1 2007. The committee will have this revised mandat for the period 01.04.2007-01.04.2010.

The committee's purpose

The committee will support and provide recommendations on measures that can contribute to the mainstreaming of the gender equality efforts at the institutions within the university and college sector as well as the research institute sector and thereby contribute to great equality. The committee will also contribute to an overall awareness-raising around issues connected to the skewed gender balance in academia and the research sector.

Actors and institutions in the university and college sector and in the research institutt sector, departments and the Research Council of Norway will be able to apply for funds and advice from the Committee. The committee will also be able to initiate measures and evaulate their effects. The committee should also have an international perspective.

Organisation

The committee, including the committee's chair, is named by the Ministry of Education and Research, which is also responsible for financing the committee within the yearly state budgets. The funds are to cover the maintenance of the committee, the secretariat of the committee, as well as measures of the work for equality within academia and the research institute sector.

The committee is established for a three-year period, with concluding evaluation. The board of the Norwegian Council for Higher Education receives the strategic and organisatorial responsibility for the committee and the committee's secretariat. The committee will cooperate closely with the Research Council of Norway and KILDEN. The committee itself, in conjunction with the board of the Norwegian Council for Higher Education, receives the responsibility for the further development of its guidelines.

There will be regular reports for the Ministry of Education and Research and other relevant actors about the committee's work.

Composition

The committee gets the following composition:

  • 3 members from the university and college sector, with recommendations from the Norwegian Council for Higher Education
  • 1 member from the Research Council of Norway, with recommendations from the Research Council of Norway
  • 1 member from the research institute sector, gradually from the technical and industrial institute sector, with recommendations from Forskningsinstituttenes Fellesforum (Fifo)
  • 1 member from the student organisations as well as 1 substitute member, with recommendations from Studentenes Landsforbund and Norsk Studentunion

In adddition, one person from the Ministry of Education and Research will have observer status within the committee.

The committee's members should be anchored at an appropriately high level within the institutions, and should have a strong personal engagement in the gender equality work at the institutions. Further, prescriptions on the representation of both genders in governmental selections, boards and councils will be followed.

If a member can no longer be a member of the committee for whatever reason, such as illness/death or change in employment during the period and can no longer be said to represent the institutions/organisations that are mentioned above, the Ministry of Education and Research, in conjuction with the institution/organisation that has suggested the person, will name a new member.

Established by the Ministry of Education and Research, March 2007.