But poorly adapted Norwegian language instruction ruins the chances for refugees who are motivated to get a higher education, according to Juhar Yasin Abamosa.

The Norwegian Government has recommended consolidating the Gender Equality Act and three anti-discrimination laws into a joint anti-discrimination act. According to the KIF Committee, there are several reasons why this is not an ideal proposal.

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

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.

For 10 years the allocation to the Committee for Gender Balance in Research had not been increased or adjusted for inflation. Now for the first time ever, the committee will receive a budget increase from the Norwegian government.

The results of the national survey on bullying and harassment in Norway’s higher education sector are finally in. But the reasons why harassment occurs remain unclear, according to the Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research.

The KIF Committee believes that gender balance and ethnic diversity are crucial to finding good solutions to major societal challenges.

Innovation has typically been thought of as involving patents, licences and start-ups. Today, innovation researchers have a far broader understanding of the concept, believes research leader Espen Solberg.

Innovation will be given greater focus in the ongoing EU effort to design the next research and innovation framework programme. This represents a good opportunity to improve the gender balance in innovation environments, says Anita Krohn Traaseth.

We have three main messages for the future of the European Research Area (ERA), writes chair of the Norwegian Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF Committee), Curt Rice, in this opinion.

The COVID-19 measures in place appear to affect the productivity of women researchers more than men. According to a Danish research analyst, immediate steps to reverse this trend are needed.

Academia lacks gender balance when it comes to salary, academic level and subject area. Experts are calling for stronger measures to achieve gender balance.

Implicit bias – the presence of prejudices and stereotypes in the workplace – has been a topic of discussion both within and outside academia. Does this lead to a focus on the individual that masks embedded structures inhibiting gender equality?

“The use of gender points is not just about lifting people over a point threshold they would not otherwise reach. It is also about sending a signal that women and men are both wanted in the programme,” says Research Director Liza Reisel.