Research on sexual harassment in academia is poorly developed and there are few measures in place to combat the harassment itself. The Nordic countries are no exception. So concludes a new European study.

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.

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.

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.

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.

According to a recent study, women and men have equal chances to move up professionally in academia as a whole. There are, however, a number of systematic differences.

Two years after the #MeToo movement started, sexual harassment issues are still not included in the national Working Environment and Climate Surveys. The Ministry of Education and Research declines to take a stand.

Check out our top five most read news articles in 2019 about implicit bias, academic protests, publication and gender, climate crisis and sexual harassment.

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

Round after round of temporary hiring and a non-stop pursuit of excellence and funding may impair progress towards gender equality in academia, according to research conducted at the University of Oslo.

Gender equality generates better results within research and innovation. In addition, EU bureaucrats argue that European research funding should be earmarked with specific requirements for gender perspectives.

In recent years some have asked whether the ceiling has been reached for the number of foreigners in Norwegian academia. The Young Academy of Norway would rather have a debate on how to best take advantage of this new diversity.

“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.

The children of immigrants are often met with the attitude that their choice of education has been dictated by social control. On the contrary, these sons and daughters are intent on making their own choices, says researcher Marianne Takvam Kindt.