Transforming R&I organisations and advancing the ERA through gender equality and inclusiveness in SEE

The SEE-ERA project aims at driving a structural change process through the sustainable transformation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in five Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and two Research Funding Organisation (RFO) operating in four different South East European (SEE) countries (Greece, Albania, Croatia and Romania) involving internal and external stakeholders since the beginning of the project.The project goal is to intensify efforts and enhance gender capacities for the implementation of sustainable GEPs, transforming RPOs/RFOs and their respective innovation ecosystems towards inclusive Gender Equality (GE) through the development and delivery of tailored and reflexive mentoring and training programmes. The project supports opening up the GE agenda beyond RPOs and RFOs aspiring to connect inclusive and intersectional GEPs with inclusive innovation. Thus, SEE-ERA contributes towards applying an inclusive approach towards forging new research careers, better integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation (R&I), knowledge valorisation and building stronger R&I communities and ecosystems in countries that often lag behind in terms of knowledge creation and innovation. SEE-ERA has a geographic focus on SEE countries but at the same time adopts a wider range by involving partners from Northern Europe providing a space for participating institutions to learn from each other and reflect together on how they can make their organisations more inclusive in an effective and sustainable fashion. The project ensures its successful implementation by adopting a holistic approach composed of capacity building support to develop and sustain internal gender+ knowledge, skills and expertise, mutual learning among partners, a participatory co-design of mentoring and training scheme and a thorough monitoring and developmental evaluation mechanism leading to durable institutional changes.