◇ Preliminary remark:
A Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is a mandatory requirement for universities, companies etc. to participate in Horizon Europe, the EU's research framework program. At KIST Europe, the structures and measures to promote gender equality have evolved over time and are regulated in various documents. This declaration on the Gender Equality Plan of KIST Europe summarizes these structures and measures in a clear manner.
◇ Commitment of KIST Europe
The business management of KIST Europe considers the GEP as a cross-cutting issue, important for all parts of working life. The GEP commissioner should give advice to the business management, the director, P.I.´s, employees, interns, and students in personal, organizational and social topics. If more than one GEP commissioner is available the GEP commissioners should meet and discuss present and upcoming GEP topics and should give reconciled advice together.
When Gender Equality related topics are discussed in the workers' council (Betriebsrat) the GEP commissioner is allowed to participate including a right of petition and are entitled to speak. Furthermore, the GEP commissioner can support all committee meetings. Herein, GEP commissioners own the right of petition and are entitled to speak.
◇ The KIST Europe GEP includes:
1. Resources for gender equality
2. Data acquisition and monitoring
3. Sensitizing advanced training
4. Balanced gender ratios in business management and in decision making
5. Gender justice during hiring and career development
6. Integration of Gender-Dimension into research- and education-topics
7. Measures against sex-based violence including sexual harassment
- 1. Resources for gender equality
- The GEP commissioner should be released from other work to fulfill the GEP commissioner tasks (recommendation: a) Institutes with 50-100 employees need one 25%-50% position, b) Institutes with more than 100 employees need at least one 50% position). Depending on incoming work the time for fulfilling the GEP commissioner tasks could be increased (dialogue with business management). The GEP commissioner should be equipped with a single office, a budget for material costs, and the necessary technical infrastructure. In case of high number of employees and/or in case of high numbers of appointment requests the business administration could allocate an additional budget to hire GEP commissioner assistant(s). The GEP commissioner should write an annual gender equality report.
- 2. Data acquisition and monitoring
- Frequently (eg. every year or every second year) should the Human Resource department perform GEP-related data acquisition. The data acquisition should be targeting gender equality parameters as gender distribution in business management, Professors, P.I.´s, full- and part-time employees, inters and students. According to the Gender Equality Act, the KIST Europe director is responsible for implementing the Gender Equality Act. Subsequently, the director, in consultation with the GEP commissioner, evaluates the collected data once a year and derives appropriate measures.
- 3.Sensitizing advanced training
- Different advanced trainings are necessary for the different levels in business hierarchy:
1) Necessary content of sensitizing training for stakeholders in GEP-related topics (HR department and GEP commissioner):
-- a. Gender equality-related decisions in recruitment processes
-- b. Advisory skills for GEP-related questions
-- c. Implementation of the gender equality act
-- d. Recommended course of action in case of sexual discrimination and/or sexual harassment
2) Necessary content of sensitizing training for business management
-- a. Implementation of the Gender Equality act
3) Necessary content of sensitizing training for business management
-- a. Usage of only non-discriminating languages
-- b. Workshops: diversity in education / science - All these trainings will be based on the recommendation of the GEP commissioner and are available as online courses.
- 4. Balanced gender ratios in business management and in decision-making
- To achieve gender balance in leadership and decision-making KIST Europe commits to increasing the proportion of females in business management and in decision-making positions. Appointment committees and decision-making committees should be staffed on a gender-balanced basis.
- 5. Gender justice during hiring and career development
- All appointment procedures are overseen by the GEP commissioner. Furthermore, the GEP commissioner must be involved early and comprehensively in all appointment procedures. Where women are underrepresented, they should be given preferential treatment if they are equally qualified.
- 6. Integration of Gender-Dimension into research- and education-topics
- All gender should be included in research- and education-topics at KIST Europe. The need for gender sensitivity in university teaching and learning and ways of implementing it are the focus of a continuing education program in higher education, which is aimed at teachers who want to further develop their courses in didactic terms.
- 7. Measures against sex-based violence including sexual harassment
- With the General Equality Act (AGG; allgemeines Gleichstellungsgesetz) KIST Europe established a comprehensive set of rules against discrimination of any kind in 2016. Sexual discrimination, harassment, and violence, in particular, are regulated in a separate section..
- This policy explicitly covers all status groups at KIST Europe, including students, who were previously not protected by the AGG alone. This policy provides for a case commission to investigate and sanction such incidents. Furthermore, KIST Europe is declaring its opposition to any form of discrimination, including online and especially social media.
