The issues of (potential) gender bias and associated gender inequalities in grant allocation processes have been on the policy agenda for decades now. The findings of Wenneras and Wold’s study on nepotism in 1997 for example show that female applicants need to be 2.5 times more productive than men before the grant application in order to be evaluated the same as their male counterparts. While various (potential) sources of bias are mentioned in the literature, a great number of studies argue that gender bias does not exist, although others claim the opposite. Nevertheless, grants play an increasing role in careers, and also at the level of careers in science and innovation strong gender disparities can be observed.
The findings and discussions mentioned above show the necessity for more detailed studies on the subject. The GRANteD project will contribute to a gender-fair research funding system, by identifying factors that cause gender imbalances before, during, and after grant submission. GRANteD will identify the occurrence, dynamics and causes of gender bias in grant allocation processes and its consequences for the researchers’ careers. A main objective of the project is to formulate a new approach that can handle the complex nature of the problem under investigation.
The DZHW is part of a consortium comprises institutions from five different European countries:
- JOANNEUM RESEARCH, POLICIES – Institute of Economic and Innovation Research / Research group for Technology, Innovation and Policy Consulting (Coordinator, Austria),
- Orebro University - School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (Sweden),
- CSIC - Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas – Institute of Public Goods and Policies (Spain),
- Teresa Mom Consultancy BV (Netherlands),
- German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) (Germany).
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824574.