projekty

International projects and cooperation

The Centre aims at contributing to shaping gender discourse in R&D, to shaping science policy and human resource policy in the Czech Republic, especially with respect to the position of women in science. On an international level, the Centre has established close ties with Unit C-5 Women in Science at the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as with similar organisations. At present, the Centre is involved in the development of the European Platform for Women Scientists.

Membership in international organisations and boards:

• Membership in Expert Advisory Board Science in Society concerned with drawing up the position papers to operation programs Capacities – Science in Society 7. FP and  addressed the gendered aspects of science, issues of gender and education and of comunitation of science and society.
• Associated membership in European Platform For Women Scientists. National Contact Centre - Women in Science is in session in its working group Participation in the Policy Debate and contributes to the discussions of all levels of the Platform. 

Projects and activities

Joint European Commission and Czech Presidency Conference "Changing Research Landscape: 10 years on Women in Science in Europe"
14 and 15 May 2009 in Prague was held conference, that focused on reflection of present EU´s activities on the field of gender equality in science and technology. Centre was togheter with Ministry of education, youth and sports a co-organiser of this event.

KNOWING
The research project is funded by the European Commission and will run for three years between 2006-2008, and is carried out by five national teams. The main objective of this project is to examine the contexts and cultures of knowledge production, including the role of gender, from an “East-West” perspective. Here we will study selected scientific institutions in the five partner countries that we will compare with and situate in the broader national contexts. In a combination of discourse analysis, participant observation and individual and group interviews, we will investigate the ways in which interactions between regional and national contexts and histories, hegemonic discourses, institutional politics and practices, affect the motivations, research interests, epistemological frameworks, collaborations and career trajectories of women and men in science.

• Download project presentation.
• Following project of Knowing Centre organised in May 2009 a seminar meeting Science Policy and science in action in Senate of House of Deputies of the Czech Republic, discussion that concentrated on nowadays changes in concept of excellence and its impacts attracted leading figures of science in Czech...

WS Debate
The WS DEBATE project is a Specific Support Action in the EU 7th Framework Programme. Its overall objective is the stimulation of policy and public debate on the situation and perspectives of women in science, in order to bridge the gap between policy developments and public understanding of the related issues, and raise gender awareness among policy makers, scientists, as well as among the lay public interested in scientific developments. This objective will be realised by encouraging a broad public debate based on the dissemination of the knowledge gathered by the Enwise report (Waste of talents: turning private struggles into a public issue – Women and Science in the Enwise countries; European Commission, EUR 20955 EN) in the countries of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia). The project will support the process of implementing the Enwise recommendations, as well as contribute to the promotion of a dialogue on best gender equality practice in research and development by the publication of national reports on the situation of women in science and the organisation of conferences in each partner country.

Download the project presentation.
Download the final publication of WS Debate project: Reclaiming a Political Voice: Women in Science in Central Europe

Research on Social Sciences and Humanities: Sharing Experiences and Discussing Methodological Approaches
Science and Technology Studies (STS) have a long tradition of research on scientific cultures and practices. Social sciences and humanities (SS&H) have been largely left out even if these scientific fields contribute equally to co-producing relevant knowledge about the world and may diffuse into society even faster. Therefore one aim of two workshops (Praque, Vienna) was to bring together scholars to share experiences and discuss methodological approaches in researching SS&H. We were interested in sociological, anthropological, historical, political science and other perspectives on SS&H. The objective of the project was to start building a network of (STS) researchers inquiring into SS&H knowledge production and its linkages to society. This helps developing more sustained academic debates of the SS&H research and also forming a base for potential direct research collaborations.

CEC-WYS
Central European Centre for Women in Science build upon the policies and activities of the EC, and expand on the experience of the National Contact Centre - Women in Science (NKC) in order to fulfil two primary goals:
1) to promote, mobilise and network women in science in Central Europe, and
2) to promote, mobilise and network young people in science in the region and thus to contribute to increasing gender equality in R&D and to structuring the European Research Area.
The Centre involved partners from Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic and will draw on the experience of partners from Romania, France and Italy. The project evolved following activities:

• Enwise follow-up activities in the Czech Republic
  In 2002, the European Commission commissioned a report on the situation facing women scientists in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic states from the ENWISE expert group. In June 2004 the report was made available, formulating recommendations to the European Union on women and science at national and European level.
  The four Central European partners of the project served as "watchdogs" by  mapping, measuring and reporting to what extend the recommendations of the ENWISE Group have been implemented at national level. The reports are available here to download in the national language and English. The process of mapping and the end result contribute to lobbying for further improvements in the position of women in science at national level.
• Regional database of women scientists
  The unique, regional, multi-disciplinary, easily navigable database of women scientists aims to adress this situation by making highly qualified women scientists more visible. Women scientists can be searched for the purposes of project participation and invitation to advisory committees, boards and expert panels. It will also provide a source for networking for women in the region of Central Europe.
• Project Source Book: Sharing Experiences - Building Projects
  The Project Sourcebook: Sharing Experiences - Building Projects provides assistance and advice on project coordination and management based on the experience of CEC-WYS, of writing and submitting proposals for the European Commission under FP 6.
• Young Scientists workshop
  Young Scientists, the international workshop organized by National Contact Centre and European Commission took place at Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports on April 25, 2003. The workshop was part of the ENWISE project of the European Commission which aims to map the situation of women in science in Central and Eastern Europe, propose proceedings and develop a mechanism for progress evaluation in this area.  Representatives of European Commission (Unit C-4 Young People and Science a Unit C-5 Women and Science), members of ENWISE expert group and young scientists from Central and Eastern Europe took part in the workshop.

Spring School of Science Studies
By organising a working colloquium titled the Spring School of Science Studies, the National Contact Centre for Women and Science took strides toward developing reflection upon science and the scientific enterprise as a social phenomenon in the Czech Republic. The National Contact Centre for Women and Science invited members of several departments and fields (sociology, women’s studies and social studies of science) from the University of Lancaster, UK.

Women Scholars and Institutions conference
Women Scholars and Institutions conference took place in Prague between 8th and 11th of July 2003. The conference was organized by the Research Center for the History of Sciences and Humanities and Commission Women in Science of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science/Division of History of Science in cooperation with National Contact Centre – Women in Science, The Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Centre for gender studies at Charles University, Faculty of Philosophy, and Slovak Academy of Sciences. 50 researchers and academicians from Western and Eastern Europe participated in the conference. The United States and China were represented as well. The Conference was especially focused on historical themes but included also gender and sociological papers.

Ambassador Program - People to People
A delegation of women scientists from United States of America visited the Czech republic as part of the Ambassador Program: People to people, a program initiated by the government of the United States. The aim of the visit was to get information about participation and opportunities of women in science and support women in building their scientific career in the field of science and technologies by means of sharing experiences and contacts with Czech women scholars.