FRRB’s main stakeholder is represented by the scientific community of Lombardy, mostly hospitals, universities, and research centres, which are all also beneficiaries of FRRB funding.
It is precisely in its role of funding agency that FRRB acknowledges its own influence to encourage the implementation of gender equality (GE) policies in the organisations it funds, but at the same time this could have not been done without a profound reflexive process that drove it to change and to introduce new GE policies.
Until a few years ago, there were no specific GE policies in place. This was mostly due to the size of the Foundation and the limited number of calls for proposals launched.
However, following a substantial increase in the number of staff members and in the number of funding initiatives, FRRB realised the importance of incorporating GE in three areas:
» Internal dimension. Through a clear commitment to the principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunities, and equal treatment.
» External dimension. Through the introduction of rules for researchers applying to FRRB calls for proposals (e.g., Specific provision for parental leave), tracking and collecting data on applicants/winners based on sex/gender.
» Research dimension. Ensuring in all calls a focus on sex and gender. This refers not only to the sex distribution within research teams, but also to the inclusion of sex and/or gender analysis in the research itself.
Based on these three considerations, the elaboration of the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) began, addressing institutional and outreach aspects.
Here you can download FRRB GEP, as approved by the General Director in 2021 and a report Why do we need a Gender Equality Plan? that explains the path that FRRB undertook to adopt gender policies.
Gender Equality Plan, Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica_2021
Report: Why do we need a Gender Equality Plan?
The work has recived funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 741672.