The Knowledge Foundation strives for equality between women and men being considered in all projects funded by the Foundation. This means to both consider and possibly include aspects of sex and gender in the project’s methods, selection, analyses, and results, i.e., in the project’s design and content, as well as striving for an as equal and relevant representation as possible in the project’s personnel composition, i.e., in the project organisation.
Gender equality perspective
Integration of a gender equality perspective means an added value for research and innovation. It helps researchers to question gender norms and stereotypes and leads to a deeper understanding of needs, attitudes, and behaviours of both women and men. To include such a perspective enhances the societal relevance of knowledge, technologies and innovations produced.
Therefore, the Knowledge Foundation sees the inclusion of a relevant gender equality perspective as a part of the continuously ongoing work to ensure and strengthen quality, renewal, and relevance of funded projects.
Gender equality perspective in the design and content of projects
A gender equality perspective in the design and content of projects means that gender and sex – when relevant – are parts of the project’s design and implementation. This perspective is systematically and actively maintained throughout the project, without necessarily being the main focus of the project. To include perspectives of sex and gender in the design and content means to include both social as well as biological aspects of sex and gender in, for example, the project’s methods, selection, analyses, and results.
The Knowledge Foundation funds projects within all subject areas, and prerequisites and approaches between them differs. In applications to the Foundation, the project manager must therefore provide an appropriate account for whether a sex and gender perspective is relevant in the design and content of the specific project, and if so, in what way this is included. In the programmes’ call texts, this gender equality perspective is highlighted under the assessment criterion Scientific quality.
- Sex is a concept used to describe the division of individuals based on biological characteristics such as women, men, girls, boys, males, and females. A sex perspective could, for example, mean including both women and men in the selection of study objects, and to study the differences between them.
- Gender is a concept used to distinguish socially and culturally constructed expectations and norms that form behaviour and attitudes of women and men. To include a gender perspective could for example mean to problematise and reflect on how prevailing perceptions of gender affect the interpretation of the project’s results.
Gender equality perspective in the project organisation
The Knowledge Foundation also strives for an as equal and relevant representation as possible in the project’s personnel composition. This means that all participating individuals in the project – both from academia as well as from the business sector and other partners – and their respective level of responsibility and influence in the project, must be as evenly distributed as possible between women and men, based on the prerequisites of the subject area.
In applications to the Foundation, the project manager must therefore account for how the balance between participating women and men and their respective roles in the project, has been considered in the selection and composition of the project group. In the programmes’ call texts, this gender equality perspective is highlighted under the assessment criterion Implementation.