Parliamentary proposal has support of Swiss National Science Foundation
Swiss politicians are considering a move to link federal research funding for universities and other research organisations with the organisations’ achievement of greater gender equality.
The proposal is to be debated in a parliamentary session this week, and has won the backing of the Swiss National Science Foundation.
According to SNSF figures, women are vastly underrepresented in senior science positions and research funding in Switzerland. Just 24 per cent of professors in the country are women, and women across all career stages hold 39 per cent of SNSF grants.
“What we need is decisive and coordinated action by all partners in the field of research and innovation,” said SNSF director Angelika Kalt.
Last year the European Commission announced a similar plan to make gender equality action a requirement for organisations applying for R&D funding from the EU.