Creating a research environment that offers equal opportunities to male and female scientists and allows the compatibility of family life and career is one of the highest priorities of FSU Jena as well as of this initiative. On an institutional level, equal opportunities are defined as cross-sectional management responsibility and gender equality has been integrated into all university processes and concepts.
VirusREvolution plans to complement existing initiatives at the FSU Jena by the following measures:
- Mentoring programme with female role models from related disciplines who have a distinguished career in other universities or institutes to help female young scientists identify strategies for their own careers;
- Support for female and male scientists with family obligations by offering student helpers;
- Specific travel funds particularly for female scientists with small children; and
- Emergency family care funds for VirusREvolution members.
In our initiative, 41% of PIs are female, the managing board consists of 40 % females and the we have a female spokesperson.