Búsqueda de socios
Ref: RDRTR20251218011
Descripción
Gender Equality and Digital Safety in Academia project is preparing cooperation partnership to strengthen gender equality, inclusive academic environments, and digital wellbeing in European universities. The project seeks partners for research, training design, pilot testing, institutional capacity-building, and dissemination activities within a transnational consortium.
Title
Erasmus+ KA220-HED Consortium Seeks Partners for Gender Equality and Digital Safety in Academia project
Abstract
The initiative focuses on gender based barriers that affect access to leadership in academic settings, as well as the growing range of digital risks faced by early career staff. It aims to develop practical and adaptable tools that help universities strengthen leadership cultures, that will support the well-being of women academic staff and improve the management of career advancement processes.
Women in universities face structural barriers that create unequal career paths and restrict their access to leadership roles, which in turn diminishes their sense of belonging to their institutions. These obstacles include unclear promotion practices, biased evaluation processes, exclusion from informal networks that influence decision making, and the unequal assignment of administrative and care related tasks. These conditions produce an organizational environment in which leadership is understood as a continuous and unbroken commitment, often aligned with expectations of constant availability. This vision does not reflect the realities of many women, especially those who carry significant family and caregiving responsibilities.
The project draws upon European priorities in inclusion, digital transformation, and gender equality. It combines academic inquiry with applied institutional development so that staff development systems and leadership practices can be examined and strengthened within a broader equality framework.
Higher education institutions are increasingly committed to equality, yet many women in the early stages of their academic careers continue to face opaque advancement processes and limited pathways into roles that carry influence. Women also carry a disproportionate share of academic service obligations and are confronted with growing risks associated with digital visibility. These pressures can erode confidence, limit participation in leadership activities, and ultimately hinder long term academic advancement. The project responds to these conditions through a coordinated and collaborative strategy that supports both individuals and institutions.
The project will include:
• A suite of short learning modules designed to strengthen confidence, professional skills, and inclusive leadership practices in academia.
• Practical institutional guidance supporting safer digital engagement and response strategies to emerging online risks.
• A structured self-assessment framework enabling universities to review existing practices, identify areas for improvement, and support equality actions.
• A cross-national academic support network encouraging collaboration, peer connection, and knowledge exchange.
The tools will be developed in a modular and scalable format, allowing universities to adopt components independently or as part of broader institutional equality and staff development agendas.
Advantages and innovation
• A holistic approach combining individual capacity-building with institutional development.
• A model adaptable to universities with varying equality infrastructures.
• Emphasis on practical, transferable outputs that complement existing Gender Equality Plans and staff development practices.
• Integration of digital wellbeing and online safety awareness into academic training, reflecting emerging risks in higher education.
• Open-access resources that can be reused by universities, NGOs, and equality bodies across Europe.
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
Partners with expertise in at least one of the following areas are invited to join the consortium:
• Gender equality, inclusion, and diversity initiatives in higher education
• Academic leadership development and staff training
• Institutional policy analysis and organisational assessment
• Digital wellbeing, online communication practices, or digital transformation projects
• Research on academic careers, early-career development, or workplace cultures
• Organisations with access to academic staff networks and professional development units
• Institutions experienced in piloting training activities or hosting workshops
Framework program
ERASMUS+
Call title and identifier
Erasmus+ KA220-HED
Submission and evaluation scheme
Anticipated project budget
Coordinator required
No
Deadline for EoI 5 Mar 2026
Deadline of the call 5 Mar 2026
Women in universities face structural barriers that create unequal career paths and restrict their access to leadership roles, which in turn diminishes their sense of belonging to their institutions. These obstacles include unclear promotion practices, biased evaluation processes, exclusion from informal networks that influence decision making, and the unequal assignment of administrative and care related tasks. These conditions produce an organizational environment in which leadership is understood as a continuous and unbroken commitment, often aligned with expectations of constant availability. This vision does not reflect the realities of many women, especially those who carry significant family and caregiving responsibilities.
The project draws upon European priorities in inclusion, digital transformation, and gender equality. It combines academic inquiry with applied institutional development so that staff development systems and leadership practices can be examined and strengthened within a broader equality framework.
Higher education institutions are increasingly committed to equality, yet many women in the early stages of their academic careers continue to face opaque advancement processes and limited pathways into roles that carry influence. Women also carry a disproportionate share of academic service obligations and are confronted with growing risks associated with digital visibility. These pressures can erode confidence, limit participation in leadership activities, and ultimately hinder long term academic advancement. The project responds to these conditions through a coordinated and collaborative strategy that supports both individuals and institutions.
The project will include:
• A suite of short learning modules designed to strengthen confidence, professional skills, and inclusive leadership practices in academia.
• Practical institutional guidance supporting safer digital engagement and response strategies to emerging online risks.
• A structured self-assessment framework enabling universities to review existing practices, identify areas for improvement, and support equality actions.
• A cross-national academic support network encouraging collaboration, peer connection, and knowledge exchange.
The tools will be developed in a modular and scalable format, allowing universities to adopt components independently or as part of broader institutional equality and staff development agendas.
Advantages and innovation
• A holistic approach combining individual capacity-building with institutional development.
• A model adaptable to universities with varying equality infrastructures.
• Emphasis on practical, transferable outputs that complement existing Gender Equality Plans and staff development practices.
• Integration of digital wellbeing and online safety awareness into academic training, reflecting emerging risks in higher education.
• Open-access resources that can be reused by universities, NGOs, and equality bodies across Europe.
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
Partners with expertise in at least one of the following areas are invited to join the consortium:
• Gender equality, inclusion, and diversity initiatives in higher education
• Academic leadership development and staff training
• Institutional policy analysis and organisational assessment
• Digital wellbeing, online communication practices, or digital transformation projects
• Research on academic careers, early-career development, or workplace cultures
• Organisations with access to academic staff networks and professional development units
• Institutions experienced in piloting training activities or hosting workshops
Framework program
ERASMUS+
Call title and identifier
Erasmus+ KA220-HED
Submission and evaluation scheme
Anticipated project budget
Coordinator required
No
Deadline for EoI 5 Mar 2026
Deadline of the call 5 Mar 2026