On 4-7 October 2022, the top European Big Science research facilities will meet with industry in the Big Science Business Forum 2022 (Granada, Spain) to present their business opportunities for 2022-2026 worth 37.100 million EUR. This event offers the possibility to industry to learn more about Big Science investments in the coming years and benefit from networking with key representatives.

In the framework of BSBF2022, a satellite session addressing for the first time the theme of “Women in Big Science” is planned, during which public organisations and industries operating in Big Science market, will share their experiences, lessons learned and best practices on policies to increase the participation of women in Big Science.

The current webinar intended to be a preparatory session for this event and will take place on Friday, 11 February (International Day of Women and Girls in Science).

Gender equality is a core value of the European Union. However, talented women continue to be under-represented in EU research , innovation, and entrepreneurship. The current EU strategy aims to advance women in leading scientific roles, achieve gender balance in decision making, and integrate gender dimension in research and innovation context. Current mechanisms to achieve this at the level of member states are the European Research Area (ERA), and the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe 2021-2027), requesting that all organisations applying for funding must demonstrate that they have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) and explain if/how gender dimension is expected to influence results and outcomes.

There is much experience, expertise, and good practice already available to guide research institutions on how to best respond to these policy objectives and create GEPs. However, in the Big Science market this dimension has so far been unexplored.
We have a unique opportunity to advance our understanding on gender equality and diversity within this ecosystem by exploring links and synergies between the policies and practices adopted by the public and private entities. This objective is in line with the initiative of F4E and other Big Science Organisations to develop a gender equality strategy, which could be integrated into the Big Science Business Forum.

The purpose of the webinar is to analyse the situation of women in Big Science, through a series of interviews with relevant people of the Co organising Big Science Infrastructures, industry and other stakeholders.