The University of Lodz adopted the first Gender Equality Plan on 28 June 2022. GEP is a formal requirement of the European Commission for public institutions, research units and universities from the European Union Member States and associated countries that apply for research funding from the European Union.   

 

GEP 2.0, A PLAN FOR 2025-2027

We are implementing the second, updated and expanded edition of the University of Lodz Gender Equality Plan, GEP 2.0 for 2025-2027, authored by dr Aleksandra M. Różalska, dr Agata Rudnicka-Reichel, and dr hab. Dorota Golańska, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz. We remain committed to supporting, monitoring and analysing administrative, educational and research activities aimed at promoting gender equality and diversity at the University of Lodz. The current Gender Equality Plan also aims to monitor the impact of the initiatives undertaken on our academic community and its external environment.

The activities planned within GEP 2.0 are multi-faceted and address all members of the University of Lodz community – regardless of their position, type of contract or nature of work performed, including students and doctoral students. We feel convinced that real improvement in working conditions and the quality of education can only be achieved through systematic improvement of all aspects of the university's operation, and therefore research, educational and administrative processes.

We believe that the second edition of the Gender Equality Plan will allow for an even deeper analysis and critical evaluation than before, and as a result, will improve the processes that affect the daily operation of the University of Lodz.

By introducing GEP, the University of Lodz aims to raise the standards of equal treatment in its own community through a multi-faceted and cross-sectional approach to the phenomena of discrimination and exclusion occurring both in the academic environment and outside it. GEP was developed in accordance with the strategy of the University of Lodz (for the years 2021-2030), which was officially approved in 2021.

The main objectives of GEP include:

• indicating the areas in which the University of Lodz has already made efforts to promote equality and diversity,   
• selecting the most important challenges related to the equality and diversity at the University of Lodz, outlining a plan for overcoming these challenges,   
• proposing solutions and activities that will enable identification, assessment, monitoring and prevention of these issues.  
  engaging key stakeholders from across the academic community,  
• introducing appropriate rules of conduct and practices that will promote equality and diversity, and contribute to the improvement of equal treatment of all people working and studying at the university,   
• taking actions leading to equality in various areas of social life by developing mechanisms to prevent discrimination based on gender, age, sexual identity, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, economic status, etc.,   
• raising awareness among the academic community of the importance of equality and diversity by organising information and educational campaigns and various training, as well as by developing the scope of activities devoted to this issue.   

GEP is implemented within 4 priority areas:

GEP has been developed as part of the Redesigning Equality and Scientific Excellence Together (RESET) project financed by the Horizon 2020 Programme with the participation of the University of Lodz Gender Equality Board  

The Gender Equality Plan for 2025-2027 has been prepared as part of the European Commission-funded RESET project: Redesigning Equality and Scientific Excellence Together (Horizon 2020, CSA, 2021-2024). As emphasised by the partner universities, RESET "analyses issues related to equality policies in research institutions from a diversity perspective and aims to develop and implement a vision of scientific excellence that constructively reconciles the needs of the individual with the ambitions of the community."

 

RESET is a project financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme. RESET engages seven large multidisciplinary universities from all over Europe (University of Bordeaux, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Lodz, University of Porto, Ruhr-University Bochum, University of Oulu, Sciences Po Paris) and aims to address the challenge of gender equality in research institutions in a diversity perspective, to design and implement a user-centred, impact-driven and inclusive vision of scientific excellence.  

The project focuses on activities enabling real equalisation of opportunities for women and men in research institutions. Its aim is to create space within which researchers will be able to fully realise their scientific and organisational potential. RESET uses an intersectional approach to the concept of gender equality and aims to develop Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), which will be implemented in the project partner institutions, based on an analysis of the needs and experiences of each of them.

RESET AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LODZ

The RESET project was implemented at our university over the years 2021-24. As a result, many key actions were taken during this period, including:

• the Gender Equality Board to promote and monitor equality in academia was appointed,

• the Gender Equality Plan 2022-2024, the objective of which is to promote, monitor and assess equality and diversity within the academic community, as well as incorporate these issues into the basic principles of the University of Lodz operation was developed,

• the Faces of Campus campaign was carried out, whose aim was to highlight the role of people who contribute to university scientific excellence and who are very often less visible in research processes,

• a series of training courses was introduced: Towards Excellence and Sustainability. From the challenges of discrimination and prejudice to inclusion and diversity.