site editor: email

HE ESF National Project >

SET Innovation Equality

This major new applied research project investigates gender disparities in high level scientific activities in terms of innovation, invention, research and development (R&D), commercialisation of intellectual property rights (IPR) and spin-outs. The research focuses on women and men working in the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) community who are self-employed or are in full-time or part-time employment in either the public (e.g., HEI) or private sectors. The project will research the subsequent impacts on technological capacity, career progression and educational opportunities, and attempt to identify barriers caused by such disparities in order to determine whether prospective female employees are deterred from entering the SET labour market for reasons of gender stereotyping or through a lack of opportunities for career advancement.

It is anticipated that the findings will result in the identification of best practice from various regions, firms, universities, governmental and non-governmental bodies and initiatives to address and combat inequalities and barriers to scientific activities throughout England. The project directly supports and further promotes the UK Government’s Science and Technology key objectives and the EU Science and Society Programme.

A full copy of the press release for this project is available here.