500,000 euros for research on gender equality. This is the allocation from the regional council for the new regional call for proposals, which aims to support, through co-financing from the European Social Fund+ 21/27, scholarships or research grants for young graduates under the age of 36.
The call for applications, open from July 23 until September 25, is aimed at Tuscan universities, higher education institutions and research centres operating in the region. The projects must focus on topics of particular interest to regional administrations: from language to female entrepreneurship, from the gender pay gap to gender certification, from gaps in the professions to the configuration of urban space.
“In this legislative term,” explains Alessandra Nardini, Councillor for Universities, Research and Equal Opportunities, “we wanted to significantly strengthen our commitment to combating and preventing gender discrimination and inequality, which are rooted in the patriarchal culture that unfortunately still characterises our society today, causing stereotypes and gender roles to persist that we must dismantle. To do this, we need to learn, study, explore and question the measures and tools to be adopted. This is precisely why we decided to fund training courses in the field of research on this topic, approaching it from multiple angles.”
The initiative is part of the regional project “University Cities and the Regional Research System” and is included in the GiovaniSì programme. “Research on gender equality is a dynamic and constantly evolving field of study, crucial for building a more just and equal society in terms of rights and opportunities,” notes Nardini, emphasising that one of the objectives of the call for proposals “is also to provide public administrations with more and more tools for in-depth analysis and investigation, with a view to implementing policies and measures aimed at achieving real and effective equality”.
Projects must have a maximum duration of 12 or 18 months. The scholarship amount is 2,000 euros gross per month. Up to a maximum of two scholarships may be requested for each project. All information is available on the website of the call for applications.
