• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will host this Thursday, February 10th, the international conference on gender equality in research and innovation carried out within the framework of the Athena project co-financed by the European Commission.

• The event will count with the participation of Sylvia Jaén, Vicecounselor of Equality and Diversity of the Government of the Canary Islands; Sara Ramírez, Counselor of Equality, Diversity and Transparency of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and María del Carmen Reyes, Councilor Delegate of the Area of ​​Equality of the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The conference can also be accessed electronically.

Friday, February 4th, 2022.- Gender equality to unlock the potential of research. With this motto, the European project ATHENA is presented, an initiative that seeks the implementation of gender equality plans to promote research with a gender perspective in entities dedicated to this field and in organizations that finance it in Europe. This project is financed within the framework of the H2020 program (currently Horizon Europe), although it is coordinated by a Canarian SME. “We are proud to host this first international conference in the Canary Islands, which precisely seeks to contribute to gender equality in research and innovation through this project that will end in 2025”, underlines Michelle Perello, CEO of Consulta Europa and coordinator of ATHENA. 

In addition to several members of the project consortium, Sylvia Jaén, Vicecounselor of Equality and Diversity of the Government of the Canary Islands, will be at the opening ceremony. She claims that it is not only necessary to guarantee the presence of women in Science, but also the living in equality in the space of Science, “it is necessary to establish a new paradigm that allows collecting data that do not only measure equality in the workplace but that women, and people in general, are able to decide free from sexist stereotypes.”

Likewise, on behalf of the Government of the Canary Islands, the director of the Canary Islands Institute for Equality, Mónica Fumero, will also participate in the event, with the presentation “Women with science in the Canary Islands”. In spanish, it plays with the words “con” (with), “ciencia” (science) and “conciencia” (awareness) to talk about Women “con-ciencia”. “We need to promote an egalitarian and realistic scientific culture among Canarian students, bringing closer to students the legacy and the role of women who have developed and are currently developing their professional field within the scientific field, showing those who were left out of universal scientific history”, says Fumero. On behalf of the regional government, the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society of the Government of the Canary Islands also participates as a partner in the project.

The opening ceremony will also feature the participation of Sara Ramírez, Counselor for Equality, Diversity and Transparency of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, who believes that gender equality should be promoted from society itself, without forgetting strategic fields such as research. “Many times it is the society itself that reaches where the administrations do not reach, we must seek among all people a more inclusive and egalitarian island”, emphasizes the ATHENA coordinator.

On the other hand, from the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria they have also shown their support for the initiative for gender equality, recognizing the value of showing the fact that women have had and currently have an active role in the field of research. “We know that science is a space that has traditionally resisted us and, in this sense, from the different areas of the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria we want to collaborate with this purpose”, affirms María del Carmen Reyes Marrero, councilor delegate of the Equality Area of ​​the municipal council.

At a regional level, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is also represented in the project consortium through its Equality Unit, directed by Carolina Mesa, who will speak precisely about «The path towards gender equality at the ULPGC and the renewal process of the Equality Plan in the Canarian university«. In fact, during the event, women researchers will take part to tell their story, such as Beatriz González López-Válcarcel, a professor at the ULPGC who will take part to present her experience as a researcher. Likewise, the project has also promoted an online platform to make women researchers visible.

The ATHENA project is committed to fighting for gender equality, mitigating barriers to recruitment, retention and career progression for female researchers, as well as addressing gender imbalances in decision-making processes. ATHENA offers and implements gender equality plans in 8 Research Organizations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organizations (RPOs). The objective of this European initiative promoted from the Canary Islands seeks to guarantee that all people, regardless of their sex, have the opportunity to express their potential in research, thus forging an innovative, competitive and prosperous European society. 

A LOOK ON HOW TO REDUCE THE GENDER GAP IN RESEARCH

Among the interventions that will take place this Thursday from 09:30 onwards at the Elder Museum, topics related to the “Challenges of gender equality in research and innovation from Europe to the Azores” will be discussed. This presentation will be given by Paulo Fontes, visiting associate professor and researcher at the Center for Humanistic Studies of the University of the Azores. Furthermore, Laura Grunberg and Irina Costache (University of Bucharest) will give examples of good practices on transformative measures of gender equality plans, and there will be debates on factors that influence the participation of girls in STEM education, moderated by Valeria Payán, president of the Iguálate Association.

Another of the entities that will participate will be the Opciónate Association, whose coordinator, Ana Lydia Fernández-Layos, will illustrate how research and digital tools promote gender equality. As part of the conference, it is planned to make the stories of women researchers visible. In this sense, Beatriz González, PhD in Economics and professor of Quantitative Methods in Economics and Management at the ULPGC will speak about women and scientific economics, while Joanna Rudawska, professor at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce and member of the consortium of ATHENA will stimulate debates around women and R&D&i, highlighting examples of startups, spinoffs and spinouts. Finally, a social dialogue focused on how to close the gender gap will be promoted. The conference can be participated in telematically.

Do you need help to fund your cooperation? Keep reading!

Interreg Central Europe has officially unveiled their first call for proposals with an indicative budget of 72 million EUR from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Organisations are being invited from across central Europe to apply for this funding, which will support transnational cooperation to solve common challenges of these regions and cities. Applications can be submitted until 23 February 2022.  If you are new to Interreg and their funding, check this “beginner’s guide” to learn more about who we are and what we offer. It will help you to find out whether our funding fits your organisation’s needs and ideas. For all others, this program representatives have put together a step-by-step guide to writing a good proposal. Enjoy the journey to your future project!

The first hybrid in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Congress will drive action on nature-based recovery, climate change and biodiversity for decades to come. The BEST programme includes a dedicated Pavilion to the EU Overseas Biodiversity: the “Best and Beyond” Pavilion” in order to promote actions on biodiversity and nature conservation in EU overseas and outermost territories.

What to expect?

Forum

The forum is a hub of public debate, bringing together people from around the world to discuss and develop solutions to the world’s most pressing conservation and sustainability challenges. It will demonstrate innovative, scalable solutions to addressing critical challenges at the local and global levels, highlighting efforts of stakeholders from all sectors across the globe – from small island states to entire regions, and from individual to collective actions. The Forum will include a range of events from High-Level Dialogues, to training and capacity building sessions, as well as exhibition and social events.

Members’ Assembly

The Members’ Assembly is IUCN’s highest decision-making body. During the Assembly, IUCN’s more than 1300 state and government agency members, civil society and indigenous peoples’ Member organisations from more than 160 countries vote on pressing conservation and sustainable development issues. IUCN’s unique and inclusive membership gives the Congress a powerful mandate, allowing these decisions to guide humanity’s relationship with our planet for the decades ahead. Key Decisions adopted during the Members Assembly include electing the IUCN Council, approving of the IUCN programme for the next four-year period, discussing topics of strategic importance, adopting motions defining the general policy of IUCN and amending Statutes of IUCN.

Exhibition

In the Exhibition, IUCN Members and Commissions, businesses, partners, and academia host stands and events. The Exhibition is open to both registered Congress participants and the general public (free access), allowing exhibitors to showcase their research, innovations and other work to the broadest Congress audience.

My green Congress

Focusing on sustainability and ensuring a green Congress in Marseille is at the core of all Congress preparations, reflecting the values of IUCN, the government of France, and the conservation community. 

Following the success and ISO 20121 sustainability certification that was achieved by the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, France and IUCN have set high standards in terms of sustainability and are dedicated to leading by example. They decided to engage once again in the ISO 20121 certification of the Congress to secure the implementation of a sustainable management system to design, plan and produce the event.

A Congress Sustainability Policy has been defined with all the parties involved and identifies 4 Strategic Goals and 21 objectives:

• Environmental Goal => Minimize the carbon footprint of the event
• Economic & Social Goal => Maximize the engagement and benefits for the local territories
• Legacy Goal => Reinforce and value local sustainable practices
• Inclusion Goal => Host all audiences, in total security and with respect to each one

The Sustainable Action Plan integrates 115 initiatives, which will be implemented by the organisation, the local territories, and the main suppliers and partners. Among the main initiatives:

• Eco-design of all spaces and rooms, maximising rental and reemployment of materials
• 100% electricity of the Congress will be covered by renewable energy produced locally
• All carbon emissions of the Congress, including transportation of all participants will be offset in several projects throughout the world (view more details on the My Green Congress page)
• Use of common transportation is facilitated leveraging Marseille’s large transport network and negotiated offers for the different types of participants
• Restaurants have been selected to respect a strict sustainable food charter with 100% seasonal products, 70% bio and/or local products and at least 1 vegetarian option. They are audited and accompanied by the Ecotable label.
• Waste-sorting including organic waste & 100% compostable tableware, interactive cigarette butt collector
• Minimisation of paper use and zero-plastic bottles
• Water fountains and reusable cups & bottles

Please view the Sustainability Guide for Participants.

For more information check out the My Green Congress page and view the Congress Sustainability Policy

Best and Beyond Pavilion

The BEST programme includes a dedicated Pavilion to the EU Overseas Biodiversity: the “Best and Beyond” Pavilion” in order to promote actions on biodiversity and nature conservation in EU overseas and outermost territories. Experiences and projects will be shared from 4 to 9 September during sessions, some in French and others in English. In case you are interested in following the event, you are invited to take a look at the programme, available here.

BEST – voluntary scheme for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European overseas – is a European initiative that aims to support the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of ecosystem services, including ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, in the EU Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). Join us to know more about the unique EU Overseas’ biodiversity, the numerous BEST projects and our partners!

More information about the congress and access to registration available HERE

The call for applications will be open until 15 September and includes grants of up to 7,000 euros for SMEs in the tourism sector in Spain, Italy, France and up to 4,000 euros in the case of Cyprus, with the aim of offering them advice, training and financial support to strengthen their environmental commitment.

Friday, 09 July 2021.- Under this initiative, at least 62 European SMEs will benefit from direct aid and, more specifically, SMEs in the tourism sector in Spain, Italy, France and Cyprus. Companies that meet the requirements set out in the terms and conditions of the call for applications may submit their applications via the official project website until 15 September this year. Depending on the objectives set by each SME, they will receive funding of up to 7,000 euros (in the case of Spain, France and Italy) and up to 4,000 euros in the case of Cyprus to participate in the TouriSME programme. 

In particular, the grants are aimed at tourist accommodation, hotel SMEs and travel agencies, among other professionals in the sector, who want to benefit from training with extensive knowledge transfer, networking and exchange of sustainable best practices at European level through B2B events, as well as advice and financial support to adopt environmental certifications such as EU Ecolabel or EMAS. 

The TouriSME project, co-funded by the European Union’s COSME programme, has emerged with the aim of improving sustainable tourism development and the capacity of tourism SMEs through transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer. “The essence of this project is to improve the capacities and skills of SMEs, assessing their environmental impact and adopting solutions that allow them to adapt their businesses to certain principles of the circular economy, which will help them to recover their markets in a more sustainable way in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” says Michelle Perello, director of the Canarian company Consulta Europa and coordinator of the project together with 7 other European partners.

Of these eight partners, five will provide direct support to tourism SMEs in Spain, Italy, France and Cyprus. In the case of Spain, the Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias will provide direct support at national level. In France, it will be the Institute of Planning and Urbanisation of the Ile de France Region; in Italy, the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (RAS) and Confindustria Training Systems (SFC); and in Cyprus, the Nicosia Development Agency (ANEL).

On May 12, 2021, the European Commission approved the new multiannual financial program 2021-2027. Different types of the financing will be distributed adapting to the needs of the program, such us: grants, loans, guarantees or technical assistance. 

Among the most prominent programs are Horizon Europe, which will have a budget of 95.5 billion euros, ERASMUS +, the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the Cohesion Fund, among others. All this in order to achieve a more sustainable, digital and inclusive European Union. 

vhttps://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/funding-guide_en