Female success rate dips to 10 per cent in latest ERC grant round

Announced toady (30th June) – ‘female academics have won just 10 per cent of the latest tranche of the European Research Council’s flagship advanced grants

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In an article published in the Times Higher Paul Jump notes that ‘according to the statistics for the 2014 round, released on 30 June, women account for just 19 of the 190 awardees. Of the 25 award-making panels, 12 made no awards to females, including two out of the nine panels in the life sciences, six out of 10 in the physical sciences and engineering, and four out of six in social sciences and humanities.  In the previous round of advanced grants, in 2013, women accounted for 13 per cent of awardees. However, a spokesman for the ERC said that significantly fewer women had applied in this round. Of the 2287 applications, just 310 came from women, or 13.4 per cent of the total. The female success rate was 6.1 per cent, compared to 8.6 per cent for men. The spokesman also pointed out that in the most recent round of consolidator grants, aimed at mid-career researchers, women were slightly more successful than men, taking 28 per cent of the grants, with a success rate of 15.2 per cent, compared to 14.9 per cent for men.  He said the issue of low female representation among grantees was “something we are working on”.

The full article can be seen here – https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/female-success-rate-dips-10-cent-latest-erc-grant-round

 

What do you think? Is there anything that can be done to encourage more female staff to apply for these grants?  Should Departments/School’s/University’s be offering more support and/or encouragement?