Every year since 2013 representatives of the 7 EPWS French associations (ECEPIE, femmes et mathématiques– Women and Mathematics, Femmes & Sciences – Women and Science, Femmes Ingénieurs – Women Engineers, Parité-Sciences APMST and Women in Nuclear -France) and 2 individual members are meeting for a whole morning. The 2018 meeting took place in the premises of the French ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

First, news on EPWS actions in 2017-2018, including those under progress were shared. On 27/1/2018, the EPWS and Mnémosyne Conference Day – afternoon “Women conquering Science –Mobilisations and networks nowadays”, took place in Paris: EPWS and two of its French associations (ECEPIE and femmes et mathématiques) answered the same questions about their association creation context, its activities and perspectives. These presentations of associations with very different objectives were very much appreciated by the audience.

Then the 15 participants had a brainstorming on which actions could be done in 2018 for improving EPWS visibility, and which actions should be initiated at the level of the EPWS French members’ network to better answer their expectations

The brainstormings of the previous EPWS French members meetings had fruitful impacts: the 2014 EPWS Paris Conference was imagined, in 2015 the idea rose of the EPWS association of the month interviews; in 2017 the EPWS Interviews booklet was proposed, it was realized in August 2017.

In April 2018, several points were decided:

• Exchange and dissemination of information between EPWS and its French members, in particular through EPWS Updates and their Newsletters.
• Creation of a Working Group on the information on implicit rules to be provided to women scientists arriving in France
• Creation of a Working Group on networking the EPWS French associations’ young members

The Head of the department of Human Resources, Parity and Anti-discrimination Strategies, of the French ministry, joined the meeting last hour.

The meeting was followed by a friendly lunch that the General Director of Higher Education and Professional Integration at the ministry honored by her presence.

The meeting and the contacts taken aimed at strengthening the relationship between EPWS, its different French associations and the French ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.