Interview of the month: BASNET Forumas

Interview of the month: BASNET Forumas (3/2015)

Posted at March 23, 2015
in Blog, EPWS, Interview of the Month, Members

Every month, EPWS presents the characteristics and activities of one Member Association.

Read all the previous Interviews with our Members here

Our member for March 2015 is the Regional Baltic States Association BASNET Forumas.

The President of BASNET Forumas Assoc. Prof. Dalia Satkovskiene, Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius University, has accepted to answer the EPWS questionnaire.

Contact this association: Saulėtekio 9, III LT-10222 Vilnius Lithuania
Contact this member: dalia.satkovskiene@ff.vu.lt
Association website: www.basnetforumas.eu

EPWS: If you wanted to describe your association in one sentence, what would you say?

D.S.: BASNET Forumas is an international association based on the unique networking of women, working in sciences and high technology, and science policy makers for insuring equal gender opportunities in sciences in the Baltic States region.

EPWS: What are the objectives of your association?

D.S.: The main objectives of BASNET Forumas are:

– to monitor and support gender equality implementation in research organizations in the Baltic States region;
– to collect and disseminate good practices gained in Eastern Europe.

EPWS: what is the history of BASNET Forumas in a few words?

D.S.: BASNET Forumas was established in 2009 to pursue the tasks of FP6 project “Baltic States Network: women in sciences and High Technology” (BASNET).

EPWS: Could you explain the organization of your association?

D.S.: Basnet Forumas association is based on former institutional partners of the BASNET Project.

The Association’s managing bodies are:
– the General Assembly (the supreme managing body);
– the association Executive Committee;
– the President.

EPWS: What are its recent achievements?

D.S.: During the last two years BASNET Forumas participated as a partner in 3 international projects (FP7 project SAPGERIC, EEA and Norway financial mechanisms fund project GEIRICA and EU COST project genderSTE) and in the Lithuanian (LT) national project LYMOS. It co-organized the LT presidency SAPGERIC conference (2013), organized the international conference “Sustaining Gender Equality in Research and Innovation” (2015) and the meeting debate “Attractiveness of Science: Gender Aspects” (2014).

The Association initiated the inclusion into the Baltic Parliamentary Assembly of Resolution No. 32 aiming to support the implementation of gender equality in research organizations (2013). It took an active part in the creation of the movie “Striving for awareness” on hidden discrimination in research. It issued the proceedings of the international conference “Science, Innovation and Gender” (2014), the book containing GEIRICA project results (2015) and the leaflet advertising BASNET Forumas Association.

SUSTAINING GENDER

EPWS: What is your agenda for the coming months?

D.S.: Our plans are very ambitious. They are targeted at implementing gender issues in EU regional science policy, monitoring and supporting the implementation of structural changes in research organization of the Baltic States and motivating girls and young women to choose science as a profession.

EPWS: Are you collaborating with other EPWS members?

D.S.: Yes, of course. Now we are collaborating with the Portuguese association AMONET and are planning some common activities motivating girls and young women to become scientists.

BASNET Forumas, being an EPWS Board of Administration member, has the pleasure to collaborate with the other EPWS Board members, inviting them to participate in BASNET Forumas events and to share their experience.

EPWS: What do you expect from EPWS? In what ways can it help you develop your action?

D.S.: EPWS is an important tool for implementing gender equality in science in Europe. Participation in EPWS is attractive for BASNET Forumas in many aspects. Firstly, it is providing the possibility to look into the problem more widely (I mean from European level), to monitor the newest trends of EU gender in science policy, to discuss and influence them.

Secondly it is creating the opportunity to raise attention at European level on the regional Baltic States problems. Thirdly, it is the best place for sharing experience. We expect for EPWS better financial sustainability.

As for your second question, I would like to say that EPWS is helping us very much in advertising our actions internationally and rising their visibility.

PORTFOLIO

Latest international events organized and co-organized by BASNET Forumas:

GEIRICA Press conference (Vilnius 2015.01.14): Member of Lithuanian Seimas Prof. M. A. Pavilionienė; Asist. Professor Gyda Margrét Pétursdóttir, University of Iceland; Member of Lithuanian Seimas Dr. G. Purvaneckienė, Assoc. Prof. Dalia Šatkovskienė; Vilnius University (0GEIRICA Coordinator); Ms. Trudi Ackermann, Head of International Office of Liechtenstein University; Prof. Merete Lie, NTNU, Norway.

GEIRICA conference “Sustaining Gender Equality in Research and Innovation” in Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament),Vilnius 14-15 of January 2015

Dr. Siri S. Sørensen, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, NTNU, Norway and Ms. Svandis Benediktsdottir, Gender Equality Adviser, NTNU Rector Staff, Norway during GEIRICA conference debates.

H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė, president of Lithuanian Republic at the opening ceremony of LT presidency confererence « Structural Change Promoting gender Equality in Research organizations » (SAPGERIC) , 21-22 of November 2013, Vilnius

Opening ceremony of of LT presidency SAPGERIC confererence. Key talk of Ms. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science