by Magdalini Chatzaki, Maria Makridaki (Institute of Computer Science – Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas)
MindGenGapICT is an institutional change project for promoting Diversity, Inclusivity and Gender Equality (DIE) at the Institute of Computer Science of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH-ICS). It responds to the persistent underrepresentation of women and other marginalized groups in Computer Science research and professional environments, an imbalance also evident within FORTH-ICS.
MindGenGapICT is a 12-month institutional change project starting on 1st of September 2025. It is funded by the CoARA Boost 2nd Call for Cascade Funding and was one of 28 selected out of more than 130 applications, following a thorough evaluation process.
MindGenGapICT will deliver a targeted roadmap to FORTH-ICS leadership, offering effective, evidence-based recommendations, adaptation strategies and follow-up plans.
By focusing on feasible actions and sustained engagement, a gradual cultural shift towards a more inclusive research environment will be established, in alignment with institutional and European efforts to promote DIE in research settings. The anticipated outcomes include more equitable and inclusive assessment practices, improved research quality, and a reduction in systemic biases.
MindGenGapICT will address key questions such as:
• how does gender imbalance affect internal research processes?
• can gender balancing improve research assessment processes?
• how can reformation be measured, verified and sustained?
Key activities include:
• reviewing existing data to identify patterns and gaps
• mapping best practices
• designing feasible interventions tailored to FORTH-ICS based on best practices and FORTH’s Gender Equality Plan [L1]
• communicating findings, recommendations and awareness-raising activities within FORTH-ICS.
The mission of MindGenGapICT project is to generate guidelines for interventions and policies for realistic, time-bound transformations of the institutional setup for smoothing out gender disparities in workforce composition, governance structure and research practice at the Institute of Computer Science of FORTH (FORTH-ICS).
The key objectives are:
1. to identify root causes of gender imbalance through analysis of existing gender-related quantitative and qualitative data
2. to propose and apply interventions to smooth disparities
3. to ensure long-lasting transformation.
The primary outcome will be an insightful roadmap document to FORTH-ICS leadership, providing effective, evidence-based recommendations, an adaptation and follow-up plan.
The expected impact, as it is schematically expressed in Figure1, includes:
1. improved gender representation within both research teams and administrative bodies at FORTH-ICS
2. integration of the gender dimension into the research practice and outcomes
3. formulation of policies and implementation of interventions aimed at long-term transformation
4. development of methods for assessing and sustaining the transformation process.
Figure 1: MindGenGapICT overview.
MindGenGapICT offers comprehensive and sustainable solutions by addressing both policy and research aspects of gender imbalance [1]. It tackles both the symptoms and the underlying causes of gender disparity ensuring gradual, sustainable change and fostering a transition toward balance through the engagement of the institution’s research community.
Addressing diversity and inclusivity within research enquiries is expected to influence both the quality of research outcomes and the broader institutional ecosystem, by promoting gender balance within research teams and administrative bodies of FORTH-ICS [2]. These efforts will catalyze targeted interventions that will inform policies impacting institutional structures and dynamics (i.e, research decision makers, research assessment and DIE balancing in career levels). To ensure that transformation remains impactful, the project will implement an iterative feedback loop between interventions, policy development, and research practices [3]. This dynamic process is grounded in the actual institutional context, avoiding rigid or symbolic reforms. The aim is to establish a cross-cutting diversity and inclusion research activity enabling interdisciplinarity and intersectionality. This scaffolding is envisioned as a catalyst for long-term transformation.
By directly embedding DIE principles into research design, team dynamics, and evaluation criteria, MindGenGapICT moves beyond traditional gender equality strategies, which often remain limited to HR policies or awareness campaigns. Instead, the project’s innovative approach is mainly cultural, reframing DIE in the core of research excellence and institutional quality. This shift is particularly impactful within Computer Science, where equity issues are frequently undervalued.
MindGenGapICT delivers added value through its integrated, practical, and replicable approach, shifting from narrow metrics to broader evaluation frameworks, and fostering mutual learning. The involvement of key stakeholders, including researchers at various career stages, technical and administrative staff, principal investigators, the Scientific Council, and the Director, ensures that the change process is both top-down and bottom-up. This collaborative model increases institutional ownership, enabling reforms to be implemented within existing governance structures and sustained over time.
MindGenGapICT follows an inclusive, participatory approach that actively engages researchers, staff, leadership, and key stakeholders across all career stages. Recognising that lasting institutional transformation requires broad acceptance, the project incorporates mechanisms to foster meaningful involvement and long-term commitment.
FORTH-ICS is a research institute of excellence committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Since 2021 we have actively participated in the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of FORTH, establishing clear policies to address DEI issues, specifically for FORTH and FORTH-ICS. We developed a Gender Equality Plan [L1], follow-up activities, and a proposed protocol to the Board of Directors for managing discrimination and harassment incidents.
FORTH-ICS organised two workshops: one in July 2023 titled “Considerations on Horizon Europe Gender Sensitive Research @FORTH” [L2] and another in February 2025 titled “Gender Issues in Computer Science” [L3] featuring ACM Distinguished Speaker Prof. Letizia Jacchery as keynote speaker. FORTH-ICS introduced the “Mind the Gender Gap” initiative during the Researchers’ Night 2024 [L4] featuring a short video [L5] and a banner honouring the institute’s female personnel.
Additionally, we actively participate in the National Network of Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committees in Research Centres and Independent Research Institutes [L6], for which we organised a webinar on digital accessibility (in Greek) [L7].
While FORTH-ICS has taken steps towards fostering diversity and inclusion within its research ecosystem, it currently lacks a comprehensive and well-defined methodology to guide these efforts. MindGenGapICT addresses this gap aiming to smooth out gender imbalances through structured, evidence-based interventions. Rather than treating this issue as an isolated phenomenon, the project frames it as a reflection of broader structural and cultural challenges embedded in the institutional environment [2]. Building on existing knowledge and past initiatives (e.g., [L2]-[L7]) it proposes a multi-level transformation strategy focused on three interconnected dimensions: human capital synthesis, institutional structures and research practice [3]. The roadmap to institutional change is strategically founded on processes based on interventions that will empower diversity and inclusion in designing, conducting and assessing research.
Links:
[L1] https://equality.forth.gr/_docs/FORTH_GEP_20120915.pdf
[L2] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/gender-considerations
[L3] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/workshop-gender-issues
[L4] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/mind-the-gender-gap
[L5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhsv2bpexNs
[L6] https://sites.google.com/csri.gr/gearnet-en/the-network
[L7] https://youtu.be/bpDS_VM2JiA?si=P5f_bVto4P0zpgaB
References:
[1] L. Jaccheri and A.Nguyen Duc, “Software Engineering and Gender: A Tutorial”, in Proc. the 32nd ACM Int. Conf. on the Foundations of Software Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1145/3663529.3663818
[2] P. Bjørn , M. Menendez-Blanco , V. Borsotti, “Diversity in Computer Science. Design Artefacts for Equity and Inclusion”, Springer, 2023
[3] D. Zowghi, F. da Rimini, “Guidelines for Diversity and Inclusion in Artificial Intelligence”, arxiv prepring, 2023. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2305.12728
Please contact:
Magdalini Chatzaki
FORTH-ICS, Greece
Maria Makridaki
FORTH-ICS, Greece
