Diversity

Gender equality represents a central task for all partner institutions of the research unit. The equality situation and compatibility of studies, career, family and care are continuously improved by the creation of a suitable infrastructure.

As a member of the German Research Foundation (DFG), CUT applies the "DFG Research-Oriented Equity and Diversity Standards" and has committed itself to create personnel and structural criteria for a sustainable equity and diversity policy. The guiding principles of CUT’s activities regarding equity and diversity have been unanimously adopted in a mission statement by the governing bodies Senate, University Management (Rektorat) and University Council (Hochschulrat)

To strategically develop diversity management, CUT has participated in the HRK audit and re-audit Internationalization. It became a member of the Familie in der Hochschule e. V. by signing the Charter for Families. It also has signed the Charta der Vielfalt (Diversity Charter) and has succesfully participated in the diversity audit Vielfalt gestalten (Shaping Diversity) of the Stifterverband der deutschen Wissenschaft.

Objectives of the equity and diversity strategie of CUT

1. Promote gender equity on all levels

Female professors currently make for over 22% of CUT’s professorial personnel. In 2017 this stood at around 17%. CUT is building on this positive trajectory and aims to continue this development in similar scale over the next 5 years. The University Development Plan of CUT confirms the continuous implementation of the gender equity mandate and further increase in the proportion of women at all levels of scientific qualification as a main objective.

Key actions by the university:

• Multiple participations in the program for female professors of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2006, special award in 2019 with the predicate Equality: excellent!
• Organization and implementation of the "Interdisciplinary Symposium for Women Engineers and Natural Scientists ISINA".
• Organization of the “International Women-in-Science-Day”
• Support of internal university networking through STEM-FemaleStudent-Meetup and STEM-FemaleScientist-Meetup.
• Funding of individual continuing education in the area of soft skills and leadership competencies
• University prizes for female junior scientists (Dießner and Pleißner prizes) and mentoring projects for female junior professors (WoMentYou) and female doctoral students (WoMentYou_Doc)

2. Promote a family-friendly environment

CUT has been certified as family-friendly several times through the successful participation in the audit Familiengerechte Hochschule (2009, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2023) of the Beruf und Familie gGmbH and was permanently awarded the certificate Familiengerechte Hochschule. It remains the declared goal not only to maintain the status quo, but to further expand family-friendliness as part of the repeated participation.

Key actions by the university:

• Cooperation with “Campulino" daycare center of the Student Service Organisation Chemnitz-Zwickau; cooperation with municipal daycare centers; short-term childcare and vacation services (since 2018).
• Support through the central family service and well-developed family-friendly infrastructure (play corners, free lunch in the cafeteria, diaper-changing facilities at all locations).
• Reform of service agreement for mobile working and flexible working time regulations.

3. Promote diversity through inclusion and internationalization

Committed to “The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” as a human rights instrument, CUT seeks to improve the participation of students and employees with disabilities and chronical illnesses in everyday university life, unhindered access and barrier-free use of the university's offerings (HEP goal).

Key actions by the university:

• Action plan "CUT on the way to an inclusive university" (since 2007) to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRPD with 10 fields of action and more than 120 individual measures to promote inclusion and remove barriers.
• Working group on accessibility of digital infrastructure with participation of all university units

CUT cooperates with 145 universities globally. It is CUT's declared goal to strategically expand and intensify this network, to continuously promote academic and non-academic exchange and to break down barriers. Around 31,5% (term 2022/2023) of the students at CUT are degree seeking students from abroad. CUT views it as its responsibility to integrate these students not only in the university, but also in the city.

Key actions by the university:

• CUT Visiting Scholar Program, through which excellent international scientists as well as early career researchers come to CUT for three to six months
• Student Buddy Program: connects international and CUT-experienced students (awarded by "International Student Barometer" 2018/2019 as the best buddy program worldwide)
• Welcome event at the beginning of the academic year.
• German language courses for foreigners at all levels.

In the second funding period, among the PIs of FOR5242 PIs are female. For the open positions within the FOR at all career levels gender sensitive appointment rules will be applied. In addition our research unit intends to attract a high proportion of young female scientists for the institutes and professorships involved. Furthermore, our initiative will benefit of all equal opportunity measures and family-friendly policy of the participating institutions.

The Research Unit aims to implement the following gender equality measures for researchers, which are to be funded by the Equal Opportunities Measures module. These fit in with the university's overall concept of increasing the number of female scientists and reconciling career and family.

• Active recruitment of promising female scientists in recruitment procederes
• Support the participation of young female scientists in career development activities (individual further education, mentoring, coaching, ISINA Symposium)
• Providing a family-friendly working environment (home office, child care beyond normal childcare facility)
• Support of parents by student assistants (e.g. during pregnancy or family-related part-time working)
• Individual counselling of the employees with regard to career advancement for women and the compatibility of work and family life by the coordination office
• An annual questioning of needs builds the basis for needs oriented planning and organising of gender equality and diversity promoting measures.

Since 2013, the Centre for Equal Opportunities in Science and Research of Chemnitz University of Technology has a position for the coordination of gender equality measures in DFG Research Associations. The Coordination Centre will continue to support our Research Unit in the conception and implementation of gender equality and diversity measures by providing advisory, organisational, evaluation and coordination services. The DFG's equal opportunities funds are used to the full for the best possible conditions in the area of career advancement for young female researchers and compatibility of work and family life.

Further measures to promote diversity and equal opportunity

Besides the activities mentioned in this central project and which are headed by the TUC, also the programs of the other institutions will be used to promote in addition diversity and equal opportunities:

In 2015 PTB has been certified as a family-friendly employer by the "work and family audit" of the berufundfamilie GmbH. PTB follows the policy to support gender equality and has developed a catalogue of measures to do so.

The U. Hamburg received the audit "familiengerechte hochschule" acknowledging it to be a family-friendly institution which includes offers of family-friendly studies and childcare support. In addition, U. Hamburg offers programs to support equal opportunities both centrally and specifically in the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, in particular the mentoring program DYNAment for female scientists in natural sciences.

The MPI Stuttgart advises and supports employees on the provision of care and accommodation for children. In addition to its own day-care centre named "Forscherzwerge" for zero to six-year-old children, it actively supports its employees while searching for kindergarten and school places. The Max Planck Society, as a scientific organization with all its Institutes, is entitled to display the certification issued by the non-profit company berufundfamilie. Moreover, the Max Planck Society supports the Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Foundation with an annual grant.

The University of Regensburg is a member of various concerted programs and strongly interconnected, e.g. with "ForumMentoring", "ErfolgsfaktorFamilie" or "komm mach MINT" for an aimed gender consulting in research associations.

Forschungszentrum Jülich has unequivocally expressed its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Gender Mainstreaming in its mission statement, DEI Action Plan, and Gender Equity Plan. This commitment was further solidified by the Center's participation in the APS Idea network, the signing of the Diversity Charter in 2022, and the attainment of the Total E-Quality award in 2023. Forschungszentrum Jülich is committed to increasing the representation of women throughout the entire organization by setting ambitious gender goals that are periodically reviewed by the supervisory board.