Action Plan 2007-2010

The main objectives of NTNU's strategy: "Creative, Constructive, Critical”
”NTNU shall actively make use of women's competence in its academic development”

 

	Objectives 2010	Objectives 2020
Proportion of women in academic positions	50% women among new employees in academic positions that require a doctorate up to 2010	Genuine equality of opportunity in all disciplines

Th action plan for recruitment of women 2007-2010 has been prepared by NTNU's equal opportunities committee. The plan is based on NTNU's strategy "NTNU 2020 – Internationally Outstanding". The plan describes the means necessary to achieve progress towards equal opportunity, as well as an extension of the methods that experience has shown to be effective. The initiatives in the plan are linked to the equal opportunity budget approved by the Board of NTNU every year.

Initiatives directed at employees:

Central initiatives

• Start packages for women in permanent academic positions in male-dominated areas (proportion of women less than 20%). The amount is differentiated in relation to the discipline (for example, experimental subjects).
• Qualification fellowship for women in associate professor positions. Amount of the grant to be differentiated in relation to the discipline.
• NTNU's mentor programme for women in recruitment positions and in associate professor positions
• Courses in applying for promotion to professor for women who are in associate professor positions.
• Funds for self-initiated activities at the department level (seminars, networking).
• NTNU's management development programme for academic leadership, emphasizing recruitment of women.
• NTNU's initiatives to promote equal opportunity are consciously used in the announcement text for academic positions, for example start-up packages and qualification fellowships, to highlight NTNU's commitment to equal opportunity
• Applicants to academic positions are registered by gender. Recommendations for selection should include a description of the gender ratio among applicants, recommended candidates, and employees.
• NTNU's equal opportunities committee works together with the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture in connection with master's theses, to chart and document information relevant to promoting equal opportunity.
• Generational change – creating awareness and accountability in the academic environments. The equal opportunity adviser has an ongoing dialogue with the department management regarding relevant measures.

Local actions

The University's leaders at all levels are responsible for efforts to promote equality of opportunity at NTNU.

• Establishment and active use of search committees for identification of female applicants in advance of job announcements.
• Direct appointment of female candidates in strategically important areas.
• A strengthened effort at the departmental level in terms of cultural and environmental initiatives to retain highly qualified female staff.
• Heads of departments should make it possible to combine career and family (work-life balance). An example of this is a home office and full financial compensation for maternity leave, to avoid the risk of having to interrupt PhD studies.
• The departments should create their own procedures for qualification requirements for professorships in their own disciplines, with the goal of highlighting significant information in recruitment efforts.
• Heads of departments, heads of sections, and research group leaders should discuss career plans with female PhD candidates and women in research and development positions in the annual performance appraisal
• The different academic disciplines should invite dialogue with external collaborative partners in the community as well as in business and industry regarding recruitment of women to permanent and temporary academic positions
• The different academic disciplines should sharpen their focus on international recruitment to increase the proportion of women in positions at all levels.

Initiatives directed at students

NTNU has a long-term commitment to recruitment women at all levels, from students to professors.

• Funds from the central administration for recruitment projects to increase the proportion of women in technology and the natural sciences.
• The academic disciplines are encouraged to intensify their efforts to recruit master's students to PhD positions (individual grants, in researcher groups, and in formal/strategic programmes (the Research Council of Norway), for example by holding motivational meetings with female PhD candidates and women from the community at large and from business and industry.
• The academic disciplines are encouraged to intensify their efforts to increase the proportion of women in PhD candidate and postdoctoral positions, especially in NTNU's main areas of expertise. Inspirational meetings with female PhD candidates and women from the community at large and from business and industry may be one of several possible measures.
• Women in technological positions are invited to take part in the summer seminar at The International Institute of Women in Engineering (IIWE). The seminar includes workshops and seminars on topics such as development of leadership, networking, and business visits to internationally leading companies. In addition, our students contribute by profiling NTNU at IIWE. .