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UniSAFE is an EU-funded project that aims to produce better knowledge on gender-based violence and sexual harassment (GBV) in research performing organisations (RPOs), and to translate this knowledge into operational tools for higher education, research organisations and policymakers.

Research and outreach activities targeting researchers, stakeholders and policymakers will be led across Europe for three years, starting in February 2021. The project will analyse the mechanisms of GBV - its social determinants, antecedents and consequences - at three different levels, using a holistic research model:

Prevalence and impacts of GBV will be analysed via data gathered by a survey among 45 RPOs (micro level).
Organisational responses and infrastructure will be investigated via data gathered by in-depth case studies, interviews, and a strategic mapping of research organisations in 15 member states (meso level).
Legal and policy frameworks will be examined through extensive mapping by national experts in 27 European states and 3 associated states (macro level).

This multi-field research design will provide in-depth knowledge of existing problems, current and future priorities and will result in an operational toolkit and recommendations to reduce GBV in the European academic and research area.

Join the RPO community!

We are currently identifying RPOs who are interested in participating in the project through a survey among staff and students and become part of a community that will exchange on the development of effective policies and measures to combat GBV.

Participating organisations will benefit from this community by developing effective policies and measures to combat GBV adapted to their own processes and structures. They will be provided with first-hand information, as well as specific support from expert partners. On a practical level, participation will involve:

Running the survey according to instructions and within the time frame
Sharing your RPO’s existing policies and measures

And optionally:

Participating in a case study
Co-designing tools
Testing state-of-the-art tools, providing feedback
Taking part in pilot trainings and in mutual exchange workshops ·
Actively engaging in the community of practice, exchanging, and learning from a group of 45 RPOs!

Ethics

UniSAFE will have a dedicated Ethics Helpdesk in place to assist the RPOs by providing them with information about ethical aspects of the project and answering their ethics-related questions. In turn, RPOs commit to obtaining Ethics approvals from their institutional and/or national Ethics Committees, as applicable.

Indicative timeline

RPOs’ expression of interest: until 2. March
RPOs’ formal commitment to the project: end of April 2021
Launch meeting with all participating RPOs: October 2021
Field implementation: from December 2021 to February 2022.

Who are we?

UniSAFE relies on a strong multi-disciplinary consortium of nine European partners. The strength of the consortium is based on the partners’ in-depth knowledge and extensive collaborative track record on researching GBV, transforming academic insights into operational tools, and knowledge dissemination.

Join the RPO community!

Ethics

Indicative timeline

Who are we?

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