RCL submits Lithuania’s position on the EU Action Plan for women’s participation in science, innovation and start-ups
The Research Council of Lithuania (RCL) has submitted the position of the Lithuanian research community to the European Commission (EC) as part of the public consultation on a possible European Union (EU) action plan aimed at promoting women’s participation in science, innovation and start-up activities. RCL emphasised that the plan should focus not only on encouraging participation but also on creating real conditions that enable better reconciliation of scientific careers with family responsibilities.
At the beginning of the year, the EC launched the preparatory stage of the legislative process and opened public consultations on the need for such a plan and its key principles.
Dr Gintaras Valinčius, Chair of RCL, highlighted the importance of timely engagement in European legislative processes: “At least 70% of Member States’ legislation is directly influenced by EU law, therefore the views of the Lithuanian research community must be properly reflected in EU legislation, and particularly in the support mechanisms of the new financial period for 2028–2034.” According to him, this is why it is especially important to present positions already at the early stages of the legislative process.
RCL proposes that the new EU funding perspective (2028–2034) should place greater emphasis on initiatives that promote science among children and young people (for example, STEAM centres), as well as on measures encouraging cooperation between schools, universities and businesses, including various forms of the Erasmus programme. RCL also stressed the need to strengthen funding proposal evaluation mechanisms and to consistently eliminate gender-related stereotypes.
The position also highlights the importance of preventing discrimination and harassment, while urging the EC not to rush into introducing new rules. Instead, efforts should first focus on collecting comprehensive data on challenges specific to different countries or regions, promoting the exchange of good practices, and developing evidence-based recommendations tailored to individual Member States.
Prof. Artūras Žukauskas, Chair of the RCL Committee of Experts on Science and Studies Policy, who led the preparation of the position paper, emphasised that the EU should aim not for declarative equality but for effective solutions: “The EU can and must promote not abstract equality, but equal opportunities grounded in conscious choice—measures that would help researchers across Europe reconcile family responsibilities with career aspirations, and help Europe address demographic challenges without undermining competitiveness. If we want a competitive Europe, we must consciously retain talent in science and innovation—otherwise we will lose part of our potential before it even has the chance to emerge.”
The position submitted by RCL can be accessed here.