Girl Power – Girls in STEM – seeking a consortium to join as partner for TRANSFO-05

Our research group collaborates on topics concerning innovation in education. We are seeking to join a consortium on reducing gender, disability and socioeconomic gaps in basic skills. We bring expertise on getting more girls and women to choose a STEM course or a STEM profession.

Specifically we are interested in:

• HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-05 - Contribution of basic skills to productivity, innovation, competitiveness and economic growth

Our research group developed the project Girl Power – Girls in STEM:

• The long-term goal of this project is to get more girls and women to choose a STEM course and a STEM profession by increasing their interest in STEM and let them discover their talents.

• Specifically, the project has focused on primary school girls through role models and professional development workshops. The project also developed a check list for gender sensitive education.

For the TRANSFO-05 call the Girl Power project wants to widen the scope to a wider concept of inclusion and to interventions on other educational levels. A sustainable implementation is aimed for by also focusing on (future) teachers. This through training and designing or optimizing didactic materials and approaches. All actions are evaluated on the basis of qualitative and quantitative research.

The practice-based research of our research group is characterized by cooperation and cocreation with the educational field, with both professionals and pupils:  

• Developing interventions, implementation and evaluation together with professionals in schools and organizations.

• We are strongly committed to co-creation and use different models of Educational Design Research and lifeworld-based research. 

We have research expertise in (i.e.): 

• Professionalization of in-service teachers via Professional Learning Community (PLC) or Community of Practice (CoP) 

• Coaching and video-coaching of teachers and other professionals

• Strengthening diversity competences of teachers

• Co-creation of school policy strategies

• Education for social justice: i.e. strengthening pupil’s self-esteem and positive attitudes towards diversity, anti-racist education

• Assessment of learning environments 

• Participatory research with vulnerable people and youngsters 

What we offer:

• Extended experience in practice-based and co-creative research on preceding topics

• A strong and reliable connection with various working fields and (school)environments for implementation and evaluation

• Experience and knowledge on the topic of gender sensitivity in teaching and learning

• Experience and knowledge on designing gender-inclusive education

• A strong commitment for social justice in education

• Extended experience in international collaboration, both as participant and coordinator

• Enough passion and perseverance to make collaborations successful