Best practice measures
At the University of Bern, specific measures are implemented in various faculties and competence centres that successfully contribute to equality and equal opportunities.
On this page you will find some particularly successful measures.
The best-practice measures are sorted below by field of action of the equal opportunities plans or by university unit:
Best Practice Collections by Field of Action
Below you will find the best practice measures of the university units sorted by the fields of action of the Equal Opportunities Action Plan.
Institutionalisation Equal opportunities
| Newsletter for faculty members | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Good information on topics relevant to gender equality |
| Description | All members of the faculty receive an e-mail once per semester, e.g., with information on the promotion of young researchers, offers from the Faculty's Commission for Gender Equality and further training offers from the Department for Gender Equality. |
| Implementation period | Since 2015 |
| Contact person | Equal opportunities coordinator Noemi Walder: noemi.walder@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Show examples of best practice | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | To show examples of best practice through events such as the Equality Lunch or guest lectures. |
| Description | One event per year (gender equality lunch/guest lecture), in which best practice examples of the faculty are presented. |
| Implementation period | Seit 2021 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
| Equal opportunities coordinator | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Institutional anchoring of the topics of gender equality and quality assurance |
| Description | The creation of the position of a quality and equal opportunities coordinator with a 75% workload will institutionally anchor the topics of equal opportunities and quality assurance in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences. |
| Implementation period | Since August 2017 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Global Connections Fellowship | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Promotion of young researchers, diversity and inclusion |
| Description | Grants for three research fellowships for young researchers from non-Western countries. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Carolin Schurr: carolin.schurr@giub.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Intergenerational Exchange | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | Exchange of experience and know-how and handover of projects and partnerships between older and younger employees. |
| Description | In order to ensure this exchange and the handover of projects between the generations, a process is institutionalised that specifically plans for the retirement of older employees. This process should start two to five years before retirement, depending on the position. |
| Ansprechperson | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
| Know the Gap-Lecutre Series | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | World Trade Institute (WTI) |
| Goal | To stimulate discussions on UN Sustainable Development Goal number 5 (gender equality). |
| Description | These lectures are designed to bring women scientists, leaders of international organisations, government and the private sector to the University of Bern. The stories of inspiring women and the results of original research will be shared to make a concrete contribution to the progressive achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 - Gender Equality. |
| Implementation period | Since 2019 |
| Contact person | Prof. Dr. Elisa Fornalé: elisa.fornale@wti.org |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| "Emilie Jäger" Lecture Series | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | To present inspiring female scientists who act as role models |
| Description | Lecture series with inspiring female scientists who act as role models |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact Person | Prof. Carolin Schurr: carolin.schurr@giub.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Recruitment procedure
| Increase the number of gender equality delegates in appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Aim | Make gender equality issues more visible in appointment committees |
| Description | Double the function of "gender equality delegate/ faculty gender equality delegate" in the structural and appointment committees, if possible, by one woman and one man. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the website |
| Active search for female candidates in the application process | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Unterstützung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses |
| Description | Das WISO-Mentoring unterstützt Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und Nachwuchswissenschaftler ab der Stufe Postdoc und hat zum Ziel, die TeilnehmerInnen bei ihrer Laufbahnplanung individuell zu unterstützen, Möglichkeiten einer wissenschaftlichen Karriere aufzuzeigen und sie auf dem Weg zu einem Extraordinariat und/oder Ordinariat an Schweizer und internationalen Hochschulen gezielt zu unterstützen. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Active invitation to apply for appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Increasing the underrepresented gender in new appointments |
| Description | If only women or men who have the potential to be shortlisted for the advertised position apply, at least one to two persons of the unrepresented gender must be actively sought and invited to submit a candidature. As a matter of principle, job advertisements should offer job sharing as an option. |
| Implementation period | From early 2018 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Standardised questions on equality in appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Gender equality aspects are included in a standardised and measurable form |
| Description | In all appointment procedures, candidates are asked 3 to 5 standardised questions on gender equality during the interview. The result will be an integral part of the commission reports as well as the evaluation of the candidates. |
| Implementation period | Since July 2016 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Diversity-sensitive job advertisements | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | The recruitment process at the CDE is diversity-sensitive and standardised. |
| Description | If possible, at least one man and one woman are represented in the recruitment process. The process covers the creation of the job advertisement, the screening of the incoming applications, the interviews and the final selection. It is important to note that the CDE strives for diversity in terms of gender, disciplines and cultural background. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
Promotion of early career female researchers
| Habilitation funding program | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Increase the proportion of women at habilitation level |
| Description | Since 2010, the faculty has maintained a project pool for individual support of women's habilitation theses. Support is provided through the allocation of funds for auxiliary assistance support and laboratory costs, bridging funding, travel for networking, mentoring, etc. |
| Implementation period | Since 2010 |
| Contact person | Head of the Deanery Barbara Lewis: Barbara.lewis@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the website |
| Lunch-meetings with Professors | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Promotion of junior staff (mentoring of mid-level staff in an informal setting) |
| Desciption | Once a semester, questions about science, career and research are discussed with an invited professor in a lunch talk accompanied by a small snack.
Young academics can exchange ideas with a professor in an informal setting and network with each other. They have the opportunity to get to know professors who, for example, have family and/or care responsibilities, are successful in their careers, have successfully overcome obstacles and have found a good balance between private life and career. Such people have an important model function. From 2022, professors representing one of the other diversity categories will also be invited. |
| Implementation period | Since 2012, with new emphasis points from 2022 |
| Contact person | Equal opportunities coordinator Noemi Walder: noemi.walder@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Mentoring-program | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Theology |
| Goal | Targeted support for junior academics |
| Description | The mentoring programme of the Faculty of Theology serves to provide targeted support for junior female academics; in 2016, the offer was also extended to junior male academics. The programme offers an introduction to the scientific community by familiarising it with written and unwritten laws and mechanisms of academic research. It promotes informal and formal networking and thus provides access to relevant information. Other aspects, such as questions of work-life balance or the importance of gender, are also addressed. |
| Umsetzungszeitraum | Since 2011 |
| Ansprechperson | Mentoring coordination PD Dr. Claudia Kohli: claudia.kohli@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| WISO-Mentoring | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Unterstützung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses |
| Description | WISO mentoring supports young researchers from the postdoc level onwards and aims to provide participants with individual support in their career planning, to highlight opportunities for an academic career and to provide targeted support on the path to an extraordinariate and/or full professorship at Swiss and international universities. |
| Implementation period | Since 2010 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| VetMENT | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Vetsuisse Faculty |
| Goal | Support for young scientists |
| Description | The VetMENT mentoring programme is aimed at all doctoral students, PhD students and assistants, all residents and postdocs, all senior assistants and assistant professors of the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Bern. |
| Description | Since 2015 |
| Implementation period | Nora Gassner: nora.gassner@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Mentoring4Women for female researchers aiming for a habilitation | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Increase the proportion of women in scientific careers. |
| Description | Within the framework of a two-year one-to-one mentoring relationship, the mentees have the opportunity to benefit personally from the professional experience of the mentors established at the Faculty of Medicine. With this support, the mentees can map out an individual career plan, expand their network with valuable contacts from their mentor, and develop clear goals for their individual career path. |
| Implementation period | Since 2012 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Making women visible in leadership positions | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Highlight female role models on the homepage of the medical faculty. |
| Description | On the homepage of the faculty, women in leadership positions are portrayed on a subpage. |
| Implementation period | from 2021 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@meddek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Network of academically active women at the Faculty of Medicine | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Establish a network of academically active women in medicine at the University of Bern. |
| Description | The network "FELS" (Female Empowerment in Life Sciences) was founded in 2021. It serves the networking and exchange between female medical and life sciences academics and supports the participants by sharing information and organising workshops. |
| Implementation period | since 2021 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@meddek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Work-life-balance
| Equality fund for care measures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | Increase the compatibility of a scientific career and childcare |
| Description | Additional costs of extraordinary care measures during conferences, a research stay, or the final phase of the qualification thesis are covered. The Commission also finances travel costs for children and a carer travelling to a conference or to a research location. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Summer party for all faculty members and relatives | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | Increase the visibility of the employees' family environment. |
| Description | The Commission for Equality organises a summer party for all faculty members every 2 years, at which the presence of partners and children is explicitly encouraged. |
| Implementation period | Since 2018 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
| Funds for care tasks for habilitation students | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Habilitation students can pursue their academic career even with care responsibilities |
| Description | Habilitation students with care responsibilities can apply for funds from a pool of measures to ease their burden. The measures financed with this money (assistants, relief from care tasks) serve the goal of completing the habilitation as quickly as possible. |
| Implementation period | Running |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Competitive funding scheme for young researchers with care responsibilities | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | To support junior researchers at the faculty who take on care responsibilities, and to reduce existing disadvantages. |
| Description | Junior researchers with care responsibilities (childcare, caring for relatives) can apply for staff points for the employment of an assistant who can be used to support their own academic qualifications. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Payment of childcare costs for conferences | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Promoting equal opportunities for researchers with childcare responsibilities |
| Description | Researchers with childcare responsibilities can apply for funds for childcare during conferences, meetings, job interviews and workshops to ease the financial burden. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Claudia Scherrer: claudia.scherrer@natdek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Information for employees who have recently become parents | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) |
| Goal | Inform parents about support services |
| Description | E-mail to relevant employees with information about the support services offered by the institute, the faculty, the university and the SNSF. |
| Implementation period | From 2021 |
| Contact person | Prof. Dr. Susanne Wampfler: susanne.wampfler@unibe.ch |
Access to study and choosing a field of study
| MINT-Day | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Increasing the proportion of women in the natural sciences. |
| Description | The taster day for secondary school girls aims to promote a strong presence of women in science and mathematics courses. Stereotypes are to be broken down and young women are to be inspired to study science. |
| Implementation period | Since 2000, first as "Taster Day for Middle School Girls", since 2021 as MINT Day |
| Ansprechperson | Regula Gesemann: regula.gesemann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Respectful and inclusive study and work environment
| Stereotype-free teaching materials | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Revise teaching materials (practice cases) so that they can be applied to as many concrete cases as possible in everyday life. |
| Description | The departments and institutes review teaching materials with regard to diversity and work to prevent the didactically unfounded use of stereotypes regarding gender roles, ethnic origin, age or social background. |
| Implementation period | Until 2024 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Raising awareness of examination anxiety and panic attacks | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Raising awareness and providing information for those affected by examination anxiety or panic attacks. |
| Description | The departments and institutes endeavour to sensitise their own staff to this phenomenon. Specifically, persons who supervise examinations should be made aware of this and informed about how to proceed with students who have acute examination anxiety. The KGN informs students via its own website about suitable internal and external contact points in the event of examination anxiety. |
| Implementation period | Until 2024 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Workshop on diversity categories | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | Workshop for staff to raise awareness and critically examine various diversity issues. |
| Description | In a half-day workshop, various topics such as racism or discrimination based on social background or sexual orientation will be discussed and reflected upon. Under external guidance, CDE staff critically examine their own perceptions and behavioural patterns on these topics. |
| Contact person | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
Best Practice Collection by Faculties and Centres
Below you will find the best practice measures sorted by university units.
Faculty of Human Sciences
| Newsletter for faculty members | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Good information on topics relevant to gender equality |
| Description | All members of the faculty receive an e-mail once per semester, e.g., with information on the promotion of young researchers, offers from the Faculty's Commission for Gender Equality and further training offers from the Department for Gender Equality. |
| Implementation period | Since 2015 |
| Contact person | Equal opportunities coordinator Noemi Walder: noemi.walder@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Habilitation funding program | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Increase the proportion of women at habilitation level |
| Description | Since 2010, the faculty has maintained a project pool for individual support of women's habilitation theses. Support is provided through the allocation of funds for auxiliary assistance support and laboratory costs, bridging funding, travel for networking, mentoring, etc. |
| Implementation period | Since 2010 |
| Contact person | Head of the Deanery Barbara Lewis: Barbara.lewis@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the website |
| Lunch-meetings with Professors | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Human Science |
| Aim | Promotion of junior staff (mentoring of mid-level staff in an informal setting) |
| Desciption | Once a semester, questions about science, career and research are discussed with an invited professor in a lunch talk accompanied by a small snack.
Young academics can exchange ideas with a professor in an informal setting and network with each other. They have the opportunity to get to know professors who, for example, have family and/or care responsibilities, are successful in their careers, have successfully overcome obstacles and have found a good balance between private life and career. Such people have an important model function. From 2022, professors representing one of the other diversity categories will also be invited. |
| Implementation period | Since 2012, with new emphasis points from 2022 |
| Contact person | Equal opportunities coordinator Noemi Walder: noemi.walder@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Faculty of Humanities
| Equality fund for care measures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | Increase the compatibility of a scientific career and childcare |
| Description | Additional costs of extraordinary care measures during conferences, a research stay, or the final phase of the qualification thesis are covered. The Commission also finances travel costs for children and a carer travelling to a conference or to a research location. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Summer party for all faculty members and relatives | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | Increase the visibility of the employees' family environment. |
| Description | The Commission for Equality organises a summer party for all faculty members every 2 years, at which the presence of partners and children is explicitly encouraged. |
| Implementation period | Since 2018 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
| Show examples of best practice | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Humanities |
| Aim | To show examples of best practice through events such as the Equality Lunch or guest lectures. |
| Description | One event per year (gender equality lunch/guest lecture), in which best practice examples of the faculty are presented. |
| Implementation period | Seit 2021 |
| Contact person | Korbinian Seitz: korbinian.seitz@histdek.unibe.ch |
Faculty of Law
| Increase the number of gender equality delegates in appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Aim | Make gender equality issues more visible in appointment committees |
| Description | Double the function of "gender equality delegate/ faculty gender equality delegate" in the structural and appointment committees, if possible, by one woman and one man. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the website |
| Funds for care tasks for habilitation students | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Habilitation students can pursue their academic career even with care responsibilities |
| Description | Habilitation students with care responsibilities can apply for funds from a pool of measures to ease their burden. The measures financed with this money (assistants, relief from care tasks) serve the goal of completing the habilitation as quickly as possible. |
| Implementation period | Running |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Stereotype-free teaching materials | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Revise teaching materials (practice cases) so that they can be applied to as many concrete cases as possible in everyday life. |
| Description | The departments and institutes review teaching materials with regard to diversity and work to prevent the didactically unfounded use of stereotypes regarding gender roles, ethnic origin, age or social background. |
| Implementation period | Until 2024 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
| Raising awareness of examination anxiety and panic attacks | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Law |
| Goal | Raising awareness and providing information for those affected by examination anxiety or panic attacks. |
| Description | The departments and institutes endeavour to sensitise their own staff to this phenomenon. Specifically, persons who supervise examinations should be made aware of this and informed about how to proceed with students who have acute examination anxiety. The KGN informs students via its own website about suitable internal and external contact points in the event of examination anxiety. |
| Implementation period | Until 2024 |
| Contact person | Fiona Leu: fiona.leu@unibe.ch |
Faculty of Theology
| Mentoring-program | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Theology |
| Goal | Targeted support for junior academics |
| Description | The mentoring programme of the Faculty of Theology serves to provide targeted support for junior female academics; in 2016, the offer was also extended to junior male academics. The programme offers an introduction to the scientific community by familiarising it with written and unwritten laws and mechanisms of academic research. It promotes informal and formal networking and thus provides access to relevant information. Other aspects, such as questions of work-life balance or the importance of gender, are also addressed. |
| Umsetzungszeitraum | Since 2011 |
| Ansprechperson | Mentoring coordination PD Dr. Claudia Kohli: claudia.kohli@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Vetsuisse Faculty
| VetMENT | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Vetsuisse Faculty |
| Goal | Support for young scientists |
| Description | The VetMENT mentoring programme is aimed at all doctoral students, PhD students and assistants, all residents and postdocs, all senior assistants and assistant professors of the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Bern. |
| Description | Since 2015 |
| Implementation period | Nora Gassner: nora.gassner@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
| Equal opportunities coordinator | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Institutional anchoring of the topics of gender equality and quality assurance |
| Description | The creation of the position of a quality and equal opportunities coordinator with a 75% workload will institutionally anchor the topics of equal opportunities and quality assurance in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences. |
| Implementation period | Since August 2017 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| WISO-Mentoring | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Unterstützung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses |
| Description | WISO mentoring supports young researchers from the postdoc level onwards and aims to provide participants with individual support in their career planning, to highlight opportunities for an academic career and to provide targeted support on the path to an extraordinariate and/or full professorship at Swiss and international universities. |
| Implementation period | Since 2010 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Active search for female candidates in the application process | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | Unterstützung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses |
| Description | Das WISO-Mentoring unterstützt Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und Nachwuchswissenschaftler ab der Stufe Postdoc und hat zum Ziel, die TeilnehmerInnen bei ihrer Laufbahnplanung individuell zu unterstützen, Möglichkeiten einer wissenschaftlichen Karriere aufzuzeigen und sie auf dem Weg zu einem Extraordinariat und/oder Ordinariat an Schweizer und internationalen Hochschulen gezielt zu unterstützen. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Competitive funding scheme for young researchers with care responsibilities | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences |
| Goal | To support junior researchers at the faculty who take on care responsibilities, and to reduce existing disadvantages. |
| Description | Junior researchers with care responsibilities (childcare, caring for relatives) can apply for staff points for the employment of an assistant who can be used to support their own academic qualifications. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Michael Gerfin: michael.gerfin@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Faculty of Medicine
| Active invitation to apply for appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Increasing the underrepresented gender in new appointments |
| Description | If only women or men who have the potential to be shortlisted for the advertised position apply, at least one to two persons of the unrepresented gender must be actively sought and invited to submit a candidature. As a matter of principle, job advertisements should offer job sharing as an option. |
| Implementation period | From early 2018 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Standardised questions on equality in appointment procedures | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Gender equality aspects are included in a standardised and measurable form |
| Description | In all appointment procedures, candidates are asked 3 to 5 standardised questions on gender equality during the interview. The result will be an integral part of the commission reports as well as the evaluation of the candidates. |
| Implementation period | Since July 2016 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Mentoring4Women for female researchers aiming for a habilitation | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Increase the proportion of women in scientific careers. |
| Description | Within the framework of a two-year one-to-one mentoring relationship, the mentees have the opportunity to benefit personally from the professional experience of the mentors established at the Faculty of Medicine. With this support, the mentees can map out an individual career plan, expand their network with valuable contacts from their mentor, and develop clear goals for their individual career path. |
| Implementation period | Since 2012 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Making women visible in leadership positions | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Highlight female role models on the homepage of the medical faculty. |
| Description | On the homepage of the faculty, women in leadership positions are portrayed on a subpage. |
| Implementation period | from 2021 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@meddek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Network of academically active women at the Faculty of Medicine | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Medicine |
| Goal | Establish a network of academically active women in medicine at the University of Bern. |
| Description | The network "FELS" (Female Empowerment in Life Sciences) was founded in 2021. It serves the networking and exchange between female medical and life sciences academics and supports the participants by sharing information and organising workshops. |
| Implementation period | since 2021 |
| Contact person | Svea Lehmann: svea.lehmann@meddek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Faculty of Science
| Payment of childcare costs for conferences | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Promoting equal opportunities for researchers with childcare responsibilities |
| Description | Researchers with childcare responsibilities can apply for funds for childcare during conferences, meetings, job interviews and workshops to ease the financial burden. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Claudia Scherrer: claudia.scherrer@natdek.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| MINT-Day | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Increasing the proportion of women in the natural sciences. |
| Description | The taster day for secondary school girls aims to promote a strong presence of women in science and mathematics courses. Stereotypes are to be broken down and young women are to be inspired to study science. |
| Implementation period | Since 2000, first as "Taster Day for Middle School Girls", since 2021 as MINT Day |
| Ansprechperson | Regula Gesemann: regula.gesemann@unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| "Emilie Jäger" Lecture Series | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | To present inspiring female scientists who act as role models |
| Description | Lecture series with inspiring female scientists who act as role models |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact Person | Prof. Carolin Schurr: carolin.schurr@giub.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
| Global Connections Fellowship | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Faculty of Science |
| Goal | Promotion of young researchers, diversity and inclusion |
| Description | Grants for three research fellowships for young researchers from non-Western countries. |
| Implementation period | 2021-2024 |
| Contact person | Prof. Carolin Schurr: carolin.schurr@giub.unibe.ch |
| Links | Link to the Website |
Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)
| Diversity-sensitive job advertisements | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | The recruitment process at the CDE is diversity-sensitive and standardised. |
| Description | If possible, at least one man and one woman are represented in the recruitment process. The process covers the creation of the job advertisement, the screening of the incoming applications, the interviews and the final selection. It is important to note that the CDE strives for diversity in terms of gender, disciplines and cultural background. |
| Implementation period | Since 2016 |
| Contact person | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
| Workshop on diversity categories | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | Workshop for staff to raise awareness and critically examine various diversity issues. |
| Description | In a half-day workshop, various topics such as racism or discrimination based on social background or sexual orientation will be discussed and reflected upon. Under external guidance, CDE staff critically examine their own perceptions and behavioural patterns on these topics. |
| Contact person | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
| Intergenerational Exchange | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
| Goal | Exchange of experience and know-how and handover of projects and partnerships between older and younger employees. |
| Description | In order to ensure this exchange and the handover of projects between the generations, a process is institutionalised that specifically plans for the retirement of older employees. This process should start two to five years before retirement, depending on the position. |
| Ansprechperson | Camilla Steinböck: camilla.steinboeck@unibe.ch |
Center for Space and Habitability (CSH)
| Information for employees who have recently become parents | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) |
| Goal | Inform parents about support services |
| Description | E-mail to relevant employees with information about the support services offered by the institute, the faculty, the university and the SNSF. |
| Implementation period | From 2021 |
| Contact person | Prof. Dr. Susanne Wampfler: susanne.wampfler@unibe.ch |
World Trade Institute (WTI)
| Know the Gap-Lecutre Series | |
|---|---|
| Responsible institution | World Trade Institute (WTI) |
| Goal | To stimulate discussions on UN Sustainable Development Goal number 5 (gender equality). |
| Description | These lectures are designed to bring women scientists, leaders of international organisations, government and the private sector to the University of Bern. The stories of inspiring women and the results of original research will be shared to make a concrete contribution to the progressive achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 - Gender Equality. |
| Implementation period | Since 2019 |
| Contact person | Prof. Dr. Elisa Fornalé: elisa.fornale@wti.org |
| Links | Link to the Website |