ISALA NOVA project

The UMONS and UNamur aim to operationalize and initiate the first work of this network around the issue of the pierced pipe and gender discrimination. For the time being, ISALA NOVA is therefore an initial 3-year action-research project with the following objectives:

• Identifying and removing obstacles to equality in scientific careers.
• Creating fairer, more inclusive and sustainable working environments.
• Foster the emergence of concrete, innovative, tailor-made solutions from the field, carried collectively;
• Experiment with the implementation and effectiveness of a transformation network with a view to going to scale;
• Disseminate the knowledge and good practices acquired during the project to the wider public.

At the end of the pilot project, the two institutions hope to continue the adventure and work on any issues and other discriminations that might prevent equity within academic and scientific careers at university. The network would also be open to other partner institutions.

Despite repeated commitments, women remain largely under-represented in positions of academic responsibility. This inequality is not simply a question of equity: it impoverishes innovation, skews the knowledge produced and limits the prospects offered to society.

The ISALA NOVA project aims to:

• Identify the systemic brakes that hinder women's progress;
• Create an inter-university network of committed ambassadors;
• Develop tailor-made, grassroots solutions, carried collectively;
• Experiment with a methodology that can be transferred to other universities;
• Disseminate the knowledge and good practices acquired during the project to the wider public.

The project is based on dual expertise:

• Research: study of experiences, monitoring of the impact of actions, comparative analysis between UMONS and UNamur.
• Administration: coordination of groups, institutional support, dissemination and anchoring of practices.

The "seed groups" (networks of ambassadors) are the heart of the scheme. They take part in:

• collaborative workshops,
• focus groups,
• regular inter-university meetings.

These players become change agents, within their own environment.

The aim is to move away from an academic mode of communication and target a varied audience, including the general public. Indeed, we're facing a societal problem that doesn't just concern the academic world. Changing the content of beliefs and norms also requires action towards the general public.

ISALA NOVA is keen to engage in innovative collaboration with art colleges (ESA) and Hautes Ecoles.

Objective: to popularize research, shake up collective imaginations and open up dialogue with the general public, through:

• artistic creations (stage, image, performance, etc.),
• exhibitions,
• participatory workshops and educational projects.

This STEAM (Sciences and Arts) dimension is a reminder that gender inequalities also affect artistic circles.

It is therefore not just a question of communicating within universities, but also of communicating towards society, on different occasions, so as to reach young people and their loved ones and question their preconceived ideas and/or raise awareness of the levers and brakes needed for a more inclusive and egalitarian society.

The name ISALA NOVA was not chosen at random. It pays tribute to Isala Van Diest, Belgium's first female doctor and a pioneer in the fight for equality. The word Nova evokes renewal and hope. A nod to this new generation of actresses and agents of change, ready to shed light on a system that is still too unequal.