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Equality & Diversity

Working Group

Chair: Siobán O’Brien Green

Dr Siobán O’Brien Green works as the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), in Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland. Siobán is responsible for leading and coordinating Trinity’s EDI work areas and Office. Siobán has worked on multiple national and European multi-country gender-based violence (GBV) and equality research projects and has taught, delivered training, published and presented widely on these issues.

Vice-Chair: Iveta Bayerová

Iveta Bayerová works as the Equal Opportunities Agenda Coordinator at Charles University and as the secretary of its Equal Opportunities Board. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Ethics at the Faculty of Humanities, focusing on care ethics and inclusive gender equality in academia. Her professional background includes work in social services and international youth projects, and collaboration with the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. She co-represents the Coimbra Group in the ERA Action 5 Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality.

Working Group Focus

Equality and diversity are of continuing critical importance to ensure Coimbra Group (CG) universities are sites of excellence in education, research, innovation and societal engagement and are places of work and study that are engaging, attractive, supportive, and inclusive. Challenges in Europe, and globally, to equality and diversity require more than ever that evidence based, research informed, dynamic and inclusive responses are needed – giving CG members a call to action in this era and arena.

The Equality & Diversity Working Group objectives are to provide leadership, expertise and insights in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to all CG member universities. We aim to leverage our knowledge and experience across CG members to inform and advise within the CG network and beyond, including responding to European Commission (EC) and other institutions’ calls for submissions. We recognise the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as guiding our objectives.

Our mission is to work across CG membership and to catalyse our respective university alliances and partnerships (such as the CG MoU with the European Students’ Union) and ensure EDI is core to our joint work and efforts. We will continue to participate in the European Commission’s sub-group of experts on “Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA, notably with an intersectional approach” (European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda 2025-2027) and find additional routes and paths to highlight the value of embedding intersectional, sustainable and holistic approaches to EDI. In this context, the WG will also contribute to the implementation of CG Declarations, such as the Durham Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainability, by supporting the integration of EDI principles across research, education, institutional policies and partnerships, while also addressing emerging opportunities and challenges including, climate change and artificial intelligence (AI).

We will support the efforts of our Working Group members to meet and exceed the EC’s Gender Equality Plan (GEP) compliance requirements through sharing good practices and learning together. We commit to ongoing peer explorations of how our universities can contribute to equality and diversity for all staff, students, researchers through sharing our work efforts and then ensuring visibility through proactive and continuous collaboration and communication.

Priorities for 2026 – 2029

  • Dissemination and promotion of activities among ED WG and CG members, including a focus on intersectional approaches, equality and diversity data collection, exploring and mitigating barriers faced by marginalised researchers, and tackling gender-based violence within the ERA (e.g. REFLECT, GenderSAFE projects, etc.).
  • Collaboration with other CG Working Groups to maximise the reach and depth of the ED WG activities such as through webinars, projects, etc. and to jointly address areas of common interest, such as AI.
  • Preparation of submissions and contributions to European Commission consultations related to EDI in academia, research and innovation.
  • Continued participation in the European Commission’s sub-group of experts under the ERA Structural Policy on ‘Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA, notably with an intersectional approach’ (ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027).
  • Promotion, dissemination and visibility of the book ‘Why EDI Matters: Equ(al)ity, Diversity and Inclusion in European Universities’ within and beyond the CG network, including across the European Research Area (ERA).

Recent highlights since September 2025

  • Organisation and facilitation of a breakout session on “Why EDI Matters: Fostering Inclusive Dialogue and Campus Democracy”, led by the ED WG Chair and Vice Chair, within the programme of the CG’s 40th anniversary High-Level Seminar on ‘Reinventing Campus Democracy: Bridging Divides and Advancing Solutions’ (Brussels, November 2025).
  • “Why EDI Matters” book release: organisation of an online webinar with the book’s editors and authors on 16 April 2026, and preparation of the in-person book launch on 16 June 2026 at the CG’s Annual Conference hosted by the University of Granada.
  • Policy engagement: submission to the European Commission’s public consultation on the development of European Research Area (ERA) Act and to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the upcoming Action Plan on Women in Research, Innovation and Startups.
  • EU Gender Equality recognition: Charles University received the EU Newcomer Award for Gender Equality Champions in R&I in February 2026, building on Trinity College Dublin’s recognition as Sustainable Gender Equality Champion in 2023. Now the CG network is uniquely home to two EU Gender Equality in R&I award winning institutions.
  • CG Annual Conference 2026: co-organisation of an open thematic session on “EU values shaping inclusive international universities – practical resources and tools from the EUniverse project” (17 June) together with the Academic Exchange & Mobility Working Group and the EUniverse Erasmus+ project.

Ongoing / Forthcoming activities 2026 – 2027

  • Implementation of activities under the Horizon Europe funded project, REFLECT – “Researching Intersectional Equity and Fairness in Lived Experiences and Career Trajectories”.
  • Planning of an in-person meeting in Brussels, to coincide with the “16 days of Action on violence against women on International Human Rights Day” on 10 December 2026 and Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. This will build on the similar ED WG successful meeting held in December 2023.
  • Planning of an ED WG webinar for the spring 2027. Possible topics include the recent European Commission initiatives such as the Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, the Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 and/or the Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.
  • Continued dissemination and promotion of the “Why EDI Matters” book.
  • Planning of an Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Week in Spring/Summer 2027 with an EDI focus, potentially hosted by the University of Cologne.
  • Planning of a dedicated ED WG event/workshop/thematic session during CG Annual Conference 2027 at the University of Würzburg (June 2027).

Forthcoming activities 2027 – 2029

  • Continuation of the implementation of the Horizon Europe REFLECT project activities.
  • Possible ED WG thematic meeting linked to Italy’s EU Presidency of the Council of the EU (2028), in collaboration with ED WG Italian members.
  • Exploration of further ED WG Erasmus+ visits and staff mobility weeks, building on past experiences (at Charles University, Jagiellonian University, etc).
  • Planning of an ED WG webinar in the autumn 2027. Possible topics include recent European Commission Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 and/or Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.
  • Exploration of the implementation and impact of the EU Pay Transparency Directive in CG universities with a focus on ED aspects.

Contact person at the CG Office: Emmanuelle Gardan (gardan@coimbra-group.eu)