More Visibility for Innovative Women in Science

Research project at Heidelberg University examines functional mechanisms of academic "visibility". Shedding more light on the innovative work of women and their achievements in the scholarly context is the focus of a research project led by Christiane Schwieren. A researcher at the Alfred Weber Institute for Economics and Equal Opportunities Commissioner of Heidelberg University, she wants to explore the functional mechanisms of "visibility", identify inhibiting and conducive factors, and suggest structural changes. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the research studies for three years to the tune of approximately 540,000 euros. The project, which has now started, is being executed in cooperation with the equal opportunities office and hei_INNOVATION, the transfer agency of Ruperto Carola. "Innovative scholarly work by women inside and outside the university context is still less visible than that of their male colleagues," says Prof. Schwieren. With respect to the factors and functional mechanisms of "visibility", her project "heiCHANGE - Visibility Through Structural Change" aims to study the kind of academic contributions that are not reflected in standard indicators such as publications of research findings.