Our history
This is a brief summary of the results achied by the IBE Diversity Committee so far. Here there is a summary of its first 5 years.
Achievements 2014-2020
Led by Elena Casacuberta and Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo (2014-2020), the IBE Diversity Committee proposed the following actions, with the following results:
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Actively look for inviting women speakers at the IBE seminars and establish a quota around 30% of women speakers at the conferences organized by IBE members
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Note: current IBE policy is that gender parity should be achieved among IBE seminar speakers.
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Organize a retreat-like activity for all IBE members focused on this subject
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In October 2015, the Diversity Committee offered a seminar to all IBE staff during the IBE retreat sharing the results of a study on gender equality and explaining the measures adopted together with the institute direction board.
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Look for women when searching for potential IBE PI candidates
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Note: this measure was adopted by IBE, and is current practice.
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Increase female presence in both the executive board and the external advisory board
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In 2017, the IBE directorate changed and Elena Bosch was incorporated as Vice-Director.
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IBE's Executive Board also changed three of the members of the External Advisory Committee, incorporating Anna Di Rienzo (University of Chicago), Purificación López-García (Université Paris-Sud / Paris-Saclay) and Susanna Manrubia (Spanish National Center for Biotechnology (CSIC)).
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Establish a link between IBE’s Diversity Committee and other similar committees
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In parallel, in collaboration with the IBE Communication Unit, several outreach campaigns were organized around 11 February
Achievements 2020-2021
Led by Rosa Fernández (2020-2021):
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Participate in the first CSIC diversity committee meeting (2020)
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Recruit a group of IBE members (technicians, PhDs, postdocs)
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To create an initial draft of the IBE Diversity proposal (2020-2021).
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To adapt and launch the ACT Survey, with overall survey participation of 69% of IBE, whose results are described below.
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Propose numerous actions to be taken at IBE
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A channel for a formal system of collection of suggestions and ideas.
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Promote the visibility and inclusion of female scientists within the IBE community.
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Reaching equality in leading positions at IBE.
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Reaching equality in hiring processes at IBE.
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Increase interactions among members of the IBE community.
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Increase dissemination of information on diversity statements and plans by the IBE community.
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Publish internal IBE guidelines on inclusive practices in academia (interviews, recommendation letters, reviews, etc.)
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Achievements 2021-2023
In October, 2020, IBE conducted a survey available to all members of the community, whose principal results and recommendations for current and future actions are summarized below. These results were presented to the IBE community and to the IBE direction, who agreed to implement future proposed actions.
From 2021-2023, several of the actions proposed above have been implemented:
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Training
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New training courses to address specific needs
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Inclusive and non-sexual language training, 10 February, 2021
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Organizational Culture & Climate
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Improve internal communication, especially between buildings
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Bi-weekly coffee breaks (initiated by the IBE Mentoring Committee)
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To address “Men and women don’t think that they are treated equally at IBE”
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Modification of language in job offers to promote applications from women
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Use of gender-balanced images and language on IBE official communications (IBE Website, social media, press releases)
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Behavior
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Anti-harassment protocols available on the IBE Intranet
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In addition, we also continue with the following actions:
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Regular visibility campaigns and school visits to demonstrate role models for 11F and 8M (in collaboration with the IBE Communication Unit)
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Ensure IBE seminars continue to have gender-balanced presenters
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Partnerships with other local diversity committees
Achievements 2024-2025
In 2024, the IBE Diversity Committee published the institute's first Gender and Diversity Equality Plan, adapting the measures promulgated in the CSIC Equality Plan and the Pompeu Fabra University Equality Plan to meet the IBE's specific needs, within the scope of the plans of both organizations to which the IBE reports.
From 2024-2025, several of the actions proposed in the plan have been implemented:
Key Area 0: Organization of the committee
We completely updated the IBE Diversity Committee website. We incorporated two new coordinators: Judit Sainz (functional diversity coordinator) and Tábita Hünemeier (LGTBIQA+ perspective coordinator). Pilar Rodríguez and Daniel Richter continue to act as the Gender and Diversity Equality Plan coordinators.
Key Area 1: Awareness Raising & Training
In 2024, IBE launched a digital and graphic campaign in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The initiative, driven by the Communication and Outreach Unit and the Diversity Committee of the IBE, aimed to raise awareness about the gender gap in the field of research with the #CloseTheScissors campaign, which ran from February 11 to March 8 on social media. IBE researchers also visited schools to share their personal experiences as scientists and present their current research.
Link: 11F: "Close the Scissors" - Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC UPF
In 2025, IBE continued the “close the scissors” campaign from 2024. We conducted a series of interviews about scientific life, career and perspectives to diverse representatives of the IBE community, to deepen our understanding of the “scissor” figure in science.
Links:
IBE researchers conducted school visits as role models in STEM:
IBE was awarded a runner up award in the 2025 CSIC Gender Equality Accreditation Distinction.
In 2024, IBE researchers participated in a campaign “Portraits of women in science” of scientific collages, led by the PRBB to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Link: Women scientists take the lead on March 8 - El·lipse
Link: Cristiana Sigona (IBE): “Keep a beginner's mind to be always ready to learn” - El·lipse
In 2025, IBE researchers participated in a round table, “Women in science: a world of possibilities”, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day.
Link: Reclaiming women’s science, in the lab and beyond - El·lipse
Members of the Diversity Committee and representatives of IBE direction participated in two official training courses on gender equality and on preventing sexual harassment, offered by CSIC. Members of the Diversity Committee attended the 2025 CSIC Equality Meeting: V Encuentro de Comités de Igualdad del CSIC.
Key Area 2: Health & Work-Life Balance
We prepared a section of the IBE website describing current work/life balance rules for CSIC and UPF. We also gave visibility to the lactation rooms through our mailing list and newsletter. In 2025, we launched “Menstrual Points”, located within restrooms in the PRBB and CMIMA buildings, containing organic menstrual products for use by IBE members in case of necessity. Concomitantly, we included similar materials in IBE’s kits for sampling campaigns.
Key Area 3: Recruitment, Selection, Career progression and access to decision making
The 4 new principal investigators at IBE were gender balanced (2 women and 2 men).
We continue promoting PRBB intervals courses intended to train women scientists in leadership skills. The IBE advisory board maintained its gender balance, and is currently composed of 3 women and 4 men. The 5 IBE internal committees (Good Practices and Scientific Integrity, Diversity Committee, PhD Student Commission, Sustainability Committee, IBE seminars committee) are composed of 6 women and 7 men.
IBE mentoring committee has been temporarily discontinued. During the 2024 IBE retreat, Elena Casacuberta (former IBE diversity committee member) informed the community about available mentoring platforms (CSIC, SESBE) and Arcadi Navarro presented UPF mentoring materials.
We added links to the CSIC and UPF guides for how to move to Barcelona and begin life as a scientist to our web page.
Area 4: Communication and inclusive language
We added guides on the use of inclusive language in communication to the Diversity Committee website: Useful documents - Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC UPF. The IBE Communication Unit continues to follow best practices in the use of inclusive language in science.
Area 5: Gender Balance in Research Teams and in Research Subjects
We added links to guides on the inclusion of gender perspective and persons with disabilities to the Diversity Committee website: Useful documents - Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC UPF.
Area 6: Inclusion – Structures and resources to support diversity and gender equality in the workplace.
We continue to celebrate welcome sessions for all new IBE members. Monthly lab tours have been implemented for new CSIC personnel who will work in the laboratory. The IBE anonymous suggestion box continues to be available to all IBE members.
IBE signed the PRBB letter of commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. This letter is now included in the IBE welcome session.
Area 7: Prevention and Treatment of Harassment
We shared summaries of the CSIC and UPF harassment policies on the IBE Diversity Committee website: Useful documents - Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC UPF. In order to facilitate the interpretation of the policies of the two institutions, we began planning a training round table for the IBE community (to be held in early 2026).
Area 8: Monitoring & Evaluation
We have continued to include information on diversity in IBE members in our annual reports.
During the 2025 CSIC Equality Meeting, members of the IBE Diversity Committee contributed to a discussion section dedicated to the official CSIC recognition of membership in institute service committees by CSIC employees.