Deep tech and sustainable energy are crucial for the future as they drive innovations that address global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and societal wellbeing. Deep tech, with its focus on advanced technologies like AI, communication technologies, photonics and optoelectronics, quantum computing and biotechnology, has the potential to revolutionize industries, enhance efficiency, and create new economic opportunities. Tackling the energy crisis and making effective transition to low-carbon economies are among the most essential challenges societies face today. The aim of the ‘Joint Conference on Integrating Gender Dimension and Equality Objectives into Energy and Deep Tech Fields for Inclusive and Sustainable Future’, which took place on the 22nd of October 2024 in Brussels was to show how gender equality objectives can be integrated into the socio-technical pathways to inclusive and sustainable future.
The conference aimed to examine gender dimension in both green and digital transitions, to shape interactions between technology and society, and new understanding how to integrate gender equality as a significant objective of technologically focused interventions. The event targets science policy and decision makers and advisers, domain experts, researchers and innovators, promoting knowledge for social progress. The conference was jointly organized by the two EU funded Horizon Europe projects gEneSys (Transforming Gendered Interrelations of Power and Inequalities in Transition Pathways to Sustainable Energy Systems) and NET4Air (Advanced nanotechnology-based devices and smart systems integration in environmental monitoring)
The conference included multiple speakers, between which two were members of the NET4Air consortium:
- Lucio Pisacane, CNR IRPPS
- Carmen Moldovan, IMT
- Luis Farina Busto, ERCEA, Working group Gender and Diversity
- Marta Wysoczynska, Senior Policy Adviser in the Coordination and Analytics Team, EIC Department, EISMEA
- Oriane Gilloz, Policy Officer, DG RTD – Gender Sector
- Joana Simão Costa, Legal Officer, DG Energy
- Jeanne Lenders, Policy Officer, DG Employment – Fair green digital transition
- Maria Camilla Fraudatario, CNR IRPPS: “What have we learned from literature about the nexus between gender and energy”
- Antonio De Nicola, ENEA: “Gender gaps in knowledge communities”
- Yara Evans, Imperial College: “Gender gaps in SSH recommendations”
- Tadeusz Rudek, Jagiellonian University: “Gender gaps in textbooks and curricula”
- Cloe Mirenda, CNR IRPPS: “NRRPs gaps in promoting a just and gender-sensitive energy transition”
- Nana Klutse, AIMS: “Gaps and omissions in EU-AI cooperation on R&I” (recorded speech)
- Toshiyasu Ichioka,Director RIKEN Europe Office: “Case studies for Europe and beyond”
- Eefje Vandamme, Intellectual Matters BC: “Gender dimension in tech innovation”
- Simona Aracri, CND INM: “A route to equality, diversity and inclusivity in Soft Robotics”
- Mircea Modreanu, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork:“Addressing gender dimension in deep tech institutions”
- Clara-Mihaela Ionescu, Ghent University, ERC Grantee: “Sustainability of gender dimension”
- Clemens Striebing, Fraunhofer, CERRI
- Maria Losurdo, CNR ICMATE
- Elizabeth Pollitzer, Portia (MODERATOR)
- Martina Schraudner, Technical University Berlin (MODERATOR)
- Melanie Timpel, CNR IMEM (MODERATOR)
- Sabrina Presto, CNR ICMATE (MODERATOR)