Tora Aasland, minister of Research and Higher Education.

Quality in research is important. But what do we actually mean by quality? How can it be measured and strengthened? And what role does gender play in this?

The relation between gender equality and quality in research was the main theme at the Nordic conference on research policy: (E)QUALITY 2009, which was held in Oslo, March 23-24, 2009.

A number of key actors within research policy and prominent researchers from the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe were invited to discuss gender equality in academia, the concept of excellence and the outstanding research of the future.

The programme comprised, among other things, talks by the European commission’s Deputy Director-general DG Research, and a panel debate with representatives from the national research councils in the Nordic countries.

The conference was arranged by: 

• Committee for Mainstreaming – Women in Science
• Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
• The Research Council of Norway
• NordForsk
• Nordic Gender Institute
• Committee for Mainstreaming – Women in Science, Norway
• Association for Women’s Studies and Gender Research in Norway