Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Spanish National Research Council was the first public and private research organization in Spain to create a Women and Science Commission, which was approved by the CSIC Governing Board in 2002. This commision has two objectives:

• To study the possible causes that hinder both the entry.
• The career progression of women, and to propose to the Presidency possible actions aimed at achieving gender equality within the CSIC.

 Report on Women Researchers, June 2023.

The CSIC’s Delegated Commission for Equality has developed the III Equality Plan between women and men at the CSIC, which was approved in March 2022. The plan includes, for the first time, crosscutting measures and is framed within the regulations and action plans of the European Union and the United Nations on Gender Equality (click here for more information).
In 2023, an evaluation of the III Equality Plan of the CSIC was conducted (Evaluation and Annex). Recently, the 2024 evaluation has been also published.
Guide for Work-Life Balance in a Personal, Family and Professional Life in the General State Administration (click here).
Guide for Non-Sexist Language Use at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Adopted by the CSIC (click here).

The IQF’s Equality Commission (CI-IQF) was established in April 2018. Since 2024, we are also part of RIDMAD-CSIC, a network for CSIC Equality Committees.
The current members of the Comission are:

• Supervision: Inmaculada García-Moreno Gonzalo
• Coordination: María José Sánchez Barrena
• Members: Beatriz González, Rebeca de Nalda, Carolina García, Plácido Galindo, Luis Cerdán, Paula Polonio and Rubén López.

The functions of the Equality Commission include:

• Disseminating CSIC’s and AGE’s equality policies.
• Promoting equality training for IQF staff.
• Promoting the equality in the leadership and organizational bodies of the institute.
• Encouraging equality in research by promoting and participating in various scientific outreach activities, such as the celebration of International Women and Girls in Scienc, or the promotion of IQF female scientists through the website.
• Raising awareness of CSIC’s protocol for the prevention of, and intervention against, sexual harassment and gender-based harassment. Providing support and acting as intermediaries with CSIC’s Sexual Harassment Commision in case of any undesirable event ocurring at IQF.
• Monitoring the gender composition of IQF staff according to professional category.
• Collecting suggestions from IQF staff on equality matters and serving as intermediaries to convey them to the Women and Science Commission.

For any suggestion or need, please, contact the Commission via e-mail: MJ Sánchez-Barrena, Beatriz González, Rebeca de Nalda, Carolina García, Plácido Galindo, Luis Cerdán, Paula Polonio y Rubén López.

On 29 April 2024, in compliance with one of the measures of the CSIC’s 3rd Equality Plan, the Presidency approved a new update of the CSIC’s protocol for the sexual harassment prevention and intervention of december 2013, previosuly updated in 2019 and 2020. This new protocol incorporates the updated equality regulations and responds to the desire to continuously improve the mechanisms to ensure that the CSIC is a safe institution. You can access the full information here.
Protocol for the sexual and gender-based harassment prevention and intervention at the CSIC.
Sexual harassment leaflet.
Complaint form (Annex I).

1. Presidency: responsible for disciplinary proceedings in the case of serious and very serious misconduct.
• General Secretary’s Office (SEGE): delegated competence in the event of serious misconduct.
• Deputy Vice-Presidencies and Deputy General Secretary’s Office: monitoring and detection functions. Ex officio communication to the SGAHR and follow-up of cases.
• SGARH:responsible for training on the subject and for receiving the complaint via email protocolo.acosos@csic.es, as well as for preparing the information file for subsequent referal to the CFAS.
• Commision Against Sexual Harassment (CFAS): unit responsible for assessing the informative file submitted by the SGARH, as well as proposing, where appropriate, the initiation of the corresponding disciplinary procedure to the competent body.
• Delegate Commission for Equality: training in equality, sexual harassment and gender-based harassment.
  Ethicks Committe: advisory body on the adoption of measures.
• Unit of the Commissioner for the Promotion of a Healthy and Safe Working Environment (COMSE): guidance, advice and monitoring. It provides support to the units responsible for prevention.
2. At CSIC centres and institutes: 
• Heads of centres: prevention and promotion of the zero-tolerance culture. Monitoring inappropriate behaviour. In case of detection:
• They communicate ex officio to the SGARH (even if the victim does not want to report or corroborate).
• In this case, they will proceed ex officio to carry out the investigation.
• In any case, they shall establish organizational measures for the people concerned, in accordance with Annex VII, and follow up the cases.

They are also the units competent to apply the disciplinary regime for minor misconduct.

• Equality committees: prevention, training and awareness-raising on the subject, as well as initial accompaniment and support for victims. They must inmediately inform the centre’s management and the SGARH of any conduct detected when the person affected requests so. Support and advisory functions.
• Management: functions of collaboration with the heads of centres.
• Confidential Support:appointed by the SGARH from among people trained in the matter, following a proposal by the centre’s head.

1. Request for intervention:

By completing and signing the Annex I Model of the Protocol and sending it to the SGARH via the email account protocolo.acoso@csic.es. Submitted by:

• The affected person.
• The people affected (in the case of a collective complaint).
• The management unit affected.
• Others (specify).
• Representation of the workers.
• Ex officio complaint by the head of the centre or person responsible for the unit.
2. Anonymous complaints:

Activation of the Protocol (in case of evidences).
The organizational and victim support measures designed in the Protocol establish a maximum time of 27 days for the complete processing and response from the initial communication either verbally of through Annex I. A summary of the actions carried out throughout the protocol is shown in the following diagram: