Minerva Informatics Equality Award
The Minerva Informatics Equality Award (MIEA) recognises outstanding European initiatives and best practices that encourage and support women’s careers in Informatics research and education.
Theme: Promoting equity and access
Phase and Stage: LEADERSHIP – Senior career
Action: Awards & prizes
Beneficiaries: Universities; Public institutions; Women only
Users: Policy makers; Education providers; NGOs/Society; Researchers and experts
The Minerva Informatics Equality Award was developed by Informatics Europe in the context of persistent gender inequality in Informatics research and higher education across Europe, particularly in senior academic and leadership positions. Despite numerous local initiatives aimed at supporting women, these efforts were often fragmented, insufficiently visible, and weakly connected to institutional and policy-level change. The key objective of the Award was to create a credible, European-level mechanism to identify, recognise, and disseminate proven initiatives that effectively support women’s careers in Informatics, while encouraging institutions to take structural responsibility for gender equality.
THE CHALLENGE
The main challenge was the lack of systematic recognition and transfer of effective gender equality initiatives in Informatics. Many institutions implemented promising actions, but these remained isolated, under-documented, and rarely scaled or replicated. At the same time, gender equality measures were often perceived as peripheral rather than as indicators of academic excellence and institutional quality. This limited both their sustainability and their influence on organisational culture and policy.
OUR SOLUTION
The solution was the establishment of a recurring European award and prize scheme that combines recognition, visibility, and knowledge sharing. The Minerva Informatics Equality Award identifies high-impact initiatives through an open nomination process, evaluates them via an independent international committee, and rewards excellence through public recognition and financial prizes. Crucially, all nominated initiatives—not only winners—are documented and showcased as best practice exemplars, creating a cumulative catalogue that supports learning, replication, and policy uptake.
OUTCOME
Since its launch in 2016, the Award has:
- Recognised dozens of high-quality initiatives from institutions across Europe
- Created a public repository of validated best practices, culminating in the 10-year Minerva Award Catalogue published in 2025
- Increased institutional visibility and legitimacy of gender equality actions in Informatics
- Encouraged replication and adaptation of initiatives beyond their original institutional contexts
- Strengthened the link between gender equality, academic leadership, and institutional excellence
The Award has become a stable reference point for gender equality in Informatics at European level.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key lessons include:
- Recognition matters: Awards can act as powerful levers for institutional change when they are credible, transparent, and peer-reviewed.
- Visibility enables scaling: Documenting and publishing practices is as important as funding them.
- System-level framing is critical: Positioning gender equality as a marker of quality and leadership increases buy-in from decision-makers.
- Inclusivity strengthens impact: Showcasing all nominated initiatives—not only winners—supports broader learning and reduces competition-driven exclusion.
These elements are replicable by other academic associations, policy bodies, and sectoral networks aiming to promote equity in digital and research careers.
