The Relevance of Gender Issues in the Excellence Initiative at German Universities

The Excellence Initiative is a new strategy in German Research Policy to support innovative research projects (cluster), qualification models (Graduate schools) and organisational future concepts for universities. In all three lines it was necessary up from the proposal to declare gender issues as an integrative part of the concept. Today we have several gender concepts showing the wide spread of needs and necessities in research, teaching and learning and in the organisation as a whole as well. First Results show some similarities between the gender programmes of the 39 Graduate Schools, 37 Research Clusters and 9 future concepts: there are target agreements and other concepts to win female researchers directly, a lot of activities to link family and top research, motivation programmes for young women to attract them to science and engineering and to strengthen them during their professional careers. The presentation will give an overview about the Excellence Initiative, the integrated gender issues and explains the changing processes at the example of Technische Universität München. Also it discusses further political strategies for science and research in Germany.