The ICMM Receives the CSIC Equity Distinction Accésit

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The Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM) has received the first accésit of the Equality Distinction from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) for 2023, presented by the president of the CSIC, Eloísa del Pino. This is the second recognition for gender equality efforts at the ICMM-CSIC, which first received the distinction in 2019.

According to the jury’s report, the first accésit was awarded to the ICMM-CSIC for its commitment to implementing equality policies and for its innovative actions that go beyond the CSIC’s Equality Plan. These include its manuals of best practices, which have been adopted by the CSIC itself. Additionally, the jury highlighted the gender-disaggregated statistics and equality initiatives aimed at promoting female scientists and inspiring scientific careers in young girls.

The distinction was collected by the center's director, José Ángel Martín-Gago, the deputy director and president of the Equality Commission, Pilar Aranda, and the coordinator of the Equality Commission, Silvia Gallego. During the ceremony, all three expressed satisfaction with the recognition of their recent work and the encouragement it provides to continue their efforts. "Equality is not a choice; it is a necessity and a social benefit for everyone," said Martín-Gago during the event.

In his acceptance speech, the director emphasized that there are "many highly committed people" at the ICMM working on equality daily. He pointed out the two main characteristics that have led the ICMM to receive its second award in this area: the inter-center collaboration promoted by the ICMM and the integration of equality work with outreach efforts to foster scientific vocations. "This is what we are doing, and we will continue to work on it," he assured.

Eloísa del Pino, president of the CSIC, used the event to present the updated protocol against sexual harassment and gender-based harassment. She emphasized that at the CSIC, "we must set an example" because "we are the flagship of Spanish science." In this regard, she celebrated that 80 research centers within the CSIC already have equality commissions, "but some are still missing," she acknowledged. "We continue to face challenges, many are specific to us, but many others are common to society as a whole."

"We are not afraid to identify areas for improvement; the effort to overcome challenges is a source of pride for all of us," Del Pino stressed, insisting on the responsibility to identify and address shortcomings. "We are an institution that strives for improvement," she said.

Among the short-term goals for improvement, Del Pino mentioned the so-called 'scissors effect' in women's scientific careers, intersectionality in inequalities, work-life balance, job insecurity, and harassment. "We have approved exemplary protocols," she asserted, adding, "now we need to reach every corner of our institution; we must be incisive in their implementation and communication." "Our commitment to equality is unwavering," she concluded.