The call for candidates for the 4th edition of the Rector's Special Award ‘I Include Gender in Research' for the highest-rated master's and doctoral theses and scientific achievements of persons holding a postdoctoral degree, taking into account the gender perspective in the field of research, will remain open until 15 December 2025. The competition is linked to the implementation and promotion of the idea of incorporating gender into research and innovation, which is a recommendation of the European Commission for the entire European Research Area.
Incorporating the gender dimension into research and innovation increases their quality, creativity, and usefulness. It enables a critical examination of gender norms, deepens understanding of the needs of both sexes, and increases the social significance of research results, leading to the creation of better-tailored products and services.
Master's theses, doctoral theses and achievements of persons with a postdoctoral degree that take into account the gender perspective in two areas: social sciences and humanities, and exact and natural sciences, may be submitted to the competition. The competition committee will be able to award two prizes for master's theses (one from each area), two for doctoral theses (one from each area) and two for scientific achievements or lifetime scientific research (one from each area) by persons with a postdoctoral degree. In this year's edition of the competition, the award is open to individuals who have been awarded a master's degree, doctorate or postdoctoral degree at the University of Gdańsk in 2024 or 2025.
The deadline for submitting applications is 15 December 2025 at 3 p.m.
The prizes funded by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk awarded in each category in 2025 are as follows: PLN 2,400 for master's theses, PLN 3,600 for doctoral theses and PLN 5,000 for persons with a postdoctoral degree. Detailed rules of the competition are set out in the Regulations of the ‘Including Gender in Research’ Award. Entries to the competition may be submitted by the authors themselves, but also, with their consent, by their supervisors and the deans of the faculties where the theses were defended. The ceremonial presentation of diplomas and the award-winning works will take place on a date to be determined in 2026.
A brief history of the Award
Rector's Special Award I Include Gender in Research competition was created as part of the MINDtheGEPs - Modifying Institutions by Developing Gender Equality Plans (Horizon 2020) project, carried out at the University of Gdańsk from 2021 to 2025, which implements gender equality policy measures and objectives at our university, as set out in the Plan for the implementation of gender equality policy at the University of Gdańsk. Equality measures for 2024-2028. The first two editions (years 2022 and 2023) were implemented as part of the MINDtheGEPs project, and from 2024, the funding for the awards was taken over by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk.
‘I Include Gender in Research’ was established as an annual award granted for the highest-rated master's theses and doctoral dissertations that include the gender aspect in scientific research in the field of exact and natural sciences, and separately for social sciences and humanities. From 2025, with the approval of the Rector, the organisers of the competition have expanded its formula by inviting people with a postdoctoral degree to participate.
In the three editions of the competition held so far at the University of Gdańsk, a total of 10 awards and 7 distinctions were granted from among 42 accepted applications. Year after year, the competition is gaining more and more interest, and its formula serves as an example of successful good equality practices, for which the University of Gdańsk has received distinctions and recognition in Poland and abroad. In 2024, the University of Gdańsk was the only institution in Poland to receive the prestigious ‘Gender Equality Champion’ award from the European Commission for the implementation of its first Gender Equality Plan.
Joanna Schopenhauer Rector's Award
As part of the MINDtheGEPs (Horizon 2020) project, the Joanna Schopenhauer Rector's Award was also established, awarded to women who have obtained the title of professor and who take into account the gender perspective of the research subject in their scientific research (in particular in its design and interpretation).
The Joanna Schopenhauer Award aims to promote and support female researchers who have obtained an academic title; although their number has been increasing in recent years, there are still significantly fewer female professors than male ones.
The call for applications for the 2nd edition of the Award will open soon.
Entries for the competition, together with the required attachments and any questions related to the competition, should be sent by email to Ms Marta Dziedzic at marta.dziedzic@ug.edu.pl by 3 p.m. on 15 December 2025.
The rules, competition schedule and application form can be found below and on the website Rector's Special Award ‘I include gender in my research’ | University of Gdańsk.
We invite you to submit your applications!
