We are excited to announce our new collaboration with the EU-funded MERGE project, which focuses on promoting gender equality and fostering inclusive research environments across Europe. This synergy marks a strong step forward in our shared vision to support intersectoral mobility, innovation, and gender awareness in the field of research and development.
APPROACH is dedicated to the training and mobility of research and innovation talents across sectors, aiming to create impactful collaborations between academia and businesses. The project seeks to develop best practices for intersectoral talent circulation, with a special focus on widening countries. Our goal is to build a strong innovation ecosystem that equips early-stage researchers and innovators with entrepreneurial and transferable skills, and offers them access to both career-oriented and industry-directed training.
One of APPROACH’s priorities is to raise awareness about the gender dimension in research and innovation. To this end, the project held a webinar on 28–29 April 2025 focusing on gender equality, the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and the importance of inclusive research teams. The webinar also featured a roundtable discussion where participants shared their personal experiences on gender-related topics.
We were glad to welcome MERGE project partners at the webinar, who joined us to support this synergy and share their own expertise and experience. The MERGE partnership is strongly aligned with the EU’s goals on gender equality and is actively encouraging gender balance in research teams and leadership positions.
This collaboration between APPROACH and MERGE represents a valuable opportunity to cross-promote communication and outreach activities. Both projects are committed to working together on joint events, workshops, and twinning actions that highlight our common objectives in advancing inclusive and innovative research in widening countries.
We look forward to growing this partnership and exploring more ways to create impact together.
