Networks and associations provide platforms for exchanging information, networking with experts and making contacts. They also offer a means of disseminating project results to a specific target group.
In Germany, equal opportunity professionals from research are networked in national and regional associations.
The Bundeskonferenz der Frauen- und Gleichstellungsbeauftragten an Hochschulen e.V. (bukof - Federal Conference of Women's and Equal Opportunity Officers at Universities) is a national not-for-profit association. The members, equal opportunity professionals and office-holders in equal opportunity areas at universities work to ensure the creation of gender-fair structures and cultures at universities. The State Conferences are an affiliation of women's and equal opportunity officers and/or equal opportunity professionals at state level (an overview and contact information can be found here).
As well as the State Conferences, many other regional institutions are also actively involved in equal opportunity and gender studies issues. The Konferenz der Einrichtungen für Frauen- und Geschlechterstudien im deutschsprachigen Raum (KEG - Conference of Women's and Gender Studies Institutions in German-speaking Areas) provides an overview of institutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (available here).
/femconsult, a database of women researchers maintained by the Center of Excellence Women and Science (CEWS), compiles networks to support women researchers with their careers and networking (an overview in German is available here).
The following networks and associations are involved in the design, planning or quality assurance of equal opportunity measures in research.
| Name/Link | Description | Regional/National/International |
| Gender Consulting in Forschungsverbünden | The network’s aims include discussing experiences of quality assurance in the implementation of equal opportunity objectives and measures for research groups, and formulating quality standards for gender consulting at universities | National |
| Netzwerk Gleichstellungscontrolling an Universitäten | The seven participating universities are involved with the issue of equal opportunity management. Among other tasks, this involves designing and implementing equal opportunity policy management and monitoring instruments at universities. | National |
| Network of Equal Opportunity Professionals at Former and Current Universities of Excellence (GEx) | The network discusses equal opportunity goals, strategies and measures in the German Excellence Initiative, as well as exchanging information on the quality assurance and development of equal opportunity processes. In 2010, the network published quality indicators for evaluating equal opportunity activities. | National |
| GMEI Gender Mainstreaming Experts International | The network of feminist women experts coordinates professional exchanges and cooperations across generations, institutions and states with the aim of achieving effective implementation of gender mainstreaming. | National / International |
| UAS7-Netzwerk | UAS7 is an alliance of seven research-oriented German universities of applied science with a strong international focus. The network has a standardised appointment procedure with jointly defined quality standards. | National / International |
| Forum Mentoring | Forum Mentoring provides an overview of mentoring programmes in Germany and is involved in subjects including quality standards for mentoring programmes. | National |
| Dual Career Network Germany (DCND) | The DCND stands for quality development of dual career services in research institutions. In 2010, the quality management working group published a best practice guide including dual career service quality criteria. | National |
| Netzwerk Diversity an Hochschulen | Members of the Diversity Network work primarily on the implementation of diversity and anti-discrimination tasks at German universities | National |
| Thüringer Kompetenznetzwerk Gleichstellung | The network's goals include promoting equal opportunities as a quality indicator in research. It also works on quality assurance for equal opportunities aspects | Regional (Thüringen) |
| Netzwerk Gender Diversity Lehre | The Gender Diversity Teaching Network is committed to networking, continuous cooperation and information exchange. Its members are people who work in the field of gender and diversity at universities. In the joint networking meetings and working groups, the topics of gender and diversity-conscious didactics and methodology, but also organizational development are dealt with. | National |
Funding number: 01FP1901
