Image crop From left: Project manager Annette Stephansen (Norce), Katinka Bratland (VIS), Mona Leirgulen (VIS) and Marit Eggen (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences).
Text: tekfisk, Kjersti Kvile
In Western Norway, the greatest value creation occurs within the seafood industry and the energy sector. These are also very male-dominated industries. But now the proportion of women in the management of research projects is to be increased. At least if the participants in the newly launched network "Vest Ut og Fram" get what they want.
Closer ties between industry and research
– We want to give women the right tools to become project managers within research and innovation projects and create closer ties between industry and research environments, says Katinka Bratland to Tekfisk.
Katinka Bratland is usually the innovation manager at Bergen Technology Transfer, which recently changed its name to VIS.
She is part of the project group that took the initiative for the network.
Women are rushing into marine research
Wants to grow
20 young women have been handpicked for the network from a list of 100 recommended women from the marine and energy industries. The 20 who are included are from industry or research environments in Western Norway. One criterion is that they work with the core business, and they are selected from the entire value chain, from sea to end customer.
– Now we only have the opportunity to take in 20, but we have a sub-goal of getting more funding so we can expand and recruit more candidates, says Bratland.
Better projects with gender balance
The network is gathering for the first time on Thursday this week. The goal is in no way to hold men down, but to lift women up and give them the final push and boost of knowledge they need.
– With a good gender balance, you will also get the best projects, says Bratland.
The hope is that the network will lead to collaborative projects between the participants. At the seven meetings on the agenda, they will, among other things, discuss cases based on research projects linked to industry.
The network is working to connect mentors, women who hold leadership positions within the industries. They will attend the gatherings both as role models and to spar with those who need it.
Important diversity
Annette Fagerhaug Stephansen, normally a senior researcher at Norce, is the project manager.
– It will be a mix between supporting people and showing the opportunities that lie there. Much is in place for us to get more research and development projects in the industry. We hope this can contribute, says Stephansen.
More women in project management is important for diversity.
– This applies not only to men and women, but to all types of diversity. It is important to have different backgrounds and different ways of thinking. If everyone thinks in the same way, there will not be much innovation, says the project manager.
Many partners
Norce, NCE Seafood, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and VIS have received 800,000 kroner from the Research Council of Norway to establish the network.
Also participating in the collaboration are Young Fish, Hordaland County Municipality, Design Region Bergen and GCE Subsea.
Research has also shown that gender balance in the workplace can be profitable.
When the proportion of women increased by 10 percent, operating profit increased by 3.5 percent, a McKinsey study of British companies showed.
