On 8 March 2017, Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, and Mairead McGuinness, Vice-President of the European Parliament, announced the names of the four winners of the 2017 EU Prize for Women Innovators.

This prize reminds us of the continual need to ensure women are treated equally in the workplace, and especially in research and innovation.

Owing to the singular nature of this sector, specific action in the public sector is needed if parity is to be achieved. The Commission is working for gender equality, including in the field of research, through the Horizon 2020 programme. Nonetheless, only 20% of top academic staff are women.

Fighting stereotypes is crucial to achieving gender equality. In 2012, the Commission launched a publicity campaign to combat sexist preconceptions among researchers.

Faced with these persistent problems, does the Commission envisage launching a new campaign to fight stereotypes in research?

What specific measures does it envisage to lessen gender disparity in the field of research?