Abstract

WIST is an international research project funded by the European Commission s 6th Framework Programme for Science and Society. The research covers an 18 months period and work began in September 2006.

Women s role in the interface professions between science and the economy is increasingly salient to achieve European objectives of enhancing the utilization of science in the economy. Four countries, Finland, Germany, Romania and the UK will construct some of the first measures of women s participation and career advancement in TIE (Transfer, Incubation and Entrepreneurship) professions. We have designed a staged series of research tasks, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, to produce valid statistics that can then be utilized on a broader scale. These indicators will complement and enhance existing measures of women s participation in the SET professions.

The objectives of WIST are:

1. What is the rate and level of participation of women in transfer, incubation and entrepreneurship (TIE) organizations in the four countries?

2. Are differences due to structural and organisational factors, gender issues or a combination?

3. How does the position of women in traditional organisations such as academia and industry compare to those of women in the TIE professions?

4. Is there any difference in the position of women in TIE across the countries? Why?