• Posted 02-Mar-2020

Pilot Project GEM "Empower Girls to Embrace their Digital and Entrepreneurial Potential"

The European Commission published a call for proposals for a pilot project “Girls 4 STEM in Europe” on 24 May 2019. The resulting pilot project GEM – Empower Girls to Embrace their Digital and Entrepreneurial Potential was chosen in an effort to close the gender gap through digital and entrepreneurship education.

Only 15 % of people working in tech are women at the same time as the skills gap in technology remain high. To counter the imbalance, the European Commission published a call for proposals for a pilot project “Girls 4 STEM in Europe” on 24 May 2019. The resulting pilot project GEM – Empower Girls to Embrace their Digital and Entrepreneurial Potential was chosen in fierce competition with 17 other proposals.

Closing the gender gap through digital and entrepreneurship education was one of the actions under the second priority of the Digital Education Action Plan: Developing relevant digital competences and skills for the digital transformation, and is vital if Europe is to fully embrace the benefits of the digital revolution. While both girls and boys have similar levels of interest and competence in digital technologies, fewer girls go on to develop this interest in their studies or for their career. Girls and young women require positive examples, role models and support to overcome stereotypes and realise that they too can embark on a fulfilling and successful career in ICT and STEM.

The aim of the action Girls 4 STEM in Europe is therefore to promote Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics in engaging ways and to encourage girls to become leaders in tech. The project will set up a network of schools, universities, high education institutions and companies and no-cost summer camps for girls aged 13-18 years in order to reach the goals.

The awarded pilot project is GEM - Empower Girls to Embrace their Digital and Entrepreneurial Potential. It will run over 2 years from 1 January 2020 with a total funding of 346 450 euro. There are 11 partners with Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg leading the consortium.

1. Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg, Germany, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg
2. Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 Cs - Utrecht
3. Università ta’ Malta, Malta, University Campus, Tal-Qroqq, 2080 – Msida
4. Univerzita Konstantína Filozofa v Nitre, Slovakia, Trieda Andreja Hlinku 1, 94974 – Nitra
5. Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Norway, Hogskoleringen 1, 7491 – Trondheim
6. Universidad de Jaén, Spain, Campus las Lagunillas Sn, 23071 – Jaen
7. Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio, Greece, 6 Christou Lada Str, 10561 - Athina
8. Univerzita Karlova, Czech Republic, Ovocny Trh 560/5, 116 36 - Praha 1
9. Högskolan för Lärande och Kommunikation i Jönköping - Hlk School Of Education and Communication, Sweden, (Gjuterigatan 3), Po Box: 1026, 555 11 – Jonkoping
10. Edex - Educational Excellence Corporation Limited, Cyprus, Makedonitisas Avenue 46, Po Box: 24005, 1700 - Nicosia
11. Vilniaus Universitetas, Lithuania, Universiteto G 3, 01513 - Vilnius

Pilot Projects

A pilot project is an initiative of an experimental nature designed to test the feasibility of an action and its usefulness. The duration of Pilot projects is limited to two consecutive years. Please have a look at some of the previous pilot projects related to digital skills.

Source: Digital Single Market News (http://bit.ly/32y7zDV)