Gender Equality and Diversity
A topic for excellent research
Excellent research requires excellent and creative scientists from all regions around the world. For this reason, the Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean" sets store in the diversity of its members at all career levels. This relates, for example, to the country of origin, the age or the individual life plans of its members. A key objective is, in particular, the equal participation of female scientists at all career levels in Kiel's Marine Sciences.
Interim Balance of via:mento_ocean mentoring programme 
via:mento_ocean says goodbye in Naples Women are still underrepresented in scientific leadership positions in Germany
This also holds true for the Cluster of Excellence" The Future Ocean". Therefore, the Cluster's declared gender equality goal from 2006 was to increase the number of female professors in marine sciencesin Kiel. Since then, measures have been developed and implemented to sustainably strengthen the participation of women in excellent research and gender equality in the Cluster of Excellence.
One central point is the structural professionalization of the topic of gender equality. For this reason, the position of a gender equality representative was created, who supports in particular the development and implementation of target group-specific measures as well as the continuous monitoring of decision-making structures and recruitment procedures.
Part of the gender equality strategy is a gender-equitable recruitment policy. For example, in the most recent selection of cluster-financed PhD and postdoctoral projects, the Cluster of Excellence implemented a quota system for all stages of the selection process. Female scientists at all career levels are offered target group-oriented measures ranging from workshops to counseling and individual coaching to the mentoring program via:mento_ocean for female scientists with a PhD. At the same time, lectures and workshops discussing general questions regarding equality and diversity, for example, on the gender-appropriate recruitment of staff, are also open to all scientists. The measures are supplemented by continuous monitoring of the decision-making structures.
