LIBRA Guide for Faculty Evaluation

This guide provides information and considerations for a fair and gender inclusive promotions and
evaluations and gives practical advice to remove gender bias from the process aiming to ultimately
raise the number of female scientists in top level positions. It was written as part of the work package
Career Development in the framework of the project LIBRA - Leading Innovative measures to reach
gender Balance in Research Activities, funded by Horizon2020 programme of the EU, and relies
partly on the experience of 12 members of EU-LIFE, the Alliance of Research Institutes in the Life
Sciences. Due its objective of achieving greater gender balance at the level of senior positions, the
guide will focus on the transition from junior principal investigator (PI) to senior PI. A survey and
director interviews conducted in 2018 at 12 EU-Life research institutes by the Task Force on PI
Selection and Career Development collected the practices in the evaluation and promotion of
faculty. They have helped to develop an exemplary evaluation process to serve as the basis for
practical recommendations to reach gender inclusiveness. This exemplary process can be tailored
to the individual situation.