2018 Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018)

[sound]

The gender aspect is not just for human subjects but also for invitro and in vivo experiments.these days its mandatory to state if the cell line is of female or male origin and invivo of course male or female rat mouse pog etc. If it is not possible to account for this because of availability it should be clarified. Any place where gender would contribute to bias one is expected to discuss how they would overcome it or are limited.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human
subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

What kind of project do you have? Does it involve human subjects?

IF-ENV, No human subjects. I don't think my proposal involves any gender issues.
Thanks, michelef.

[Turpentine]

This is really a grey area and they should be more specific about that. In my mind, gender doesn't really apply to cell lines or animals. In life science, it could become relevant maybe at the drug trial phase, and again, sex is the correct term here, not gender. I agree with previous comments that if they don't want to fund your proposal, they would always find something to say, and if they think you must get it, they wouldn't care if gender considerations are not essential to your research. I think we all have different opinions, and the experts who advised us don't all agree on these stuff. I really believe that common sense should prevail as our reviewers are also scientists (and humans) who are writing proposal and have to deal with these crappy formatting. Anyway, the mc grant seems really special as it has to fit with your career development and your needs. it's more about that apparently than pure scientific impact. That's my understanding of all this process, I can be wrong

The gender aspect is not just for human subjects but also for invitro and in vivo experiments.these days its mandatory to state if the cell line is of female or male origin and invivo of course male or female rat mouse pog etc. If it is not possible to account for this because of availability it should be clarified. Any place where gender would contribute to bias one is expected to discuss how they would overcome it or are limited.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human
subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

IF-ENV, No human subjects. I don't think my proposal involves any gender issues.
Thanks, michelef.

[sound]

I agree that the opinions arent all the same. But then this is not only to marie curie many eu projects now require mention of sex/gender role and interdisciplinarity. Cell lines can behave differently for different molecules so this is apparent even in 2d/3d and not just in drug phase trials.i learnt this while working on the proposal and was surprised at some variations that are seen in vitro due to cell line origin. Also it is important when someone works on hormone receptors etc. That said i have seen earlier proposals which do not describe tasks in the workpackages being funded. I as a researcher couldnt imagine workpackages without discussing important experimental details. I was told not to go into details by the review committees but decided to stick to it. Need to see if it worked or not.

This is really a grey area and they should be more specific about that. In my mind, gender doesn't really apply to cell lines or animals. In life science, it could become relevant maybe at the drug trial phase, and again, sex is the correct term here, not gender. I agree with previous comments that if they don't want to fund your proposal, they would always find something to say, and if they think you must get it, they wouldn't care if gender considerations are not essential to your research. I think we all have different opinions, and the experts who advised us don't all agree on these stuff. I really believe that common sense should prevail as our reviewers are also scientists (and humans) who are writing proposal and have to deal with these crappy formatting. Anyway, the mc grant seems really special as it has to fit with your career development and your needs. it's more about that apparently than pure scientific impact. That's my understanding of all this process, I can be wrong

The gender aspect is not just for human subjects but also for invitro and in vivo experiments.these days its mandatory to state if the cell line is of female or male origin and invivo of course male or female rat mouse pog etc. If it is not possible to account for this because of availability it should be clarified. Any place where gender would contribute to bias one is expected to discuss how they would overcome it or are limited.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human
subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

[Dajm]

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

What kind of project do you have? Does it involve human subjects?

IF-ENV, No human subjects. I don't think my proposal involves any gender issues.
Thanks, michelef.

[megasphaera]

They say IF RELEVANT when human being are involved but they actually mean YOU HAVE TO.
In my case I work with breast cancer and as you might know is a disease that affect women. Well, it turn out that also men can develop breast cancer, but statistics are very low. So in my proposal i had to say all of these things and specify that male breast cancer models are not available; however since the treatment are similar for females and males, my research might also benefit men with breast cancer.
If I would simply put breast cancer is only for females so we are good, i will be seriously fucked.
There are lots of examples out there where people thinks that sex does not matter, but it is crucial (epilepsy and myocardial infarction to say some).

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

IF-ENV, No human subjects. I don't think my proposal involves any gender issues.
Thanks, michelef.

[sound]

If you send it to the ncp for review or if the host has someone to review one of the mandatory aspects is gender dimension. The rule of thumb is to address every subheading which iam not sure works always or not but thats what i heard from friends applying to other countries who had a proposal review too

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

IF-ENV, No human subjects. I don't think my proposal involves any gender issues.
Thanks, michelef.

[pedritingo]

Sorry, do NCPs usually review proposals?

If you send it to the ncp for review or if the host has someone to review one of the mandatory aspects is gender dimension. The rule of thumb is to address every subheading which iam not sure works always or not but thats what i heard from friends applying to other countries who had a proposal review too

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension

[sound]

In some countries ncp review select applications from different institutes. They have a limit per institute and if you are quick enough to write they would.

Sorry, do NCPs usually review proposals?

If you send it to the ncp for review or if the host has someone to review one of the mandatory aspects is gender dimension. The rule of thumb is to address every subheading which iam not sure works always or not but thats what i heard from friends applying to other countries who had a proposal review too

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

[deepaktg]

Hi,
lets get back to results part.
Last year, I did not get it because I was 1 point lesser than cutoff.
This year, famous link says that I am in Evaluation. If the prediction are correct- my score is less than threshold.
That would be very sad for me.

[Dajm]

I agree with y'all that in practise the gender section is mandatory. I am saying that it should be marked as such in the template. In its current form/wording it is presented as optional. The wording is not just misleading or confusing, it is linguistically wrong and needs to be corrected.

If you send it to the ncp for review or if the host has someone to review one of the mandatory aspects is gender dimension. The rule of thumb is to address every subheading which iam not sure works always or not but thats what i heard from friends applying to other countries who had a proposal review too

Hy michelef,

I am just curious where you got 'mandatory' from the below:

'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (IF RELEVANT). In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences MAY exist. IN THESE CASES the gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

'Mandatory' would read: 'Discuss the gender dimension in the research content. In research activities where human beings are involved as subjects or end-users, gender differences exist. The gender dimension in the research content has to be addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest level of scientific quality.'

My current understanding is that the unspoken convention within the EC framework is that gender must be included or at least explicitly considered and addressed. The template wording above unequivocally indicates that a description of gender aspects in not a mandatory part of the proposal. What remains a grey area is whether the reviewer may decide that consideration of gender would have been mandatory/appropriate/desirable for this particular research and deduct points accordingly.

The proposal template is very clear that the gender paragraph is mandatory for research involving human subjects... If not, hopefully it may be ok anyway not including the gender dimension