The Hokkaido University project, "Shine, Female Researchers! A Plan to Utilize, Nurture, and Support Them at Hokkaido University," which was selected for the FY2006 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Science and Technology Promotion Coordination Fund Project "Developing Models to Support Female Researchers" and implemented for three years, received a "B" rating in its post-project evaluation. The project was evaluated as having carried out initiatives equivalent to the initial plan described in the proposal, and was highly praised for its distinctive and excellent model initiative that played a very significant role in reforming the awareness of research institutions and related parties nationwide. The evaluation results and comments are as shown in Document ①.
Document ①: [Female, Hokkaido University] Evaluation Results Report PDF
Document ②: Comments on the Draft Evaluation Results Report [Hokkaido University] PDF
Document ③: [Hokkaido University] PDF response to opinions regarding factual errors, etc.
Document ④: Responses to comments and supplementary information (PDF)
Following the evaluation hearing, a draft evaluation identical to the final evaluation (Document 1) was presented to our university. Please also refer to the responses (Documents 3 and 4) to our opinion letter (Document 2) regarding the reasons for the four A's, two B's, and overall B's out of the six evaluation items.
Having taken the evaluation results seriously, we would like to move forward without remaining at the evaluation stage, as this is the action (A) stage following the evaluation (C; check) in the PDCA cycle. This is because our strenuous efforts to promote better projects have been focused on the next stage after evaluation: promoting the success of female researchers both inside and outside the university. We have focused on the current situation and daily lives of female researchers, and have concentrated our efforts on providing substantive support rooted in the people and situations that actually need support, rather than on public evaluation, numbers, or publicity. We would like to continue promoting support that brings warmth to the hearts of those involved, like a "down-to-earth restaurant that is loved by locals, even if it doesn't get three stars, and that people want to enjoy on a daily basis and proudly show off to out-of-town guests."
What we care about most is the feedback from people both inside and outside the university who have actually been involved with our projects. We would appreciate it if you could share your opinions and evaluations, including any requests or criticisms, in the survey section of this website. Thank you for your cooperation.
The survey is available here (※ It has ended).
While there are many points to reflect on as we have promoted and developed the model training program, we believe that the three years were a foundational period for moving towards our initial goal of "increasing the percentage of women among all researchers at Hokkaido University to 20% by 2020 (Triple Twenties Plan)." Thanks to the Science and Technology Promotion Coordination Fund, we were able to try various support measures, and we believe that we have made significant progress and achieved results at our university, where there had been virtually no substantive promotion of gender equality for researchers until then. Most of the support measures have been continued using the university's own funds even after the program ended, and we are very pleased that the Positive Action Hokkaido University method, which was started as a result of applying for this program, has spread and expanded into the "Accelerating the Reform of the Female Researcher Training System" program. Now that the model training program, which was a "trial period," has ended, it is time for the true value of our support activities to be tested. With the voices of everyone as our strength, Hokkaido University and the Hokkaido University Office for Supporting Female Researchers will continue to devise and develop multifaceted and substantive support for female researchers in parallel with the promotion of the newly started Promotion Coordination Fund program and the Acceleration of System Reform.
