Academic and research institutions and companies from Greece, Spain, Romania, Italy and Cyprus make up this consortium, which is coordinated by the University of Panteion and of which the University of Cadiz is a member

The General Director of Diversity of the University of Cadiz, Antonio Zayas, accompanied by the main researcher of the project at the UCA and director of the DIVERSACI Observatory, Begoña Sánchez, has welcomed the conference of the Erasmus + cooperation partnership project ‘G-Force’ (enForcing gender equality and cOntributing to sexual oRientation respeCt in a higher Education institutions Alliance) to promote gender equality and contributeto the respect of sexual orientation in an alliance of higher educationinstitutions. The Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of the Cadiz Campus will host this transnational meeting of International Cooperation on 3 and 4 April.

G-FORCE is a consortium of six partner institutions from Greece, Spain, Romania, Italy and Cyprus: Panteio Panepistimio Koinonikon Kai Politikon Epistimon University (coordinator), Xenios Polis, University of Cadiz, SC Gripen Europe S.R.L, the University of Tuscia, and Research and Education of Social Empowerment and Transformation N-Reset LTD.

The project aims at promoting gender parity and fight for the acceptance of sexual orientation by promoting equality and providing cutting-edge digital tools and resources. G-FORCE aims to empower the higher education community to combat gender bias and respect sexual orientation and create a network of universities, provide specialised information on gender equality issues and on gender-based discrimination, violence and sexual harassment in institutions, address gender-based violence according to the needs of students for self-training and certification, and faculty for the enrichment of existing university courses or the creation of new ones.

This project, which started at the end of 2023 and will end in October 2025, aims to equip academic staff and students in higher education to combat gender bias by raising awareness on equality, building capacity on gender issues and promoting equality goals among all. In addition, to provide state-of-the-art products and training tools to serve as learning resources that are tailored to the needs and a basis for upcoming postgraduate programmes. Implementation includes strategic work packages, transnational meetings and multiplier events in all participating countries. G-FORCE aims to produce lasting results, including curricula, manuals and a specific platform, contributing to a more inclusive and respectful educational environment. The UCA team is multidisciplinary and consists of teaching and research staff from the faculties of Education Sciences, Labour Sciences and Law.

Furthermore, its promoters aim to empower the whole community by using the advantages of ICT and digitising learning content of the highest quality. In particular, it is planned to develop the G-FORCE Artificial Intelligence Competence Assistant and Networking, a digital support centre offering specialised and personalised information on gender equality issues, as well as on gender discrimination, violence and sexual harassment.