The conference was attended by 300 people from 26 different countries, including Tsai Li-Ling from National Kaohsiung Normal University, and Hung Wen-Ling and Wang Chih-Ping from National Kaohsiung Marine University, and it took place at Université Paris Diderot and Collège de France. It was co-organised by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Université Paris Diderot, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle- Paris 3 and the Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (USPC), with support from the French Ministry for National Education and Higher Education and Research, and partnership with L’Oréal Foundation.
This year’s conference focused on the obstacles that women face in professional and academic workplaces, public gender equality policies, and affirmative action in education. Two major themes of the round table discussions were “Higher Education and Research as a place of power, and exercise of responsibilities” and “Higher Education and Research as a place of knowledge production and dissemination”. The closing speech was given by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the French Minister of Education. Other key speakers included Stefania Giannini, Italian Minister of Higher Education and Research; Carmen Vela, Spanish Secretary of State of Investigation and Development and Innovation; Susanne Baer, a judge of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany; Christine Clerici, President of the Université Paris Diderot; Frédéric Mion, President of Sciences Po; and Alain Fuchs, President and General Director of the French National Center for Scientific Research.