How can we achieve a more equitable academic environment? According to Lucio Pisacane the answer mostly lies in a cultural shift. In order to create institutions that not only welcome but encourage people from diverse backgrounds, this cultural shift has to focus on researchers’ ability to generate knowledge that informs policy and practice, and let go of outdated ideals of what excellence, and the “ideal” researcher looks like.
Lucio Pisacane is a researcher at the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (IRPPS) of the National Research Council (CNR). His work focuses on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in research organizations, with particular attention to human resources for science and institutional change. He has contributed to several European projects on gender equality, including H2020 GENERA and MINDTHEGEPS, and coordinates the European project gEneSys on the social and gender dimensions of the energy transition. He also supports the development and implementation of Gender Equality Plans and policies promoting inclusive research environments.
Rethinking excellence for cultural change
Q: How should institutions rethink or redefine concepts such as “excellence” and “merit” to make them more inclusive?
LP: I believe that universities, research centres, and funding bodies need to rethink the concept of excellence to make it more inclusive and, above all, more focused on tangible results and improvements in the social contexts surrounding them.
In my view, the current concept of excellence is often too anchored in disciplinary dynamics, often self-referential and not focused on fostering collective or societal progress and knowledge silos, rather than being defined in relation to societal realities and the social impact of scientific results. To make excellence and merit more inclusive, institutions should redefine how knowledge is produced, shared, and made publicly accessible, including through open data and open access practices, and how it is used to generate social impact.
Broadening the concept of excellence to include its real-world consequences would open academic and research environments to individuals with diverse profiles, professional backgrounds, and experiences. This would enrich the sector and prevent knowledge from being produced in disciplinary silos disconnected from wider society.
Q: What major cultural or structural changes do you believe are necessary to achieve inclusive gender equality in research and innovation?
LP: Looking at the medium-to-long term (10–20 years), I believe the main cultural change should be to see the research and academic world as a professional sector that is truly open to everyone, eliminating the residual elements that still make it a discouraging environment for many women and an unwelcoming workplace for those who do not identify with the “ideal type” of researcher or innovator.
Structural changes that carry cultural shifts
LP: This cultural transformation must be accompanied by structural changes, including the development of a new organizational culture of research. This culture should no longer be based on the current concept of “excellence,” but rather on the capacity to produce knowledge that translates into real-world impact. It should also recognize the necessity of including diverse perspectives and viewpoints that are not narrow or partial, but as plural and open as possible to different types of scholars.
Structural changes should also concern research evaluation systems and career progression mechanisms. Only in this way will it be possible to redefine how excellence is understood and assessed, and to reorient the social function of scientific research toward concrete impact in society rather than the mere production of technical knowledge detached from social needs.
Q: What institutional structures are missing or underutilised that could enable fairer recruitment and career progression pathways?
LP: From an institutional perspective, I firmly believe that establishing a Gender Equality Office — a permanent structure embedded within the presidency or general management of research and academic organizations — would be highly effective.
Investing in a dedicated team that systematically and continuously reflects on exclusion mechanisms and how to address them — with deep knowledge of the internal dynamics of the specific organization — is, in my view, the only way to design solutions with real impact. Every university and research center should therefore have a Diversity, Inclusion, and Gender Equality unit with adequate human and financial resources to implement concrete measures.
Q: If you could redesign one aspect of institutional culture to foster justice and inclusion, what would it be and why?
LP: One aspect of institutional culture that could have a significant impact in terms of justice and inclusion is interdisciplinarity and a stronger culture of collaboration. Many academic and research environments are extremely closed and narrowly confined within disciplinary boundaries. They often fail to support relationships and collaboration as foundational elements of scientific discovery and academic freedom. This model particularly disadvantages individuals who do not fit the highly individualistic, competitive, and hyper-determined profile that still dominates the image of the academic researcher. Academic research culture should therefore be transformed to promote interdisciplinarity and actively support a relational and collaborative culture within and across research groups.
Change starts in earlier education
Q: What long-term strategies do you believe are most effective for addressing entrenched biases across the research career pipeline?
LP: I believe the primary role is played by schools and families. The biases we carry into our research, evaluation, and analysis activities are often formed during childhood and early adolescence.
The most effective long-term strategy would likely be to change how certain scientific disciplines are taught, starting from primary and secondary education. These subjects should be made more attractive to all genders. At the same time, it is crucial to challenge and transform the still prevalent masculine culture that characterizes many tertiary education environments, particularly in STEM disciplines. So what we need is a new pedagogy for science and technology.
