The total grant amount of €468,765 will support the Stroomversnelling consortium in its mission to foster social innovation and empower women to achieve economic independence through sustainable careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, with a specific focus on the energy transition. RSM will receive almost €260,000 over the project period, running from January 2025 to December 2027.
A collaborative effort for social impact
The Stroomversnelling consortium unites leading knowledge institutions and organisations, including RSM, ECWO, Stichting 75inQ, Stichting VHTO, and energy company Joulz B.V. This unique collaboration aims to create long-term impact through the following key objectives:
- Developing and implementing interventions to increase the participation of female mbo-graduates and career switchers in STEM, with a focus on the energy sector.
- Establishing best practices for energy sector companies to foster sustainable inclusion of women and diverse talent, improving retention and career progression while reducing attrition.
- Consolidating and sharing knowledge and experiences within the energy sector.
- Scaling and disseminating lessons learned across the broader STEM ecosystem.
Driving gender diversity in the energy transition
ECWO research and ECWO education collaborate to create both scientific and societal impacts through social innovation. As the project co-ordinators, ECWO’s Prof. Takkenberg, Kardijk and Dorothy Grandia will lead the overarching project strategy. They will focus on creating more inclusive workplaces through systematic evaluation and targeted interventions. Through these efforts, Stroomversnelling seeks to address the critical need for gender diversity and inclusion in STEM, particularly in the context of the energy transition. By empowering women with the tools, opportunities, and inclusive environments necessary for success, the project aims to drive innovation and social change across the sector.
About the researchers
Prof. Hanneke Takkenberg is professor of management education focusing on women in business at RSM, and executive director of ECWO. A key part of Takkenberg’ current work is as part of the European Commission-funded Horizon2020 EQUAL4EUROPE research project that aims to develop and implement gender equality plans in European universities. She also facilitates within RSM’s Executive Education's women in business programmes and RSM’s MBA, with a focus on gender balanced leadership. Her work is broadly focused on empowering and connecting women to drive their individual careers forward, as well as achieving gender equality globally through advocacy and world leading research. Prof. Takkenberg is also a professor of clinical decision-making in cardio-thoracic interventions at Erasmus Medical Centre. She founded VENA, the Erasmus MC women's network of academics, in 2007, and has been the chair of the Erasmus University Network for Female Professors (ENVH) board since 2014.
Kirsten Kardijk graduated from Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2023 with an MSc in Sociology, specialising in governance of migration and diversity, and engaging public issues. Driven by a passion for creating a more inclusive society by critically questioning societal norms, she joined ECWO as a researcher in 2022. Initially, she contributed to the EQUAL4EUROPE project, focusing on gender equality in academic institutions. Currently, her research is centred on defining and measuring inclusion within organisations. She explores which dimensions of inclusion employees value most and how inclusion can be quantified.
Dorothy Grandia is ECWO’s associate director of programming. She has contributed to the development and delivery of gender-balanced leadership programming since 2014. Since 2005, she has helped clients working primarily in STEM industry contexts to recognise and exploit the difference between objective and subjective decision-making in their communication strategy. With that awareness, her clients then learn to increase their influence by synthesising complex information into clear, engaging, and convincing messages delivered in a persuasive manner. Grandia’ interest in communication as a tool of influence on business and policy decision-making evolved out of early career experience in the United States as a legislative aide in the political system of the State of Texas. After leaving politics, she graduated with an MM in vocal performance from the New School University/Mannes College of Music and performed as a professional operatic soprano for many years. She also holds a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She’s a coach and co-teacher on the Art of Communication elective in INSEAD’s MBA programmes, and has been telling the story of the potential of artificial intelligence to create a faster, smoother, and more profitable transition to sustainable energy on behalf of Professor Wolfgang Ketter since 2018.
About ECWO
The Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) is committed to fostering inclusion. Its founding purpose in 2014 was to empower women and to create a level playing field by building communities for organisational change. A decade later ECWO has expanded its perspective to embrace a wider vision of inclusive prosperity in the world. Its new mission is to create a sense of belonging for everyone within organisations through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), anchored in social safety. ECWO strives for settings where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. It conducts research and produces evidence-led educational programmes, events, coaching, advocacy and advisory services. ECWO stays true to its roots, and has evolved to recognise that achieving true inclusion and equity requires encompassing all, regardless of gender or identity.
