University of Groningen Receives Elsevier Grant for Innovative Childcare Programme

The Elsevier Foundation has awarded the University of Groningen a USD 30,000 grant to set up a special childcare programme in addition to the regular day time childcare. The programme will be developed in collaboration with childcare organizations in the city of Groningen.

The new programme aims to provide solutions in special situations, such as a parent visiting a conference on a day that he or she is normally at home. The programme is also intended to provide care to children of guest lecturers and of participants at university-organized conferences. In developing the programme, the possibilities for the care of a sick child will also be taken into consideration.

An important goal of the special childcare programme is to promote the advancement of women in academia. The programme intends to offer help in achieving a better balance between work and private life. In the Netherlands, childcare is still mostly delegated to the mother, which makes finding an optimal balance between work life and private life difficult. And yet, this balance is an important factor for a successful academic career.

The University of Groningen has shown its commitment to advancing women in academia for many years. Recent examples include the Rosalind Franklin Fellowships and the mentoring programme for female academic personnel.

In April, further information will be announced about the specifics of the programme and rules for eligibility.

For more information about the programme, please contact Delinah Halvorson-Molen, e-mail: d.halvorson-molen@rug.nl, tel.: 050 363 5353.