There is a significant lack of women in STEM. Globally, women are under-represented in STEM fields due to deep-rooted gender differences and career expectations, rather than a reflection of ability (OECD, 2017). In the UK, women make up just 14.4% of the STEM workforce (Wise Campaign, 2015). Women Europe-wide are less motivated to study STEM subjects from a young age, due to perceived inequality in the fields (Microsoft, n.d.). Interlinking socio-cultural and economic factors impinge on the quality of girls’ education which impacts their decisions regarding future study and careers in STEM (UNESCO, 2017). This results in low levels of female interest and participation in STEM, and high drop-out rates for those that do choose to pursue STEM education (UNESCO, 2015).The large numbers of women who ‘leak’ out of the STEM pipeline as their career progresses has been labelled the ‘Leaky Pipeline’. This leaky pipeline has been the result of the challenges that women face in the Recruitment, Retention and Progression of their careers (RRP framework- WISE Campaign and EQUALITEC project 2001). This has significant economic and social implications for women having to start a new career (Women’s Engineering Society, 2014) and negatively impacts the EU economy, affecting levels of unemployment and GDP (gross domestic product) (European Institute for Gender Equality, n.d.).There is a strong case for diversity in STEM, as it enables organisations to maximise individual opportunity (CaSE, 2014) and benefit from diverse workforces that increase levels of productivity and creativity (WISE, 2014). Furthermore, employing organisations wishing to attract top talent must diversify and adapt to candidates’ needs, as competition for top candidates increases (Forbes, 2011). This project will address gender disparities in STEM, with a focus on those facing a double disadvantage. The lack of diversity in STEM affects all minority groups. Disabled STEM students are 57% less likely to pursue further study than non-disabled students (CaSE, 2014). There are strong links between low socio-economic status and low participation in STEM (Royal Society, 2008). Just 0.5% of board members in engineering in the UK are black (Women in STEM, 2019).Women in STEM need support at all stages of their career (Amazon HR strategy 2019) but mainly they need support in building their confidence and soft skills to navigate in a male dominated environment. (https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/amazon-unveils-strategy-to-increase-women-in-stem-roles/) The FemSTEM Coaching project aims to bridge the soft skills gender gap in STEM, by providing women with tools and techniques to develop their confidence and soft skills through a combination of online training and peer-support Coaching Circles™, that are framed around the RRP framework.The project objectives are to:-Use the RRP framework to create a comprehensive approach to deliver interventions to address the challenges faced by women during the RRP stages-Develop an E-Coaching programme for women in STEM-Develop a face-to-face peer coaching programme for women in STEM-Increase women’s self-confidence, self-efficacy and develop their soft skills and employability skillsTo achieve this, there will be three intellectual outputs carried out as part of the project:-IO1 – RRP Framework testingCrucial to this programme will be the incorporation of the RRP framework, to ensure that it addresses the needs of women at all stages of their careers in STEM and adapts the coaching models which will be provided.-IO2 – FemSTEM E-Coaching ProgrammeFemSTEM Coaching aims to tackle the issues facing women in STEM through the creation of a comprehensive E-Coaching Programme, consisting of five modules that will address the most important soft skills for women in STEM -IO3 – Coaching Circles™The Coaching Circles™ will allow for a more in-depth exploration of the soft-skills development via peer-support to improve self-efficacy. The target group is all women in STEM, however the project will particularly focus on providing support for those facing a double disadvantage, including BAME individuals, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, older workers, people with disabilities, etc.The platform will enable women to fit what they have learnt into the context of STEM industries, by providing them with positive role models and encouraging them to take the next steps towards their future career in STEM.This project will serve as a tool for women in STEM to use for career development long after the end of the project. The project’s website and platform will exist as a long-standing resource for soft-skill development at all stages throughout women’s careers. The Career Circles™ facilitator’s guide will enable coaches and trainers to facilitate the Circles™ in the future, as this will provide a comprehensive explanation of the methodology and how to deliver them.

Background of the EQuiPPE project:Physical Education (P.E.) is recognised as the most effective means of providing children with the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding that are essential to participation in society. It is critical to the development of physical literacy and civic engagement, academic achievement and good physical and mental health (UNESCO, 2015). Despite the UNESCO Charter for Physical Education and Sport, Article 4’s recommendation that personnel professionally responsible for physical education and sport should be appropriately qualified, a high proportion of primary P.E. in Europe is taught by generalist rather than specialist P.E. teachers (Onofre et al., 2012). There was a clear need to support generalist teachers to develop their professional skills and practices in order to improve the quality of P.E. which the EQuiPPE project sought to address. It was recognised that: • Primary-level schools experience a number of challenges in providing high quality P.E. including finance and appropriate training for staff; • Many primary teachers are predominantly generalists rather than specialists and not trained specifically in the delivery of P.E. Aim:The overall aim of the EQuiPPE project was to develop an online set of materials that supported Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for primary P.E. teachers across the EU. In the present context, CPD is a continuous process through which teachers are able to improve skills, knowledge and experience to help them learn, reflect and review their practices. The EQuiPPE project has provided knowledge, information and materials to create a set of resources to increase teachers’ confidence and improve practice in this area. Via input from the partners, teachers, and wider networks of relevant policy makers and professionals, the project developed resources that reflected the needs and preferences of primary teachers responsible for devising and delivering P.E. Objectives:1. To identify examples of good practice from each partner country concerning the use of CPD and teacher education with respect to the provision of primary P.E;2. To liaise with academics, national and European teacher education networks to identify and develop a competency framework for high quality P.E;3. To collaborate with local school networks to ensure appropriateness and acceptability of the package;4. To engage in dissemination and exploitation activities that promote the practical utility of the CPD package;5. To develop the following intellectual outputs:- Intellectual Output 1 (O1): Needs analysis report;- Intellectual Output 2 (O2): EQuiPPE online materials;- Intellectual Output 3 (O3): EQuiPPE online portal;- Intellectual Output 4 (O4): EQuiPPE pilot evaluation report;- Intellectual Output 5 (O5): EQuiPPE multimedia content. Main activities:The project was arranged into six main activities including Project Management and Implementation (PMI), and the five intellectual outputs described above. Methodology:A mixed methodology was deployed to develop the intellectual outputs. This approach combined different types of evidence to provide a more complete response to the need to enhance quality in primary P.E. This involved the use of quantitative and qualitative data to inform the development of the final EQuiPPE resources via the activities undertaken in each of the intellectual outputs.Number and profile of participants:The EQuiPPE project consisted of five partners from Northern (UK), Eastern (Czech Republic, Romania), and Southern (Greece) Europe. These partners included four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and an In-Service Teacher Training Centre (Poland). Results and impact: In the short to medium term (0 to 2 years) the following results are anticipated: • enhanced quality of primary P.E. in the partner countries and across the EU; • improved teacher confidence and skills; • increased knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical literacy to a child’s development. Longer term, the impacts of the project activities are expected to accrue benefits for a wide audience including: • better prepared and educated primary P.E. teachers; • improved physical literacy, confidence, physical and mental health, and educational attainment for primary school aged children; • greater access to high quality CPD resources via a freely available online CPD package for primary P.E. teachers; • Improved policy, research and practice through the development of information and evidence concerning the current situation and challenges in primary P.E.

The uses of timber in Mycenaean architecture and in the palatial architecture of the Neopalatial period in Crete were identified very early on and have been summarised in works devoted to the architecture of these periods: however, it has never been the subject of an overall study or of a comparative approach. The TiMMA project proposes to fill this gap. The objective is to gather in an interactive database all the current data on the presence of wood in the architecture of the Aegean Bronze Age (Greece and Crete) by concentrating the study on a series of selected sites (Pylos, Mycenae and Tirynthe, but also Malia, Phaestos, Zakros and Knossos, as well as Akrotiri on the island of Thera). Directors of each excavation are member of the team. In order to reconstruct as much as possible the wood supply, we will also compile the archaeo-environmental data of these sites, as well as the results of the palynological research in order to approximate the forest cover of the surroundings and the available trees. This work will make it possible to evaluate the structural role of timber (load-bearing system, reinforcement, seismic function or not of the device), thanks to structural calculations and 3D restitutions, reinforced by the use of experimental archaeology on a few buildings chosen among the sites selected for their exemplary nature and the data collected. It will be possible to evaluate the use of wood, to distinguish the borrowings and the specificities of each architecture and to make progress in the comprehension of the relations between Minoans and Mycenaeans. The TiMMA project therefore concerns the history of buildings, the history of techniques and architecture as well as cultural history. The techniques and uses of wood, particularly in Neopalatial Minoan architecture, also provide food for thought regarding the new uses of this material in current eco-construction and particularly the reuse of traditional techniques.