Diversifying Academia Europaea’s membership - An update from our Graz Information Centre#

Following our recent elections for membership of Academia Europaea, we provide a comprehensive overview of nominations, election outcomes and the impact on the composition of our membership.

Nomination highlights#

• During the most recent nomination period, Academia Europaea received 618 nominations for membership, a significant 23% increase compared to the previous year.

• Among the 618 nominations, 23% were female candidates. While the overall representation of female nominees remained modest, in Humanities and Arts (Class A1), 47% of the nominees were female.

• Additionally, 31% of the nominations were from foreign candidates, a substantial 72% increase from the previous year's figures.
• In terms of the four Classes, Exact Sciences (Class B ) received the highest proportion of nominations, at 41%.

• Notably, three Sections stood out as receiving the highest number of nominations: Clinical and veterinary science, Physics and engineering sciences, and Informatics, collectively accounting for 45% of the total nominations. This is consistent with patterns observed last year.

• Nominees from China, Germany, and the UK once again emerged as the top group of candidates, jointly representing 45% of the total nominations. Despite efforts to boost representation from "Widening Countries*," there has not been a substantial increase in nominations from these regions.

2024 Election results#

• Overall membership: A total of 318 new Members were elected in 2024, bringing the overall membership to 5611. Of the newly elected Members, 95 are female, accounting for 30% of the intake.

Class-specific gender distribution#

• Humanities and Arts (Class A1): 81 new Members, with 36 females, making up 44% female representation.

• Social and Related Sciences (Class A2): 33 new Members, 12 of whom are female, resulting in 36% female representation.

• Exact Sciences (Class B ): 69 new Members, including 22 females, resulting in 32% female representation.

• Life Sciences (Class C): 135 new Members, with 25 females, reflecting a lower 9% female representation.

The 2024 election results underscore a gradual yet consistent improvement in gender diversity across Academia Europaea’s membership, particularly within the Humanities and Arts, where female representation among new Members stands at a strong 44%. However, the data also reveals ongoing challenges in achieving gender parity, especially within the Life Sciences, where female representation remains disproportionately low at 9% of new Members.

The increase in nominations from foreign candidates is a promising sign of growing international engagement, though further efforts are needed to enhance representation from "Widening Countries." The dominance of nominations from China, Germany, and the UK continues, highlighting the need for strategic initiatives to diversify the geographical distribution of nominees further.

As we look ahead to the next nomination cycle, opening on 1st October, these insights will guide our ongoing efforts to foster a more inclusive and representative membership.

About AE’s Graz Information Centre #

The Graz Information Centre was founded in 2010 with the purpose of increasing the visibility of Academia Europaea and its Members. The establishment of the Centre was made possible by a joint agreement between Academia Europaea and Graz University of Technology.

The Centre oversees the management of Academia Europaea's official website and provides comprehensive technical support. The Centre is also responsible for membership administration and the development of the support infrastructure for the voting, nominations and elections processes.