Women as protagonists in STEM, strengthened leadership, and a welfare system geared toward people's well-being.

Rome, 04 September 2025 - THEUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM) strengthens its commitment to gender equality with the 2025 Gender Equality Plan (GEP), the result of years of work and concrete investments in people, facilities, and organizational culture. The Plan captures the University's current situation and outlines a strategic path to consolidate progress, recognize merit, and support women's careers, in line with the University's mission of excellence and innovation. 

 

Female students and STEM: academic excellence, international mobility, and job prospects, a real turning point in the national landscape. 

All 'UCBM Female students are redefining the STEM landscape, representing today the 61,4% of members and consolidating a steady growth trend in the areas of engineering, biological sciences and food technology, and in medical and healthcare disciplines. The numbers also tell the story. excellent academic performanceIn 2023, 63,8% of the 585 graduates were women. Fifty-five percent of female students graduated with top marks, compared to 55% of their male counterparts. In bachelor's and single-cycle master's degree programs, female students graduate on time at a higher or equal rate than male students. 

 

Academic success is not limited to national borders: international mobility programs confirm significant female participation. In the 2023/2024 academic year, the 64,6% of Erasmus+ students women were the ones who left, and the University welcomed foreign students accounted for 77,8% of the total incoming students. 

 

Even in the job market, female graduates UCBM confirm their leadership: one year after the three-year degree, the female employment rate exceeds the male one (40,5% against 23,6%), and five years after graduation, women maintain higher employment percentages for all courses of study, confirming the full effectiveness of the training path. 

This trend represents a a clear counter-trend compared to the national panorama, where only 16,8% of young women between the ages of 25 and 34 graduate in STEM subjects, compared to 37% of men. This is a statistic of great social significance: female skills in engineering, science, and healthcare are increasingly sought after by companies, which are facing a growing gap between supply and demand for qualified talent. 

UCBM show how strategic investments, targeted policies and an inclusive academic environment can translate into concrete results, creating a virtuous model. Female students are at the forefront of structural change, with a direct impact on innovation and the future of work in Italy. 

 

Research fellows: significant growth and +154% of women between 2018 and 2024 

From 2010 to 2024, the total number of research fellows atUCBM has grown a lot, going from 20 units in 2010 to 57 in 2024, accompanying the overall growth of the University. In this context, the female component has recorded an increase significantly higher than men: from 2018 to 2024, women increased by 154% about, while 85% of men do.  

 

Teachers, administrators and managers: female leadership is growing atUCBM 

In recent years, the teaching staff of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma recorded an overall growth of 44% of the female component: from 2020 to 2024, the number of female teachers increased from 39 to 56. At the same time, female participation in decision-making roles has seen significant progress: over the same period, their presence on competition committees has grown from 23% to 35%. A constant growth trend in the female component has also been observed among technical-administrative staff over the last 14 years. Overall, women have increased from 48 in 2010 to 100 in 2024, an increase of 108% compared to men, who in the same period increased from 48 to 72 units, recording an increase of 50%. Furthermore, the female component has recorded a particularly significant growth in operational roles, going from 32 in 2010 to 82 in 2024, with an increase of 156%To complete this picture, today we count 4 women managers in strategic positions, a sign of a culture that puts women at the center, recognizing their contribution to managing the University's development. The increase in female presence in decision-making roles not only improves the balance of governance, but also produces a structural and solid change, promoting leadership that inspires new generations and strengthens the University's internal cohesion. 

Welfare and investments to support work-life balance 

UCBM has built an integrated welfare system, designed to accompany and support women's careers and strengthen the sense of belonging and cohesion of the academic community: 

  • Nursery and summer camps for employees' children, with discounted enrollment, to allow families to reconcile work and childcare; 
  • Smart working and work flexibility for pregnant women and for parents in the case of adoption or foster care, promoting a balance between private and professional life; 
  • Insurance policy for all administrative employees, to ensure safety and well-being;
  • Cultural and recreational events: "Family Celebration" and "Sport, Art, Culture, and Health Week" to strengthen the identity, sense of community, and well-being of the university population. 

These initiatives, along with mentoring, training, and skills development policies, represent a strategic investment in the University's human capital, with a tangible impact on gender equality and the well-being of the entire academic community. 

Commitment to the future 

The 2025 Gender Equality Plan outlines the University's strategic vision for promoting and achieving gender equality and aims to enhance the full participation of all individuals in University activities. Its goal is to promote and disseminate a culture that combats all forms of gender discrimination and promotes the elimination of inequalities based on sexual orientation and different psycho-physical abilities. This is achieved through an integrated program of actions that create favorable conditions for the development of an increasingly integrated reality, characterized by healthy interpersonal relationships, rooted in human virtues and the strengthening of core values. 

Eugenio Guglielmelli, Rector UCBM,chiara: 

"The Gender Equality Plan 2025 is one ofchiaraconcrete implementation of our mission: investing in people, ensuring equal opportunities and building an academic environment where merit, excellence and talent are well recognized and valued for the entire student community and for all our academic and technical-administrative staff".

Simonetta Filippi, Vice-Rector for Integrated Academic Development, and head of the GEP Team, comments: “The GEP 2025 is an important contribution to the academic community. Observing the University's reality, exchanging and comparing ideas with colleagues, and planning activities and initiatives have been an experience of reflection and growth, which led to the definition of the operational objectives contained and published in the GEP 2025.".

Paolo Passi, Human Resources Director UCBMhe adds: 
"The implementation of the 2025 Gender Equality Plan represents our genuine commitment to more equitable and inclusive management of human resources. The results achieved in recent years confirm that investing in the enhancement of women's skills and in welfare has a positive impact not only on the quality of work, but also on the cohesion and well-being of the entire academic community. The growth of female staff in managerial and research roles demonstrates that gender equality is a strategic lever for the sustainable and innovative development of our University. Our investments in facilities, welfare, events, and work-life balance policies represent a tangible commitment to supporting the growth of women's career paths and the culture of inclusion."  

To consult the full Plan: Link to document