The University Rovira i Virgili (URV) is the public university of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). Regarding gender equality, the URV has a significant and sustained record of actions and achievements through the implementation of its successive Gender Equality Plans (GEP). URV adopted its first GEP as early as 2007, being one of the pioneer universities in Catalonia and Spain. URV’s first GEP included the creation of the Equality Observatory in 2007 as a measure to guarantee sustained equality policies in all institutional structures and operations of the URV, and to transfer this value to society as a long-term commitment. A second GEP (2011-2019), object of this award application, was elaborated by the Equality Observatory, based on the good practices and lesson learnt of the first one. This GEP II completed a full lifecycle of diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. The URV reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality in practice, by creating its Equality Unit, responsible for the design, implementation, and evaluation of the current GEP III (2020-2024), as well as the organisation of trainings, awareness-raising campaigns and advocacy. Over the years, URV’s sustained efforts in the field of gender equality at the university has led to a gender-balanced student and work force, protocols agains sexual harassment, and a positive opinion on the need for gender equality measures on a broader level. Although a lot of work still has to be done - for example with regard to the pay gap or the lack of gender balance in decision-making positions - the sustained impact of URV’s gender equality policies is guaranteed by a firm and long-term institutional commitment by means of its Equality Unit. URV is currently preparing its GEP IV (2025-2029) and is a role model and inspiration for other universities and educational institutions.

The aim of the current project is to develop a master level education program in INNOVATIVE DESIGN OF themed ENTERTAINMENT AND ATTRACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY (IDEAS). IDEAS is a proposal for a master program in the fields of tourism, hospitality, entertainment, leisure, sustainability and international business management to educate students towards senior and executive level management positions in the themed entertainment and attractions industry. The current HEIs members of the consortium to offer and manage this program consist of Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain (URV, coordinator, lead beneficiary), Breda University of applied sciences in the Netherlands (BUas) and Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) in France. In addition, several non-academic institutions related to the themed entertainment and attractions industry are supporting the IDEAS proposal project.

The Martí Franquès Programme (MFP) was born in 2012 as a natural evolution of the doctoral fellowships programme offered for the last decade by the Departments of the University Rovira i Virgili (URV). It was designed to attract the most talented doctoral candidates to work on ground-breaking research projects, in any of the 5 knowledge disciplines (Arts and Humanities, Legal and Social Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, Sciences, Health Sciences). MFP has also unified administrative procedures, enhanced working conditions and concentrated several financial funds. For 2016, the URV goes a step forward, and proposes a revamped management programme (MFP) for 50 fellowships, offered in 2 calls (2016 and 2017), that aligns the existing fellowship programme to the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for Recruitment (C&C), and provide much improved employment and working conditions to the best doctoral candidates from all over the world. The MFP will ensure a selection process that is transparent, open, merit-based, impartial, equitable and internationally advertised for all its positions, and commits to provide equal opportunities for all candidates, including candidates with disabilities. The fellows will be enrolled in one of the 23 URV official doctoral programmes, and will be hosted by our best research groups, who will provide state-of-the-art facilities, and the most innovative training programme, which mandates a secondments to an international institution, to complement their research and transferrable skills training. Short stays at industrial partners are also envisioned (URV has 16 ongoing industrial doctorates), which will help prepare the fellows for a possible career in the private sector, by offering training in specific skills most valued by companies. The MFP is formally backed by 33 partner organizations (4 industrial partners, 1 banks, 1 foundation and 27 international academic organizations), 2 of them co-funding the programme.