ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates what impact the Directorate General (DG) Research's policy activities had in operational Directorates in DG Research. Interviews and documents in Directorate H show a consensus that the Directorate's current agenda for research has been heavily shaped by the numerous safety scares which occurred during the 1990s. Directorate H's literature and Scientific Project Officer's (SPO's) emphasise that this challenges traditional approaches in their field. The chapter discusses the main processes through which gender mainstreaming (GM) implementation proceeded in Directorate H. It reviews how the Horizontal Unit in Directorate H worked to understand and act on GM obligations, and to populate them with meaning for SPO's. Interviews with staff in Directorate H show varied understandings of the gender dimension in research. Staff discusses how gender aims can be served by inserting gender into mainstream topics or by choosing research foci which could produce findings relevant to women, and on one occasion, through capacity building and changing concepts of excellence.
