Evaluation of gender representation in French cancer research funding

Issue

The Lancet Commission on “Women, Power, and Cancer” highlighted the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles in cancer research and policy. It recommended actions to ensure equitable access to resources, leadership positions, and research funding, including monitoring “the percentage of funding for oncology research allocated to female principal investigators (PI) or project leaders”.

Description of problem

In line with a study led in collaboration with the International Cancer Research Partnership (ICRP), the French National Cancer Institute analysed gender‑related data for 3 296 cancer research projects funded between 2008 and 2024. PI gender was estimated using a name‑to‑gender algorithm to assess differences in the number and amount of grants awarded to male and female PIs and to examine changes over time.

Results

Female PIs submitted 43% of applications and received 39% of grants. Their submissions increased from 31% in 2008 to over 50% in 2024, but the share of funded projects led by women remained stable. Average funding amounts differed (€490 230 for women vs €772 970 for men). Women received 68% of individual fellowships. In 2023, they represented 52% of evaluation committee members.

Lessons

These results will support the implementation of new initiatives dedicated to gender equality, in line with the national open science policy. These include improving training on gender equality and parity within evaluation committees and developing tools and strategies to increase the inclusion of women and reduce unconscious bias and implementing mentoring programs to support women throughout their scientific careers. Funders are encouraged to collect and publicly report PI gender information of funded research projects, to focus on stopping the “leaky pipeline” of female investigators in cancer research, and to develop and implement strategies to increase equity in review and evaluation processes.

Key messages

• Female submitting cancer research projects increased from 2008 to 2024, yet the share of projects funded and led by French women has remained largely unchanged over time.

• This cancer research analysis with the ICRP offers a benchmark for funder policies, and further analyses should examine whether gendered funding patterns influence research output and equity.