Nearly 80 per cent of all professors in the Nordic region are men. Gender balance in academia is therefore an important research policy issue. Hitherto it has been scarcely debated on a joint Nordic level. This report shows the status and the development in the field. The report gives examples of successful practices and highlights research policy challenges that are important to analyse in a gender and equality perspective.Given the lack of comparative investigations and research on the gender balance in academia in the Nordic region, there is a need to develop Nordic cooperation in this field. The report concludes with a number of recommendations in order to consolidate the issue of gender balance in academia as a joint policy- and research field in the Nordic region.