Gender equality
With Horizon Europe, the Commission reaffirms its commitment to gender equality in research and innovation.
The legal base sets gender equality as a crosscutting priority and introduces strengthened provisions.
There are three main levels at which gender equality is considered in Horizon Europe
- having a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) in place becomes an eligibility criterion for certain categories of legal entities from EU countries and associated countries
- the integration of the gender dimension into research and innovation content is a requirement by default, an award criterion evaluated under the excellence criterion, unless the topic description explicitly specifies otherwise. The policy report produced by the EU funded H2020 expert group on Gendered Innovations provides researchers and innovators with methodological tools for sex, gender and intersectional analysis.
- increasing gender balance throughout the programme is another objective, with a target of 50% women in Horizon Europe related boards, expert groups and evaluation committees, and gender balance among research teams set as a ranking criterion for proposals with the same score.
For calls with deadlines in 2022 and onwards, having a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) will be an eligibility criterion for all public bodies, higher education institutions and research organisations from EU Member States and associated countries participating in Horizon Europe.
Mandatory requirements for a GEP
- Be a public document: The GEP should be a formal document signed by the top management, and disseminated within the institution.
- Have dedicated resources: Resources for the design, implementation, and monitoring of GEPs may include funding for specific positions such as Equality Officers or Gender Equality Teams as well as earmarked working time for academic, management and administrative staff
- Include arrangements for data collection and monitoring: GEPs must be evidence-based and founded on sex or gender-disaggregated baseline data collected across all staff categories.
- Be supported by training and capacity-building.
For more information, please refer to EC webpage on Gender equality in research and innovation