Practical guidance for coordinators, project managers, research organisations, universities, public bodies and consortium partners.

Introduction: why this topic matters now

Gender equality is no longer a peripheral topic in European research and innovation. In Horizon Europe and the European Research Area, it is connected to eligibility, research excellence, institutional change, inclusive implementation and the credibility of project impact.

For EU-funded projects, this means that gender equality should not be reduced to a short paragraph in a proposal or a compliance document checked during grant preparation. It should be reflected in how projects are designed, governed, implemented, communicated and evaluated.

This is especially relevant for coordinators, project managers, research organisations, universities, public bodies and consortium partners. A project may have strong technical objectives, but if it overlooks gender-related needs, data, stakeholder representation or communication practices, it can miss important risks and opportunities.

The European Commission presents gender equality in R&I as part of improving the research and innovation system and addressing structural barriers that persist across careers, institutions and research content. Horizon Europe also reinforces gender equality through Gender Equality Plans, integration of the gender dimension in R&I content and gender balance measures across the programme.

1. The three levels of gender equality in Horizon Europe

A useful way to understand gender equality in Horizon Europe is to look at three connected levels: organisational eligibility, research content and project participation or representation.

1.1 Gender Equality Plans as an eligibility criterion

For Horizon Europe calls with deadlines in 2022 and beyond, public bodies, research organisations and higher education institutions from EU Member States and associated countries must have a Gender Equality Plan, or an equivalent strategy, in place to be eligible for funding.

In practice, this means that certain organisations cannot treat the GEP as an optional internal policy. It is part of their funding readiness. For consortia, this also means that coordinators should check early whether all relevant partners understand the requirement and can demonstrate compliance at the right stage.

1.2 Gender dimension in research and innovation content

The gender dimension is different from having a Gender Equality Plan. It is about whether sex and/or gender are relevant to the research or innovation content itself.

For example, gender can matter in health research, AI datasets, transport behaviour, urban planning, security, climate adaptation, agriculture, skills, labour market research, digital tools, energy poverty and many other areas. If sex or gender differences are relevant but ignored, the project may produce results that are less accurate, less inclusive or less useful.

This is why Horizon Europe links the gender dimension to research excellence. It is not only a social value. It can improve the quality, relevance and usability of R&I results.

1.3 Gender balance in project structures and visibility

Gender balance is also relevant for project governance, advisory boards, expert groups, speakers, panels, stakeholder workshops and project communication. Balanced representation does not automatically solve all gender equality issues, but it helps projects avoid one-sided visibility and decision-making.

For communication and dissemination teams, this is practical: who appears in project visuals, who speaks in webinars, who is quoted as an expert, and who represents the project at events all shape how credible and inclusive the project looks from outside.

2. Gender Equality Plans: more than a compliance document

A Gender Equality Plan is often misunderstood as a PDF that organisations need to publish in order to pass the eligibility check. But the policy logic is broader. A credible GEP is a framework for organisational change, monitoring and accountability.

A strong GEP should normally be connected to several practical elements:

• public availability and formal approval by senior management
• dedicated resources and gender equality expertise
• sex/gender-disaggregated data collection and monitoring
• training and capacity-building on gender equality and unconscious bias
• work-life balance and organisational culture
• gender balance in leadership and decision-making
• gender equality in recruitment and career progression
• integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content
• measures against gender-based violence, including sexual harassment

For EU project teams, the practical lesson is clear: a GEP should not be a static document that exists only for audits or proposal eligibility. It should be connected to real organisational processes and project practice.

3. From GEPs to inclusive and intersectional gender equality

The discussion in the European Research Area is increasingly moving from a narrow compliance approach to a broader focus on inclusive gender equality. This includes intersectionality, inclusive research environments, leadership commitment, monitoring and evaluation, and attention to groups that may face multiple barriers.

This does not mean that every EU project must become a gender studies project. It means that projects should check whether their assumptions, data, stakeholder groups, events, outputs and communication unintentionally exclude or underrepresent important perspectives.

In practice, inclusive gender equality may include questions such as:

• Are the relevant user groups represented in our stakeholder mapping?
• Do project methods capture differences in needs, barriers or outcomes?
• Are workshops and events accessible and safe for different participants?
• Are early-career researchers, women experts and underrepresented voices visible?
• Do project visuals and communication materials avoid stereotypes?
• Are gender equality tasks properly resourced and shared?

4. What REA’s study tells us about real implementation challenges

The European Research Executive Agency publication on the impact of Gender Equality Plans across the European Research Area is especially useful because it moves the discussion beyond “does the organisation have a GEP?” and looks at implementation effects and challenges.

The REA study found little evidence of negative impacts overall, but it identified two important concerns: women often carry the main responsibility for developing and implementing GEPs, which can create an additional workload burden; and there is often limited focus on other vulnerable groups.

This point matters for EU-funded projects. Gender equality work should not become invisible labour for one person or one group. If a project wants real implementation, it needs leadership support, time, resources, expertise and shared responsibility.

5. Where gender equality should appear during project implementation

Gender equality should be visible during project implementation, not only in the proposal. The following areas are especially important for coordinators and work package leaders.

Project governance

• balanced and inclusive decision-making structures
• clear responsibility for gender-related actions
• leadership support from the coordinator and relevant partners
• inclusive meeting culture and transparent workload distribution

Work package management

• gender aspects integrated into relevant tasks
• progress monitored through concrete indicators
• risks reviewed during implementation, not only at proposal stage
• partner responsibilities documented and followed up

Research, pilots and data

• inclusive participant recruitment where relevant
• sex/gender-disaggregated data when appropriate and ethical
• review of bias in datasets, tools, methods or assumptions
• ethics and data protection alignment for sensitive information

Events and stakeholder engagement

• balanced panels, speakers and moderators
• accessible event formats and safe participation conditions
• diverse stakeholder mapping beyond the usual networks
• attention to end-user diversity and underrepresented groups

Reporting and learning

• documented indicators and implemented measures
• evidence of adjustments when something does not work
• clear link between gender equality actions and project impact

6. Gender equality in communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement

Communication is where project values become visible. A project may mention inclusiveness in its proposal, but if the public communication relies on stereotypes, inaccessible formats or one-sided expert visibility, the message becomes weaker.

For EU project communication and dissemination, gender equality can be reflected through:

• inclusive and clear language
• balanced representation in visuals, expert quotes and interviews
• visibility of women experts, technical leaders and early-career researchers
• avoidance of stereotypical roles in images and examples
• accessible webinars, captions, alt text and readable materials
• gender-sensitive stakeholder mapping and outreach
• policy briefs or result summaries that explain gender relevance where applicable
• event panels and communication campaigns that reflect diverse expertise

This is not about adding diversity visuals for appearance. It is about making sure the project communicates its work in a way that is credible, inclusive and aligned with its impact claims.

7. Gender equality, ethics and safeguarding

Gender equality also connects to ethics, particularly when projects involve people, personal data, health, vulnerable groups, fieldwork, participatory research, social innovation or sensitive topics.

Project teams should consider:

• informed consent and safe participation
• appropriate wording of demographic questions
• privacy and data protection for gender-related data
• harassment prevention at events, workshops and fieldwork
• risks for vulnerable or underrepresented participants
• responsible use of sex/gender-disaggregated data
• ethical review of recruitment, sampling and stakeholder involvement

This is especially important in projects that include surveys, interviews, pilots, user testing, living labs or community engagement.

8. Common mistakes EU projects should avoid

9. Practical checklist for EU project teams

Use this checklist during proposal preparation, grant agreement preparation and project implementation.

Eligibility and organisational readiness

• Does each relevant organisation have a valid GEP or equivalent strategy where required?
• Is the GEP public, formally approved and supported by leadership?
• Are resources, expertise, monitoring and training in place?

Project design

• Have we checked whether sex or gender differences are relevant to the topic?
• Have we integrated gender into methodology where needed?
• Have we considered gender-related assumptions, risks and barriers?

Governance and workload

• Are decision-making structures inclusive?
• Are responsibilities and resources clearly assigned?
• Is gender equality work shared rather than placed informally on one person?

Data and research

• Are data disaggregated by sex/gender where relevant and ethical?
• Are recruitment and sampling strategies inclusive?
• Are potential biases in tools, datasets or methods reviewed?

Stakeholders and events

• Are diverse stakeholder groups represented?
• Are events and workshops accessible?
• Are underrepresented groups considered in outreach?

Communication and dissemination

• Is language inclusive and clear?
• Do visuals avoid stereotypes?
• Are diverse experts visible?
• Are videos, documents and events accessible?

Monitoring and reporting

• Do we track concrete indicators?
• Do we review progress regularly?
• Do we adapt when something does not work?

10. Final thought: gender equality is part of credible impact

Gender equality in EU-funded projects is not only about having the right document. It is about whether the project is designed, implemented and communicated in a way that reflects real needs, avoids bias, includes diverse voices and produces more credible results.

For Horizon Europe and related EU programmes, this matters because project impact depends on relevance, trust and uptake. A project that understands its stakeholders, uses inclusive methods, communicates responsibly and monitors implementation is better positioned to create results that can be used beyond the consortium.

At Nexuswelt, we see gender equality as part of responsible project design and credible impact. We support EU-funded projects and consortia with communication, dissemination, exploitation, stakeholder engagement, implementation planning and impact-oriented content strategies. Our focus is to help projects make their results understandable, visible and useful while supporting professional, inclusive and credible project implementation.

Official and useful links

European Commission – Gender equality in research and innovation

REA – Impact of Gender Equality Plans across the European Research Area: policy briefs

REA – Main report: Impact of Gender Equality Plans across the European Research Area

European Research Area – Horizon Europe support for gender equality

European Research Area – ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027

EU Publications Office – Horizon Europe guidance on Gender Equality Plans

EIGE – Horizon Europe GEP criterion / GEAR tool

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