With Horizon Europe, the Commission re-affirms its commitment to gender equality in research and innovation and sets gender equality as a cross-cutting priority. As a result, having a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) will be an eligibility criterion for certain categories of legal entities, including public bodies, from EU Member States and associated countries. This requirement will apply to all calls for proposals with a deadline in 2022 onwards. Horizon Europe has set out what it requires in a GEP with four mandatory process-related requirements as follows:
- Publication of a formal document
- Dedicated resources in gender equality
- Data collection and monitoring of gender
- Training and awareness raising on gender equality/unconscious bias
There are also five thematic themes that it requires an institution to address either in the GEP or broader EDI action plans (see Figure 1). The following statement demonstrates how UCD meets these GEP requirements in Horizon Europe.
Figure 1: Horizon Europe GEP Eligibility
Download the Horizon Europe - GEP Requirements document