The HEA participates in new Horizon Europe project GENDERACTIONplus2027


By Maura O'Shea

Posted: 30 June, 2026

The HEA Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is a project partner in a new Horizon Europe project, GENDERACTIONplus2027 (GENDer equality in the ERA Community To Innovate policy implementatiON plus 2027) The project is running from 2026 to 2028 and is coordinated by the Centre for Gender and Science, Institute of Sociology at the Czech Academy of Science. Building on the achievements of GENDERACTIONplus, the project supports inclusive gender equality in research and innovation policy across Europe.

Community of Practice

The project brings together national authorities, research funding organisations and key European Research Area (ERA) stakeholders to strengthen policy development, implementation, monitoring and mutual learning. Through a Community of Practice, policy monitoring, practical guidance and stakeholder engagement, GENDERACTIONplus2027 supports the translation of policy commitments into concrete actions and measures.

Project goals

Through these activities, the project aims to:

  • Strengthen networking and policy coordination through the transnational network
  • Build enhanced capabilities and skills for the design, implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation of inclusive and intersectional gender equality policies across the ERA
  • Develop tools to strengthen inclusive GE and GM in research and innovation
  • Monitor progress, enable uptake, and ensure sustainability of outcomes

A central feature of the project is its Community of Practice, consisting of two circles. One brings together representatives of national authorities, while the other focuses on research funding organisations. Through peer learning, exchange of experience and collaborative activities, participants contribute to the development, validation and uptake of project outputs.

Key outputs

The project’s main activities focus on developing practical resources and evidence to support inclusive gender equality in research and innovation policy. Key outputs include:

 

  • Guidance on intersectionality in R&I policy
  • A flexible monitoring and evaluation approach for inclusive Gender Equality Plans
  • ERA policy monitoring supported by a Project Data Dashboard
  • An open toolkit for policymakers and research funding organisations

Together, these outputs will support policymakers, research funders and other stakeholders to strengthen the design, implementation and monitoring of inclusive gender equality policies and measures across Europe.

The project also works closely with the ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality and a wider network of stakeholders to support the co-creation, dissemination and uptake of project results.

Project partners:

  • Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences (Czechia)
  • University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)
  • Yellow Window (Belgium)
  • National Information Processing Institute (Poland)
  • Higher Education Authority (Ireland)
  • Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency (Sweden)
  • JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (Austria)
  • Institute for Advanced Studies (Austria)

 

Further information is available on the GENDERACTIONplus2027 website or on LinkedIn.