EU Award for Newcomer Gender Equality Champions

An annual Prize has been established in 2022, the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions, to recognise the outstanding achievements of academic and research organisations through the implementation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs).

Objectives

• The “EU Award for Gender Equality Champions” is a recognition prize scheme meant as a booster and complement of the requirement to have in place a Gender Equality Plan (GEP)15 and a tool for advancing inclusive gender equality plans and policies in the framework of the new European Research Area (ERA) policy agenda. The Award is also an enabler for the transformation agenda for universities set forth in the new ERA, in synergy with the European Education Area (EEA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA, Bologna process), and in line with the new Communication on a European Strategy for Universities adopted on 18 January 2022.

Thematic Areas

• 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.

Award Information

• Each prize winner will receive EUR 0.1 million from a total prize budget of EUR 0.4 million.

Award Criteria

• Organisations that have recently finalised the implementation of their first GEP and can demonstrate the most progress achieved through its implementation.
  • Award criterion 1: Progress Achieved – The applicant should demonstrate through concrete examples the progress achieved in creating positive institutional change towards gender equality through the implementation of its GEP, and in covering at least four of the five thematic areas recommended in Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025. The applicant must support their claims with qualitative and quantitative data, including baselines, performance measures and indicators.
  • Award criterion 2: Stakeholder engagement – The applicant should demonstrate a high level of engagement of the organisation’s various internal stakeholders, including women and men from the different categories of staff (and student body for teaching institutions), in the design, implementation and assessment of its GEP.

Expected Outcomes

• Enable the development of a European community of academic and research champions in institutional transformation towards inclusive gender equality. Strengthening of the inclusiveness and connectivity objectives under the new European Research Area. In case there are no winners for two or three of the four prizes, at least one prize will be awarded in each category, as long as there are winners in both.

Expected Results

• The prizes will increase public awareness of the importance of addressing gender equality in academic and research organisations through institutional change, incentivise a high degree of commitment to the implementation of inclusive GEPs, and create a community of champions inspiring other academic and research organisations into becoming gender equality champions themselves.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicant must:
  • Be a legal entity (public or private body)
  • Be a research performing organisation, including a higher education establishment (e.g. university)
  • Be established in one of the eligible countries:
    • EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
    • Non-EU country associated to the Horizon Europe (associated countries)
  • Comply with the mandatory requirements of the Horizon Europe Gender Equality Plan eligibility criterion. This means that the applicant’s GEP must meet the four following mandatory process-related requirements17:
    • Publication: a formal document published on the institution’s website and signed by the top management
    • Dedicated resources: commitment of resources and expertise in gender equality to implement the plan
    • Data collection and monitoring: sex/gender disaggregated data on personnel (and students, for the establishments concerned) and annual reporting based on indicators
    • Training: awareness raising/training on gender equality and unconscious gender biases for staff and decision-makers.
  • Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize – cannot receive a second prize for the same activities

For more information, visit European Commission.