News & events

10 November 2026

Horizon Europe 2028–2034: encouraging commitments to gender equality

The compromise texts for the next Horizon Europe programme offer encouraging prospects for gender equality in European research and innovation. GENDERACTIONplus2027 welcomes these commitments and calls for them to be retained through the negotiations ahead. An agreement between the European Parliament’s rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs marks an important step towards shaping Horizon Europe for 2028–2034. The compromise covers the programme’s Regulation and Specific Programme and is scheduled for a vote in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 10 November. It has yet to be adopted as Parliament’s position. For the gender equality community, the texts provide grounds for optimism. They include commitments to gender mainstreaming, integrating the gender dimension in research and innovation, and addressing the underlying causes of gender imbalance. Together, these provisions would support continued attention to both the institutions conducting research and the knowledge they produce. Building on progress in gender equality We particularly...

19 October 2026

Introducing the National Authorities Circle: Interview with co-lead Liv Baisner Petersen

In late September, the launch of the GENDERACTIONplus2027 Community of Practice brought national authorities (NAs) and research and innovation funding organisations (RFOs) together to begin a new phase of collaboration on inclusive gender equality in research and innovation. Following the meeting, Emmalynn Hansen spoke with Liv Baisner Petersen, Head of the Gender & Equality Team at the University of Southern Denmark and co-lead of the National Authorities Circle. Liv reflects on the launch, the experience members bring to the community, and how the Circle will support peer learning around national policy and implementation challenges. Why is it important to involve NAs in advancing inclusive gender equality in research and innovation? Liv: National Authorities are important because they sit at a critical interface between European policy ambitions and national implementation. European objectives may be shared, but they are translated into very different legal, institutional and political settings. The launch meeting made this...

19 October 2026

Introducing the Research and Innovation Funding Circle: Interview with co-lead Sophia Ivarsson

In late September, the launch of the GENDERACTIONplus2027 Community of Practice brought national authorities (NAs) and research and innovation funding organisations (RFOs) together to begin a new phase of collaboration on inclusive gender equality in research and innovation. Following the meeting, Emmalynn Hansen spoke with Sophia Ivarsson, Programme Manager and gender equality expert at Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, and co-lead of the Research and Innovation Funding Organisations Circle. Sophia reflects on the launch, the diverse experience within the group, and how thematic mentoring teams will help members learn from one another and test approaches in their own organisations. Why is it important to involve RFOs in advancing inclusive gender equality in research and innovation? Sophia: Research funding organisations have a particularly important position because we sit between policy ambitions and the everyday practices of the research and innovation system. Through the way we design funding calls, formulate requirements, organise evaluation,...

31 August 2026

From shared challenges to practical action: the GENDERACTIONplus2027 Community of Practice launches in Brussels

We are excited to announce that the GENDERACTIONplus2027 Community of Practice (CoP) will launch on 23 and 24 September, when members meet in Brussels to begin their work together. The launch will bring its two Circles, one for national authorities and one for research and innovation funding organisations, together to identify their needs, exchange expertise and set priorities for their first year of collaboration. The CoP is a central part of GENDERACTIONplus2027. It provides a trusted space for policy coordination, peer learning, mentoring and practical support, helping members translate commitments to inclusive gender equality into concrete policies and measures. The launch meeting will explore the different national and organisational contexts in which members are working. Through an initial needs assessment, participants will identify implementation challenges, promising practices, available expertise and areas where further support is needed. It will also give the two Circles an opportunity to meet, begin shaping how...

24 August 2026

GENDERACTIONplus2027 is underway: follow our journey

GENDERACTIONplus2027 has officially begun! Over the next two years, the Horizon Europe project will bring together national authorities, research funding organisations, researchers and other stakeholders to advance inclusive gender equality across the European Research Area (ERA). Coordinated by the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the project builds on the expertise, experience and established Community of Practice developed through GENDERACTIONplus and GENDERACTION. At the centre of the project is a simple but important question: how can policy commitments on inclusive gender equality be translated into concrete measures and policies? Through its Community of Practice, GENDERACTIONplus2027 will support peer learning, mutual exchange and co-creation among national authorities and research funding organisations. The project will also develop practical guidance on intersectionality, monitor actions and measures taken at the national and research funder level to advance policy, and support gender mainstreaming in selected ERA priorities. All these resources will be...