ABOUT

Project vision

The INCLUDE project aims to reduce geographical disparities in Gender Equality and intersectionality in Research and Innovation (R&I) and High Education (HE) institutions. 

We will implement innovative and inclusive measures to advance GEPs within 7 public BioMedical Research Performing organisations (RPOs) and one private BioMedical Research & Technology organisation (RTO), by putting in practice both intersectional and intersectoral approaches.

Through innovative measures and collaboration, we drive institutional change, promoting that diverse voices shape the future of biomedical science.

Objective 1

To assess partners’ existing GEPs and appraise existing key gender and intersectional challenges/inequalities and identify good practices.

Objective 2

To develop and execute inclusive pilot initiatives using a multi-stakeholder participatory approach through the co-design of solutions aimed at enhancing GEPs.

Objective 3

To assist enhance partners’ capacities through customized training, collaborative learning and mentoring programme.

Objective 4

To sustain a structured, enduring and wider commitment to foster inclusive institutional transformation and to adopt an intersectional and intersectoral approach to institutional change processes.

Objective 5

To ensure a networking and multiplying effect of the knowledge created and shared within the project activities.

Team & Partners

Our consortium brings together leading institutions, researchers, and organizations committed to inclusive gender equality. We collaborate across Europe to implement and scale transformative policies.
INCLUDE operates across 8 countries, engaging 11 institutions:

  1. Smart Venice – SV (IT) (Coordinators)
  2. University College London – UCL (UK)
  3. University of Hasselt – UH (BE)
  4. National Institute of Chemical Pharmaceutical Research & Development – ICCF (RO)
  5. MEDIREX a.s. – MDX (SK)
  6. Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas – IMBB (EL)
  7. PRISMA, Asociación para la diversidad afectivo-sexual y de género en Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación – PRISMA (ES)
  8. Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas / Vytautas Magnus University – VMU (LT)
  9. Riga Stradins University – RSU (LV)
  10. Barcelona Institute for Global Health – ISGlobal (ES)
  11. University of Coimbra – UC (PT)
include map partners

Advisory board

A diverse group of experts provides strategic guidance, ensuring the project remains at the forefront of inclusive and equitable research practices:

Elizabeth Villagomez

Elizabeth Villagomez has a PhD in Economics and 23 years of experience in developing, training, and applying gender-responsive budgeting in the EU and over 20 countries worldwide. She has worked with UN entities and agencies as well as with EIGE on this issue and has published several manuals and articles as well as collaborations in larger works. She was a Member of the Scientific Board of External Evaluators of the GENIS LAB FP 7 project (2012-2015) supporting the gender-responsive budgeting component.

Dörthe Nickel

Dörthe Nickel is an International Relations Officer at the Research centre Management of the Institut Curie. She is Co-Chair of the Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion working group at the EU-LIFE alliance. She has extensive experience in the field of gender equality in science. She was work package leader in the H2020 project LIBRA on the design and implementation of harmonised and tailored Gender Equality Plans. Previously, she has worked as head of a training centre for women in STEM and edited a journal for women seeking to work in technology and science. She holds a certificate as a gender mainstreaming expert.

Redi Koobak

Redi Koobak is Chancellor’s Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. She is a feminist cultural studies scholar and specialises in critical studies of post-colonial and post-socialist Europe. Her expertise includes global perspectives on gender, race, and sexuality, visual and art activism, transnational feminism, and the intersections between postcolonial and postsocialist feminist theorising and practice.

Figures & Facts

Gender inequality in leadership:

women hold only 23.6% of university leadership positions in the EU, highlighting persistent gender imbalances in decision-making roles.

Funding gaps:

women in biomedical research receive less research funding and are less frequently credited in scientific publications, contributing to career disparities.

Health impacts:

women and marginalized groups are underrepresented in biomedical research studies, leading to data gaps and poorer health outcomes for these populations.

Structural barriers:

Institutional biases, lack of gender-disaggregated data, and resistance to change hinder the implementation of effective gender equality policies.

Underrepresentation in research:

while women make up 59.7% of PhD holders in life sciences, they face vertical segregation and «leaky pipelines», with fewer advancing to senior positions.

Intersectional discrimination:

gender inequalities intersect with other factors like race; ethnicity; disability and/or functional diversity; affective, sexual and gender orientation; and socioeconomic status; creating additional barriers to inclusion.

Limited gender analysis in research:

fewer than 2% of EU biomedical research publications (2015–2019) included a gender analysis, reducing the effectiveness of medical innovations for diverse populations.

EU policy push:

the European Commission has made Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) mandatory for research institutions seeking Horizon Europe funding, reinforcing the need for systemic change.

FAQ

Answers to key questions about INCLUDE’s goals, activities, and how stakeholders can engage with the project:

It aims to drive institutional change by implementing innovative and inclusive measures to advance GEPs within 7 public BioMedical Research Performing organisations (RPOs) and one private BioMedical Research & Technology organisation (RTO), by putting in practice both intersectional and intersectoral approaches. Geographical inclusivity will also be promoted through a tailored approach to GEP implementation in 2 EU member states and 6 widening countries.

INCLUDE overall methodology relies on transposing, operationalising and adapting knowledge and tools generated from Social Sciences and Humanities to foster institutional change for inclusive Gender Equality in BioMedical Research centres: State-of-Art knowledge from gender/Intersectionality studies, sociology of the organization, political sciences, education studies will be at the backbone of the methodology thanks to the interdisciplinary consortium composition.

We consider that to develop a more inclusive GEP we need to take into account minorities, LGTBIQA+ community, disabilities, etc. Gender and minority equality measures can break down barriers that hinder certain groups’ access to opportunities in R&I and HE, thus fostering a more diverse talent pool and enhancing overall excellence.