The KSH2 ‘Widening Participation’ aims to transform gender equality within Research and Innovation (R&I) organisations across Europe and Latin America by supporting the creation of Inclusive Gender Equality Plans (IGEPs). By focusing on critical reflection and building on past experiences, KSH2 seeks to develop support strategies tailored to specific social and political contexts, thereby institutionalising comprehensive inclusive gender equality policies.

KSH2’s objectives include gathering and developing knowledge on gender equality institutionalisation processes, stimulating debates on policy changes, and encouraging cooperation through Communities of Practice (CoPs). These CoPs will provide platforms for debate, exchange, and networking, supporting institutions at various stages of GEP implementation. Additionally, KSH2 will offer comprehensive support tools, such as data analysis, the Gender Equality Audit and Monitoring (GEAM) tool, and participatory methods for GEP design and implementation.

The KSH2 targets gender equality practitioners and decision-makers in R&I organisations, aiming to foster inclusive and sustainable gender equality frameworks. Key activities include supporting CoPs with INSPIRE support packages, conducting research and case studies on GEPs and Equality-Diversity-Inclusion (EDI) policies, and organizing events for knowledge sharing. KSH2 will also ensure local and regional perspectives are represented in discussions on inclusive gender equality policies.

Furthermore, KSH2 will examine the impact of regional policy incentives, like the Horizon Europe GEP eligibility criterion, and address challenges posed by right-wing backlash and the “anti-gender” movement. This comprehensive approach will culminate in a detailed analysis and publication, encapsulating insights and findings to guide future gender equality initiatives in R&I sectors across Europe and Latin America.

KSH2 supports the work on inclusive gender equality of three Communities of Practice: WIGE, LAC and UNIGEM. Let's see what each of them is about: 

1. The Widening Inclusion and Gender Equality Community of Practice (WIGE CoP) comprises members located in Central, Southeast, and Eastern Europe, specifically in EU Widening and associated countries. More specifically, CoP members come from the Gender Equality in Central and Eastern Europe (GEinCEE) CoP, which has been created as a part of the Horizon 2020 Project ACT (2018-2021), partner institutions from the Horizon Europe Project NEXUS (2023-2025), as well as the members of the Romanian Research Consortium for Gender Equality (RRCGE) established in 2023.  Member organizations are in different stages of developing and implementing inclusive Gender Equality Plans (IGEPs) and are exchanging and seeking expertise in these processes. Beside general issues of designing, implementing and monitoring IGEPs, the WIGE CoP members will work on more specific areas of data monitoring, preventing gender-based violence, fostering work-life balance and gender balance in leadership as well as integration of the sex/gender dimension in research and teaching.
2. The Latin American Community of Practice (LAC CoP), coordinated by the UNESCO Regional Chair on Women in Science and Technology in Latin America at FLACSO Argentina and led by Prof. Gloria Bonder, includes researchers, policy planners, and evaluators from prestigious universities in countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and Peru. With members experienced from the ACT on Gender Project (2019-2021), which produced significant publications on gender equality in universities, the LAC CoP fosters extensive exchanges and collaborative practices on designing, implementing, and evaluating Inclusive Gender Equality Plans (IGEPs). It aims to deepen issues relevant to the INSPIRE Project, promoting the integration of gender and intersectionality in higher education, disseminating knowledge, and analyzing strategies to sustain achieved changes.
3. The UNIGEM Community of Practice is a multilateral collaborative network consisting of 20 public and private universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, and one non-governmental organisation. The network consists of representatives of the partner institutions, who started cooperating within the project “University and Gender Mainstreaming” (UNIGEM), lasting from 2021 to 2025, led by the NGO TPO Foundation (Sarajevo, BH) and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom. UNIGEM’s aims are to (1) establish gender mainstreaming policy and mechanisms at the partner institution, (2) strengthen academic exchange in the region of former Yugoslavia and with international experts, (3) empower and sensitize university structures for dealing with gender-based violence and sexual harassment. As a CoP UNIGEM plans to continue organizing common training and education, as well as issuing joint research publications.

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By: 

Ewelina Ciaputa, Ewa Krzaklewska, Marta Warat, Paulina Sekuła (Jagiellonian University)

Jovana Mihajlović Trbovc, Tjaša Cankar, Iva Kosmos, Ana Hofman, Tanja Petrović, Martin Pogačar (ZRC-SAZU)

Gloria Bonder (FLACSO Argentina)