Support Package 5 - “Inclusive Gendered Innovation” - For Funders - Step 2

This step is about turning your programme goals into practical guidance. A well-designed call tells applicants what kind of innovation is supported, what counts as excellence, and how to align with expectations. It is also the point where applicants first encounter your organisation’s approach to inclusive gendered innovation and whether it is treated as an integral part of the programme.

Your main tools here are the call text, proposal templates, and any guidance materials you provide. These shape how applicants understand the purpose of the call, what information they include in their proposals, and how those proposals are later assessed. If gender and diversity in research content is not mentioned explicitly, it often won’t be addressed - not because applicants are unwilling, but because they assume it isn’t required.

Designing inclusive calls doesn’t mean adding more complexity. It means making inclusion part of the structure and intent of the call. That includes how the challenge is framed, whether it acknowledges diverse users, and how it signals that inclusive research design is part of innovation quality.

You can use different strategies to do this, depending on where your organisation is in the process:

Dedicated calls fully focus on inclusion-related challenges and give space to test tools and expectations.
Flagging inclusion as a desirable criterion within broader calls signals importance.
Mainstreaming embeds inclusion across all calls. This is the most consistent approach but requires coordination and internal capacities in RFOs.

A good place to start is by testing one approach in a specific call. Even a single sentence in the call objectives or evaluation criteria can start changeing applicants’ thinking. Including a prompt in the application form or providing field-specific examples helps them respond more meaningfully—especially in disciplines where inclusion is still new.

Use language that fits your target audience. If you’re addressing business-oriented actors in applied sectors, avoid abstract terms and connect inclusion to market relevance, innovation quality, or user responsiveness. This approach makes call texts more concrete and accessible .

Be clear that inclusion isn’t about team composition. It’s about research content: —whose needs are considered, and who benefits from the results.

To support applicants and reviewers, include assessment criteria that reflect this perspective. Based on our findings in the INSPIRE case studies and the European Commission’s practice, we recommend using both qualitative and quantitative criteria, such as:

The relevance of gender or other diversity dimensions to the research topic
The methods proposed to address those dimensions
Anticipated impact for different user groups or communities

Specific indicators have been suggested in a policy brief:

No. of Horizon Europe topics that refer explicitly to sex/gender analysis, including intersectional aspects when applicable
Percentage of the reviewers who have received training on sex/gender analysis and intersectionality provided by the EC
No. of panels that include at least one gender expert
Percentage of project proposals that refer to sex/gender and intersectional factors in their research objectives and/or abstracts
No. of scientific publications resulting from projects funded by Horizon Europe that highlight an inclusive gender analysis in R&I based on keywords
Case studies/success stories showcasing the integration of an inclusive gender analysis in R&I content, especially in STEM fields and innovation actions

Align language and expectations across your documents. When the call text, proposal template, and reviewer guidance all reinforce the same messages, applicants are more confident and proposals are easier to evaluate fairly.

After working through this step, you:

understand how call design influences whether and how applicants address inclusion
are able to signal expectations clearly through call objectives, structure, and templates
know when and how to include field-specific examples that make gender and diversity dimensions relevant and tangible
can adapt proposal formats to make space for applicants to reflect on gender and inclusion
feel more confident using the call itself as a tool to promote inclusive innovation practices

Our research and interviews with RFO staff show that several challenges tend to come up when designing programmes and allocating budgets with inclusion in mind:

Challenges:

IGI is not clearly required in the call text or templates: Applicants often assume it doesn’t apply to them, especially in sectors where gender and inclusion are not usually discussed.
Templates don’t create space for IGI reflection: Without a dedicated section in the proposal form, applicants have no clear place to address gender relevance or user diversity and reviewers have no basis to assess it.
Examples are too generic or missing: Applicants struggle to see what IGI looks like in their field. Vague or checkbox-style responses are common when examples are not tailored to the programme’s topic.
Calls emphasise technology or commercial goals only: When innovation is defined purely in technical or market terms, inclusion seems out of place or unrelated to excellence.
Internal inconsistencies confuse applicants: Even if IGI is a programme goal, it may not be reflected across templates, texts, or communication materials. This sends mixed signals and reduces uptake.

These challenges show how design details can reinforce or undermine your inclusion goals. Below are concrete actions RFOs have found useful for inclusive call design:

Actions:

Be explicit in your expectations: Clearly state in the call that reflections on gender and inclusion are expected where relevant. Link this to excellence and impact.
Include IGI prompts in templates: Make space for applicants to reflect on gender relevance and inclusive design in their proposals. A dedicated section or question encourages meaningful responses and gives reviewers a clear basis for assessment.
Use inclusive language throughout: Avoid gendered assumptions. Refer to diverse users, equitable impacts, and inclusive approaches.
Offer sector-specific examples: Provide simple examples to show what IGI looks like in the topic area. This helps applicants respond meaningfully.
Coordinate across documents: Make sure the call text, proposal template, applicant guidance, and reviewer instructions are aligned. Consistency helps clarify expectations and supports both applicants and evaluators.
Frame IGI as a quality feature: Show how IGI contributes to user relevance, societal impact, and innovation quality. This helps shift the view of inclusion from an obligation to an opportunity.

Here you find more support

The following resources support inclusive call design. They help you ensure that inclusion is clearly communicated, structurally embedded, and feasible for applicants to address.

Structuring Inclusive Calls

These resources help you define clear expectations, align internal processes, and reflect inclusion in your proposal templates and assessment criteria.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) Toolkit: Outlines how to integrate gender sensitivity into research funding procedures. Includes examples of inclusive call texts, proposal structures, and fair evaluation practices. This resource was developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality.
Guide from the Spanish Institute for Women: Provides hands-on guidance for public authorities to design calls that reduce gender inequalities. Includes practical examples and questions for aligning call objectives with gender goals. This resource was developed by Instituto de la Mujer, Spain.

Integrating IGI into thematic Areas

These materials offer field-specific examples and frameworks to help you tailor IGI expectations across research and innovation areas.

Gendered Innovations 2 – European Commission: A core EU reference showing how inclusive analysis improves research outcomes. Includes examples in health, AI, energy, and mobility. Supports development of call content, review criteria, and guidance for applicants. This resource was developed by the European Commission.
Checklist for Gender-Sensitive Research – EQUAL4EUROPE: A practical checklist for assessing gender relevance in research proposals. Helpful for designing application forms or guiding applicant reflection. This resource was developed by the EQUAL4EUROPE project.

Additional Resources to use for your Calls:

These materials help you provide applicants with the clarity and confidence to respond to IGI expectations — especially when inclusion is new in your funding context.

Best Practices in Equity and Inclusion – SSHRC Canada: Offers inclusive proposal language, examples of strong equity commitments, and evaluation tips. Helps you create clear and encouraging applicant guidance. Developed by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Proposal Guidelines: IGI – J-PAL / Poverty Action Lab: Provides step-by-step instructions for applicants on how to design inclusive projects and reflect on user needs. Useful when you want to offer a structured entry point for IGI without prescribing a fixed model.
Framework for Integration and Evaluation of Sex and Gender - European Commission: Presents a structured model to support funders in embedding inclusive gender analysis in research content. Includes policy guidance and criteria for designing calls, proposal templates, and evaluation tools.
Review of Irish Research Council Gender Strategy: Provides critical reflections on how programme design choices — such as call text clarity, flexibility, or evaluation forms — shape gender integration. Shares what worked well and where adjustments were needed to support applicants and reviewers.