Support packages provide a flexible but standardised way to offer high-quality support to gender equality practitioners. Support packages combine reusable materials with on-demand support elements (e.g., expert advice). This mixed approach is the key to offer high impact yet scalable support on five thematic areas:
- Setting up a Community of Practice (CoP) for equality work
- Setting up an inclusive Gender Equality Plan (iGEP)
- Boosting Impact
- Sustaining and deepening change
- Improving quality and equality in R&I
This Support Package seeks to motivate and guide the creation and development of Communities of Practice (CoPs) that encourage and strengthen the design, implementation and evaluation of inclusive gender equality plans and policies in universities and research centers.
INSPIRE CoPs have to request SPkg resources by: January 2026. Funds must be utilised by CoPs: March 2026
The second INSPIRE Support Package aims at assisting individuals, organizations, and communities in fostering inclusive gender equality. It acknowledges that gender equality goes beyond binary perspectives and encompasses diverse identities and challenges. It offers insights and strategies to integrate diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality into gender equality policies, providing practical guides, toolkits, educational materials, and best practices. The goal is to empower users with knowledge and tools to create inclusive spaces in research and innovation environments.
INSPIRE CoPs have to request SPkg resources by: January 2026. Funds must be utilised by CoPs: March 2026
Support Package 3 helps CoPs maximise their impact by providing guidance on effective and inclusive communication and dissemination activities. This includes defining communication strategies, creating action plans, translating results into engaging narratives, and producing culturally sensitive visual materials.
INSPIRE CoPs have to request SPkg resources by: January 2026. Funds must be utilised by CoPs: March 2026
The fourth Support Package addresses three key components of sustaining and deepening change: 1) supporting monitoring and evaluation efforts of inclusive Gender Equality Plans, 2) integrating intersectionality in IGEPs, and 3) addressing backlash in work concerning IGEPs . For this reason, it mainly targets CoPs who have organisational members with at least one GEP lifecycle implemented.
Planned to be available in a first version: May 2025
INSPIRE CoPs have to request SPkg resources by: January 2026. Funds must be utilised by CoPs: March 2026
Support Package 5 (SPKg 5) aims to implement Inclusive Gendered Innovation (IGI) and Policies (IGIP) in research and innovation systems. It emphasises the importance of integrating sex, gender, and intersectional perspectives into research content and funding procedures for ethical reasons and to enhance innovation quality, social impact, and competitiveness. The package provides practical guidance for Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) to systematically embed IGI throughout their funding cycles, offering steps and examples for each stage. Additionally, it highlights key considerations for implementing inclusive gendered innovation in research projects, supporting stakeholders in translating IGIP principles into action.
INSPIRE CoPs have to request SPkg resources by: January 2026. Funds must be utilised by CoPs: March 2026.