D3.10 Innovation Case Study 2: FEMtech Research Projects

The production of knowledge in research and innovation (R&I) has been shown to be gendered. Research funding organisations (RFOs) have introduced various policies to counteract biases in R&I processes. Within INSPIRE WP3.6, we analysed policies that foster inclusive innovation by integrating gender and intersectionality (IGI), particularly targeting the Business Enterprise Sector (BES). Case studies were developed for policies implemented by Vinnova (Sweden), the European Commission, and FONRID (Burkina Faso) as well as by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). 

This report focuses on FEMtech Research Projects (FRPs), implemented by the national RFO FFG. From 2008 to 2023, FFG funded nine calls for technology-oriented projects explicitly addressing gender and intersectionality, before the approach was mainstreamed into general innovation funding schemes. This long period enabled policy learning, supported by accompanying evaluations, and this was the main reason to select FRP as case study.