D3.10 Report on an inclusive innovation system for the private sector: business enterprise perspective

This deliverable, developed under the Horizon Europe-funded INSPIRE project, examines how
gender and intersectional considerations can be effectively embedded into innovation processes in
the private sector, responding to the longstanding European policy ambition to nurture inclusive
innovation ecosystems. Despite earlier efforts, the uptake of gendered innovations approach in the
Business Enterprise Sector (BES) remains limited, and the reasons for this have remained poorly
understood. Furthermore, most evidence on implementing a gendered innovations approach comes
from the efforts to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into research content, rather than into
technologies at more mature stages of readiness, or in the private sector more generally.

Addressing this knowledge gap, this report presents findings from four pioneering policies that
supported inclusive gendered innovation in companies: Norm-critical innovation (Vinnova, Sweden),
FEMtech Research Projects (FFG, Austria), HORIZON 2020 Gender Flagging (European
Commission, EU), and Funding of Innovation Projects (FONRID, Burkina Faso). These policies
represent diverse models of public funding of gendered innovations. Mobilising a case study
approach, we analysed the design and implementation of the policies, as well as the experiences of
BES beneficiaries of applying for and implementing gendered innovation projects. Strategies, barriers,
and challenges were analysed alongside with the outputs and longer-term outcomes of projects.

The findings of this research are available in two parts of the D3.10 deliverable. This report focuses
on the business enterprise perspective, approaching gendered innovations as a collective effort of
innovation ecosystem actors to create change, with the steering and resourcing provided by Research
Funding Organisations (RFOs). Centering the perspectives of BES actors, especially companies, is
critical in understanding how adoption of inclusive gendered innovations approaches in BES can be
improved. Our sister report, “D3.10 An inclusive innovation system for the private sector: Research
funder perspective” (Helene Schiffbänker et al, 2025), focuses on the analysis of conditions necessary
to design and implement inclusive gendered innovation policies in RFOs. Individual case study reports
provide additional detail and are published in the Zenodo repository of the INSPIRE project.

Participation in gendered innovation programmes is an uncertain, costly and complex process, which
can challenge companies in multiple ways. Nevertheless, a successful integration of the gender
dimension in innovation process can result in better quality products, open access to new market
segments, expand customer base and improve competitive advantage of companies, creating
tangible economic as well as societal outcomes. Gendered innovation projects create new products,
tools and methodologies, facilitated by capacity-building and other support from RFOs, and close
collaboration among consortium partners. Nevertheless, ensuring longer-term sustainability of project
outcomes, learning and diffusion of knowledge in the broader ecosystem remains a challenge, with
few mechanisms currently available to facilitate further development and scaling.

Addressing the needs of everyone, inclusive gendered innovations have the potential to strengthen
Europe's innovative power and competitiveness. To fully realise this potential, it is imperative to
transition the concept from an academic domain into a value-adding practice within innovation
ecosystems. Achieving this will require systemic, sustained, and coordinated efforts across RFOs and
private sector actors, fostering a culture where diversity and inclusion are key drivers of excellence
and impact within European and global innovation landscapes.