Building inclusive research organisations: How to use a data-driven approach to designing, implementing & sustaining Gender Equality Plans

The MINDtheGEPs White Book Building inclusive research organisations: How to use a data-driven approach to designing, implementing & sustaining Gender Equality Plans provides a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for designing, implementing, and sustaining Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in research-performing organizations (RPOs) across Europe. Developed within the Horizon 2020 MINDtheGEPs project, the document draws on lessons learned from seven partner institutions in five countries with traditional gender regimes—Italy, Poland, Ireland, Spain, and Serbia—spanning universities, public research bodies, and private sector R&D centers.

The White Book promotes systemic institutional transformation by addressing gender inequality at three interconnected levels: the individual (micro), organizational (meso), and cultural/policy (macro). Central to its approach is the shift from “fixing the women” to “fixing the system,” recognizing that lasting change requires restructuring institutional norms, governance, and practices rather than adapting women to pre-existing models of academic excellence and productivity. The document embraces feminist theoretical frameworks and intersectionality to analyze how structural barriers— such as the ideal of the “unconditional worker”—continue to marginalize not only women, but also other underrepresented groups in research environments.

Through extensive qualitative and quantitative data collection, participatory workshops, interviews, and comparative policy analysis, the project developed a stepwise approach to GEP implementation. Key pillars include: data-driven assessment and monitoring, participatory governance structures, dedicated training and capacity-building initiatives, strategic communication, and evaluation mechanisms designed to ensure long-term impact. The White Book also outlines methods for aligning GEPs with EU policy requirements, particularly the five mandatory thematic areas: work-life balance and organizational culture; gender balance in leadership and decision-making; gender equality in recruitment and career progression; integration of the gender dimension in research and teaching; and prevention of gender-based violence and sexual harassment.

As a practical guide, the White Book offers actionable recommendations, tools, and checklists aimed at practitioners, policy makers, and institutional leaders committed to building more inclusive, equitable, and effective research and academic institutions. By leveraging data, stakeholder engagement, and context-sensitive strategies,  MINDtheGEPs provides a model for embedding gender equality as a core value and operational principle across Europe’s research and innovation landscape. 

The design and the concept of this document have been a collaborative effort of the MINDtheGEPs research consortium that meet in a dedicated workshop in Rome on 23th and 24 January 2025.