How can research and innovation projects move beyond gender balance and contribute to meaningful organisational change? 

On 14 October 2026, , from 10:00 to 12:00 CET, the Horizon Europe project BOOST-IN will host the open webinar “Promoting Gender Equality in Research & Innovation: From Organisational Change to Good Practices”, bringing together experiences and practical approaches to integrating gender equality into research, innovation and organisational practices. 

Registration is open, click here to register.

The webinar is part of BOOST-IN’s ongoing commitment to gender mainstreaming and inclusive innovation. It will provide a space for researchers, R&I project managers, universities, research organisations, companies, public authorities, policymakers and other interested professionals to exchange experiences and identify practices that can be transferred across the R&I ecosystem. 

From gender balance to meaningful change 

Gender equality in research and innovation goes beyond achieving balanced participation. It also requires looking at how organisations work, how decisions are made, how stakeholders are engaged and how research and innovation activities are designed and implemented. 

Throughout the project, BOOST-IN has treated gender as a cross-cutting dimension, supported by a dedicated Gender Committee, gender-sensitive monitoring and specific awareness and visibility actions. 

This approach has enabled the consortium not only to monitor representation and participation, but also to reflect on inclusiveness, potential barriers and biases, stakeholder engagement and the role that gender considerations can play in strengthening the relevance and impact of R&I activities. 

The October webinar will build on this experience and broaden the discussion by connecting BOOST-IN with other European initiatives and organisational experiences. 

Three perspectives, one shared challenge 

The webinar will bring together three complementary perspectives: 

  • The BOOST-IN experience, sharing how gender mainstreaming has been integrated into a Horizon Europe project, including achievements, lessons learned and areas where further progress is still possible. 
  • Experience from PLOTINA or related initiatives, exploring methodologies and practical strategies for integrating gender equality into research organisations and supporting institutional change. 
  • An external organisational perspective, presenting concrete practices, challenges and lessons from implementing gender equality measures within an organisation involved in research and innovation. 

Rather than focusing only on commitments or targets, the discussion will explore what works in practice, what barriers organisations continue to encounter and what conditions can enable meaningful and lasting change. 

Sharing practices that can be replicated

The webinar aims to provide participants with practical examples and transferable lessons that can support gender mainstreaming within their own projects and organisations. 

It will also create space for discussion around some key questions: How can gender equality become embedded in organisational practices and governance? What can European R&I projects test and learn that can later be transferred to organisations? How can stakeholder engagement and institutional culture become more inclusive? And what can we learn from both successful experiences and persistent challenges? 

By connecting different perspectives, BOOST-IN aims to contribute to a broader exchange of good practices that can be replicated across the European research and innovation ecosystem. 

The event builds on BOOST-IN’s wider gender mainstreaming work, which has included monitoring gender-sensitive indicators, promoting inclusive stakeholder participation and increasing the visibility of women innovators working on water and circular economy solutions.