EIT FOOD GENDER ACTION PLAN 2025-2027

The Gender Action Plan for EIT Food is based on the core values of EIT Food Gender Mainstreaming Policy:

• caring for all,

• making things accessible for all,

• recognizing the strengths of all.

The process of shaping the new GAP 2025–2027 followed the co-definition of the EIT Food’s core organisational values, which underpin its culture:

• Innovative - With clear evidence that diversity enhances innovation, EIT Food aims to lead in promoting inclusive innovation in the agrifood sector.

• Inclusive - By making its activities accessible to all who wish to engage, EIT Food demonstrates its commitment to an inclusive transformation of the food system.

• Collaborative - In the spirit of breaking down silos and operating as a unified organisation, EIT Food

encourages collaboration among all employees, partners and collaborators, irrespective

of background, gender, age, or area of expertise.

• Constructive - To contribute meaningfully to an inclusive food system, EIT Food promotes equity and diversity both internally and externally, ensuring the organisation remains accessible and inclusive.

These values reflect EIT Food’s explicit commitment to inclusivity—particularly relevant in the context of increasing resistance to DEI initiatives. By embedding inclusion into its practices, cocreating solutions that are relevant to all, and striving for long-term societal impact, EIT Food reinforces its role in building an inclusive European innovation ecosystem for food systems. It is also important to further align the D&I and gender mainstreaming efforts across all EIT Food offices and regions where EIT Food is providing its services.

The European Commission has taken steps to advance gender equality across EU Research and Innovation (R&I) Programmes. This priority forms part of the Horizon Europe Programme, which explicitly addresses gender disparities in innovation, technology and research. There are three key objectives aimed at promoting equal opportunities for women and men within the European innovation landscape:

• Improving gender balance across the programme, with a target of 50% female representation on Horizon Europe-related boards, expert groups and evaluation committees (compared to 40% in evaluation panels and expert groups, and 50% in advisory groups under Horizon 2020). Gender balance within research teams is also used as a criterion when ranking proposals with the same score.

• From 2022, a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) became a mandatory eligibility criterion for public sector bodies, research organisations and higher education institutions.

• Integrating the gender dimension into R&I content (i.e. sex and/or gender analysis) is now a default requirement, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the topic description. This is assessed under the 'excellence' evaluation criterion.

As part of the EIT Community, and partially funded through Horizon Europe, EIT Food is committed to advancing the gender equality objectives outlined in the programme. As the first Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) to adopt both a Gender Mainstreaming Policy and a Gender Action Plan (in 2021), EIT Food continues to play a leading role in promoting gender mainstreaming and wider diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the EIT Community.

In alignment with participatory policy-making approaches, EIT Food integrated elements of participatory and service design into the development of its Gender Action Plan (GAP) for 2025–2027. To begin with, an evaluation of the 2020–2024 Gender Action Plan was commissioned in 2024 to assess the achievement of Gender Mainstreaming Policy objectives. This evaluation provided a robust impact assessment of actions taken over the past four years and offered recommendations for the upcoming programming period. Building on these findings, the cocreation of the new GAP 2025–2027 took place between January and May 2025. This process involved desk research, co-creation workshops, and interviews, with the goal of analysing the current state of gender equality practices in the agrifood sector, identifying gender-related challenges within EIT Food, and designing targeted actions and solutions to address the identified gaps.

The objectives and structure of the new EIT Food GAP were informed by the EIT Gender Equality Action Plan 2025–2027, which served as a key reference point.

The goal of the EIT Food Gender Action Plan 2025-2027 is to continue implementing the vision and objectives set in the EIT Food Gender Mainstreaming Policy by taking actions in various areas of EIT Food. The delivery of the plan and progress against its aims and objectives will be regularly assessed and reported on an annual basis. Ongoing review of findings and progress will also provide space for learning and feedback to enable adjustments and improvements to interventions.

As part of its commitment to gender mainstreaming and to the values of diversity and inclusion, the EMT has appointed a Gender and Diversity Senior Manager, who will work closely with the EMT, leadership, HR and representatives of all portfolios. Specific tasks requiring additional support and expertise will be delivered by external subcontractors based on the allocated budget.

EIT Food has an ambition to implement GAP at all levels of organization and in activities carried out within its frames. Successful implementation of Gender Action Plan requires consistent and active participation by all EIT Food staff at all levels. Responsibilities and actions require collaboration and effective linkages across departments and units.

Senior management and leadership will be responsible for:

• overseeing the implementation and monitoring process;

• aligning the gender mainstreaming policy with general KIC strategy and Impact Pathways;

• supporting persons responsible for introducing and deploying specific activities (especially Gender and Diversity Senior Manager and HR Manager) in communicating the gender mainstreaming process to EIT Food employees;

• securing enough human and financial resources to perform the Gender Mainstreaming Policy and GAP;

• communicating the gender mainstreaming policy values to agrifood community within and beyond EIT Food.

Programme and Project Managers will be responsible for:

• including gender perspective in designing and performing the activities within respective KAVAs;

• reporting on gender disaggregated data according to the EIT Food data collection strategy

• understanding impact of their activities with regard to influence on gender equity;

• implementing specific actions assigned to them within the Gender Action Plan;

• communicating the gender mainstreaming policy values to agrifood community within and beyond EIT Food.

All EIT Food employees and contractors are part of this gender mainstreaming process aimed at cultivating inclusive organizational culture, which allows everyone in EIT Food to grow regardless of their age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, race and disability.