Deadline Date: September 29, 2026
The European Commission is currently accepting applications to support organisations in implementing Gender Equality Plans and advancing inclusive gender equality policies within the European Research Area.
The focus areas include recognition of organisations that demonstrate the most significant impact from implementing their Gender Equality Plans and strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the European Research Area. The prize categories include Sustainable Gender Equality Champions, which recognise organisations with a sustained record of achievement through Gender Equality Plan implementation; Newcomer Gender Equality Champions, which recognise organisations without a sustained history of gender equality activity that have recently completed their first Gender Equality Plan and demonstrate the most progress achieved; and Inclusive Gender Equality Champions, which recognise organisations that have developed innovative inclusive Gender Equality Plans addressing intersectionality across gender and at least two other social categories such as racial or ethnic origin, social origin, sexual orientation and gender identity, or disability, and can demonstrate concrete results from implementation.
The award is designed as a complementary mechanism to the Gender Equality Plans eligibility criterion under Horizon Europe and contributes to the objectives of the ERA Policy Agenda.
The total funding available for the prize is €400,000, and it will be awarded to four organisations across the categories.
Eligible applicants must be legal entities, including private entities or public bodies such as research organisations and higher education establishments, established in eligible countries. Eligible countries include EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), non-EU countries associated with Horizon Europe, and candidate countries for EU accession.
Applicants must have attached the current Gender Equality Plan and any relevant related plan, ensuring compliance with Horizon Europe requirements. For Category 2 applicants, organisations must have completed the implementation phase of their first Gender Equality Plan by the call closure date and must not have prior sustained institutional gender equality strategies or policies.
Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize for the same activities are not eligible to apply again.
For more information, visit European Commission.
