Gender equality champions in Research and innovation 2025

On 3 February 2026, the European Commission announced the winners of the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions in R&I in 3 categories:

Category 1 - Sustainable Gender Equality Champion

• Bielefeld University, Germany, stands out for its over 30 years of dedication to gender equality,
• Open University of Catalonia, Spain, is notable for its 15+ years of sustained progress in promoting gender equality,

Category 2 - Newcomer Gender Equality Champions

• Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia, has made significant progress with its newly implemented Gender Equality Plan,
• Charles University, Czechia, is taking a comprehensive co-design approach, which involves stakeholder engagement across different phases of its Gender Equality Plan,

Category 3: Inclusive Champion

• University College Cork, Ireland, is pioneering intersectional equality through innovative programmes s like reverse mentoring for women facing multiple biases, etc.

This annual recognition prize was launched in 2022, and Its winners are selected by an independent expert jury for each prize category. Each winner receives a trophy and a €100 000 prize.

EC Press Release is here and detailed information on the prize here.