Gender Equality as a driver of research excellence: Reflections from the ATHENA Final Events

From a high-level Policy Event at the European Parliament hosted by MEP Paulo Nascimento Cabral, to a vibrant Final Conference bringing together researchers, institutions, and policy leaders — the ATHENA project marked the successful conclusion of its journey with two meaningful events. These events have not only been an opportunity to celebrate ATHENA’s achievements, but also to call for joint actions to fully achieve gender equality in research and innovation.

Over the last four years, ATHENA has stood at the forefront of implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) across Europe, including in smaller, younger, and geographically remote research-performing and funding organisations. Our work aimed to embed structural change and foster an inclusive European Research Area where diversity is a strength and equality is a standard.

Despite the project is about to finalize its activities, we are far from the end and rather at a new beginning. ATHENA commitment continues, and our momentum grows stronger to sustain the key messages and mandates from our events.

Across both events, participants reflected on critical lessons, shared visions for the future and formulated key messages echoing across institutions, borders, and disciplines:

What’s next

In the coming weeks, we will publish two detailed event reports capturing the main outcomes of the Policy Event and the Final Conference, including key interventions, recommendations, and resources.

You can check our developed policy briefs in discussion at the Policy Event:

Policy Brief 1: Measuring Success: Gender Equality as a Performance Driver in Research

This brief highlights that gender equality is not only a social imperative but also a catalyst for research excellence. It calls for increased awareness among policymakers and the research community on the link between equality and performance, and advocates for the systematic collection and analysis of gender-related data to evaluate the impact of GEPs.

> Read here.

Policy Brief 2: Policy Brief 2: Gender Equality Strategies in Smaller, Younger, or Remote Research-Performing Organisations

Focusing on the unique challenges of emerging and geographically remote institutions, this brief provides evidence-based recommendations to address limited resources, institutional isolation, and cultural barriers. It advocates for inclusive policy frameworks that ensure no research organisation is left behind in the pursuit of gender equality.

> Read here.