The Plan is a step towards accelerating the implementation of one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – Goal 5: 'Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls'.
The Plan aligns with the main objectives of the EU regarding the priorities of the European Commission (EC) Strategy for Equality between Women and Men for the period 2020–2025.
Gender equality in the field of research and innovation has been a key priority in policies related to the building of the European Research Area (ERA) since its launch in 2000, aiming to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and career development of women researchers and to eliminate gender imbalances in decision-making. This priority is maintained in the EC's plans for the new ERA, based on excellence. The new ERA will place greater emphasis on women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and will encourage entrepreneurship.
The Plan reflects the guidelines of the European Institute for Gender Equality for the development and implementation of such plans, as set out in a special guide called the GEAR tool. It is consistent with the principles formulated in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, as well as the requirements for research organisations and higher education institutions regarding these plans, as provided for in the design of the new EU research and innovation funding programme, Horizon Europe.
The development of this Plan is motivated by a number of specific EU priorities for the development of universities in Europe, and the EC's leading recommendations for strengthening gender equality policies in universities are outlined in the report 'Towards a Vision for the Future of Universities in Europe by 2030'.
