Technology Centre Prague and Charles University invite you to the event “MASTERING Horizon Europe Projects: Simplification, Management and Controls.”

Date: 15 June 2026, 10:00–16:00 CET
Venue: Charles University, Celetná 20, Prague 1
Format: In-person only

This event is intended for:

• Research managers and administrators of Horizon Europe projects
• Researchers at any career stage
• Institutions engaged in international research cooperation

This event will provide valuable insights into key aspects of Horizon Europe project management, including:

• Practical aspects of lump sum projects (preparation, implementation, audits, and controls)
• Implementation of ongoing projects (reporting, amendments, and obligations)
• Financial audits: how to prepare and avoid common mistakes
• Updates on the Funding & Tenders Portal
• Interactive discussion with speakers from the European Commission
• Networking opportunities with experts in European research

Speakers:

• Alison Imire (European Commission, DG RTD)
• Sara Capruzzi (European Commission, DG RTD)
• Harald Schmid (European Commission, Common Audit Service)

 Participants are welcome to submit questions via  Slido and to vote for those of gratest interest.

 Further details and registration are available here

One of the pillars of social security and another theme that permeates the activities of higher education institutions across education, research, their social impact, and the workplace is the promotion of gender equality. 

What exactly does gender equality mean?

For example, in the handbook *How to Bring About Change: Gender Equality in Research Institutions*, published by the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, readers can learn the meanings of several important terms. The terms “sex” and “gender” are often confused or incorrectly conflated. While sex refers to biologically determined differences between men and women—including physiological differences such as variations in sexual organs and reproductive capabilities, different chromosomal configurations, or hormonal systems, as well as, for example, muscular structure—gender refers to social differences between women and men that are learned. Gender refers to what is perceived in society as feminine and what as masculine. Although gender is often based on biological sex, it is a category that changes depending on the situation: place, time, culture, and individual choice. Gender roles stem from gender. These are a set of explicit and implicit rules governing the behavior and conduct of women and men and the relationships between them. Within gender roles, women and men are assigned different abilities, priorities, duties, and responsibilities. Gender roles are formed and reinforced within social institutions (family, school, workplace). They are linked to gender stereotypes that we acquire through socialization from childhood, internalize, and apply to ourselves and others. 

Our goal is to help shape an environment that promotes gender equality. By this, we mean a state in which individuals, regardless of sex or gender, can freely develop their personal abilities and make decisions without the constraints imposed by culturally and socially constructed gender roles (and the associated stereotypes). To ensure this, it is important not only to provide equal conditions but also to consider and balance factors that may affect women and men differently (e.g., household management, wage earner).

The Gender Equality Plan serves as a tool for systematically addressing gender (in)equality within an institution, bringing about structural and cultural changes. 

The Gender Equality Plan represents an explicit commitment by the institution to promote gender equality and is part of its human resources management strategy. Starting in 2022, research institutions applying for funding from Horizon Europe must implement Gender Equality Plans. 

 For a document to be considered a Gender Equality Plan, the following minimum requirements must be met from the European Commission’s perspective:

• publication: a formal document published on the institution’s website and endorsed by senior management;
• dedicated resources: allocation of resources and expertise in the field of gender equality for the implementation of the plan;
• data collection and monitoring: data on employees (and students, if the institution has them) broken down by gender, and annual reports based on established indicators;
• training: awareness-raising/training on gender equality and unconscious gender biases for employees and decision-makers.

The plan should also cover the following recommended areas:

1. work-life balance and organizational culture,
2. gender balance in leadership and decision-making,
3. gender equality in recruitment and career advancement,
4. incorporation of the gender dimension into research and teaching content,
5. measures against gender-based violence, including sexual harassment.

In addition to these recommended areas, the current USB Gender Equality Plan for 2025–2028 also includes an organizational and administrative area covering cross-cutting and operational activities.

The National Contact Centre – Gender & Science provides a comprehensive overview of efforts to promote gender equality in research, as well as support for research organizations and government agencies in advancing gender equality in science and research. In addition to consultations and in-house training, they provide studies, handbooks, and project outputs addressing the impact of gender inequality and the options available to institutions for implementing effective measures to foster a safe environment. Those interested can take an e-learning course.

Why is it important to consider equal opportunities in a gender perspective? And why is gender equality one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the achievement of which is part of the United Nations (UN) agenda that USB is implementing through its Strategy for Sustainability and Green Transformation? And that gender (in)equality is a cross-cutting issue that affects the achievement of these goals? You can learn about this and more, for example, in the free e-learning courses offered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Academy.

Strategic documents and policy-making in the area of gender equality are coordinated directly by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic; specifically, the Government Council for Gender Equality has been established, which serves as the government’s primary advisory body in this area. 

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) develops its own activities based on the MEYS Plan for the Support of Women and Men for 2021–2024, which takes into account the promotion of gender equality both within the social policies for which the MŠMT is responsible and within its own organization.

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic also systematically addresses the topic of gender in research and innovation. On its website, it provides clear information on news and research and shares methodologies, guides, and tips for researchers.

The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GA CR), the largest provider of financial support for basic research, has required since 2023 that a gender equality plan be submitted as one of the evaluation criteria for participation in calls for proposals for all types of projects, with a single exception. Exempt from this requirement are international grant projects evaluated under the Lead Agency principle, in which the GA CR acts as a partner agency (LA grants). The requirement for a gender equality plan now appears as a mandatory item in the proposal section and subsequently in the evaluation section. 

The European Horizon Europe framework program is based on the requirements of the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy for 2020–2025 (Union of Equality), which is followed by EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, and the objectives of the new European Research Area. Through its conditions, Horizon Europe emphasizes the strengthening of gender equality across member states, including in the field of research and development. The established goals include:

• involving more women in research and development programs;
• improving the integration of the gender dimension into research and development content;
• strengthening the participation of Central and Eastern European countries in promoting gender equality within research organizations;
• expanding equality policies in research and development to include an intersectional approach that also considers other grounds for potential discrimination, such as age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

Within the Horizon Europe program, gender equality is treated as a cross-cutting theme across all its components to minimize gender and socioeconomic inequalities in research and development systems. Attention will also be paid to unconscious biases and structural barriers.

Cooperation partnerships (KA220 Erasmus+) are international cooperation projects aimed at enhancing the quality, innovation and relevance of higher education through strategic cooperation among institutions from different Erasmus+ Programme countries. 

Project priorities

A project must address at least:

• 1 horizontal (cross-cutting) priority
  
  • Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sport,
  • Environment and the fight against climate change,
  • Addressing the digital transformation through the development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity,
  • Common values, civic engagement and participation,
    
    
• and/or 1 specific priority
  • Rewarding excellence in education, teaching and skills development,
  • Promoting STEM fields and women´s participation in STEM,
  • Supporting interlinked higher education systems,
  • Supporting cooperation between higher education istitutions and their Ukrainian counterparts in response to the war in Ukraine. 

Main objectives:

• Development and implementation of innovative educational practices, teaching methods and tools,
• Strengthening the institutional capacity of higher education institutions for international cooperation,
• Addressing common challenges in higher education at the European level,
• Enhancing the internationalisation of study programmes and teaching. 

Participating organisations: minimum of 3 organisations from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkyie)

Project duration: 12 to 36 months

Funding (lump-sum grant) - applicants choose one of the following fixed amounts:

• EUR 120 000 
• EUR 250 000
• EUR 400 000

Projects applications are submitted via the National Agency - the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research, in the form of an electronic form.