EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 | €400,000 Prize for Research and Innovation Organisations

Overview

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions honors institutions that have achieved meaningful and lasting progress in institutional gender equality. Established by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, the award highlights strategies that foster structural and cultural transformation within the European research and innovation sector.

The 2026 edition features three categories:

• Sustainable Gender Equality Champions: Recognises one organisation with a strong long-term record of structural change through its Gender Equality Plan (GEP).
• Newcomer Gender Equality Champions: Celebrates two institutions that recently implemented their first GEP and demonstrated notable progress.
• Inclusive Gender Equality Champions: Honours one pioneering institution that integrates gender equality with at least two other social dimensions, such as racial or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, or social origin.

Benefits

The initiative features a total prize pool of €400,000 distributed among four winning organisations. Beyond financial support, successful institutions receive high-profile international recognition for their institutional equality achievements during an award ceremony in Brussels.

Eligibility

Applications are open to universities, higher education institutions, and research organisations that conduct research and innovation. Eligible entities must be established in:

• EU Member States
• Associated Countries
• Countries holding EU candidate status

Please note that past winners are ineligible to apply, and each organisation may submit to only one category.

How to Apply

Interested organisations must review the official Rules of Contest and submit their applications electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Deadline

The final deadline to submit applications is 29 September 2026.