1 Purpose and Commitment
XEETI is committed to promoting equal opportunities for all employees, ensuring a fair, inclusive, and respectful workplace.
This Gender Equality Plan (GEP) reflects our values and our compliance with the Horizon Europe framework requirement that all participating organisations should adopt a public, formally adopted GEP.
As an SME, we believe that gender equality enhances creativity, innovation, and productivity, helping us attract and retain diverse talent while strengthening our research and innovation outcomes.
2 Compliance with Horizon Europe Requirements
XEETI Gender Equality Plan (GEP) has been formally approved by management and is publicly available on our company website through a permanent URL. To ensure effective implementation, a Gender Equality Officer (Ms Despoina Petsani) and a diversity working group have been appointed, both of whom are allocated dedicated working hours and hold annual review meetings to monitor progress.
We collect gender-disaggregated data each year, covering areas such as recruitment, job roles, pay, promotions, and participation in research and innovation (R&I) activities. In addition, all employees participate in annual training sessions focused on gender equality, unconscious bias, and inclusive behaviour, promoting a respectful and equitable workplace culture.
Finally, this plan is endorsed by senior management and fully integrated into our human resources and R&I policies, reflecting the institution’s long-term commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
3 Objectives
The following macro objectives have been identified by the management of XEETI:
- Ensuring Equal Opportunities: We are committed to promoting equality across all stages of employment by guaranteeing that recruitment processes, salary structures, and opportunities for career advancement are fair, transparent, and free from gender bias. Every employee, regardless of gender, should have equal access to professional growth and development within the organization.
- Improving Gender Balance in Leadership and Participation: We strive to achieve a balanced representation of genders in leadership positions, key decision-making roles, and active participation in projects. This involves creating targeted strategies and initiatives that encourage and support individuals from underrepresented genders to take on leadership responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to organizational decisions.
- Creating a Supportive Work Environment: We aim to cultivate a workplace culture that values and supports all employees by promoting work-life balance, providing flexible work arrangements where possible, and ensuring that policies and practices accommodate the diverse needs of our workforce.
- Integrating Gender Considerations into Research and Innovation: Gender perspectives are embedded into the design, execution, and evaluation of our research and innovation activities. By consciously considering gender dimensions in project content and methodologies, we ensure that outcomes are inclusive, relevant, and beneficial to all stakeholders.
- Fostering Awareness and Accountability: We are committed to raising awareness about gender equality issues across the organization and establishing mechanisms for continuous monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. This approach ensures that progress is tracked, best practices are shared, and accountability is maintained at all levels.
4 Priority Areas and Actions
4.1 Work-Life Balance and Organisational Culture
XEETI is committed to fostering a supportive work environment that promotes work-life balance and an inclusive organisational culture. To achieve this, we implement flexible working arrangements, including telework and adaptable working hours, available to all employees wherever feasible. The success of this initiative is measured by the percentage of employees utilizing these flexible work options, with continuous monitoring.
Additionally, the company encourages the uptake of parental leave by employees of all genders by providing clear guidance, resources, and support throughout the parental leave process. The effectiveness of this action is tracked through uptake statistics, disaggregated by gender.
To promote an inclusive organisational culture, annual workshops on inclusivity are conducted, complemented by internal communications. Employee feedback gathered through surveys serves as the primary indicator of progress, ensuring that initiatives are responsive to staff needs and perceptions.
4.2 Gender Balance in Leadership and Decision-Making
XEETI seeks to improve gender representation in leadership and decision-making roles. Specific actions include ensuring balanced representation in leadership pipelines and shortlists for managerial recruitment. Progress is measured by the percentage of women in management roles.
Moreover, transparency in leadership selection is emphasised through open internal calls for managerial positions, with all recruitment processes being documented. This ensures fairness and accountability, and these practices continue on an ongoing basis.
4.3 Recruitment and Career Progression
XEETI is dedicated to eliminating bias in recruitment and career progression processes. Gender-neutral job descriptions and diverse selection panels are standard practices, with the effectiveness measured by the proportion of gender-balanced shortlists. This initiative has been implemented from 2025 and continues indefinitely.
Internal development opportunities are promoted through mentorship programs and equal access to training, with participation monitored by gender. Furthermore, pay equality is reviewed and the gender pay gap ratio serves as the key performance indicator to track progress.
4.4 Gender Dimension in Research and Innovation
Gender considerations are integrated into all research and innovation (R&I) projects. Where relevant, research proposals and outcomes include sex and gender analysis, with the percentage of projects addressing gender dimensions monitored regularly.
Support is provided to proposal through the adoption of this document as an internal guide on addressing gender in research proposals, ensuring that all relevant projects align with best practices. This guide is updated and disseminated starting in 2025.
4.5 Training and Awareness
Raising awareness of gender equality, inclusion, and unconscious bias is a company-wide priority. Annual meetings are conducted to ensure that all staff members are educated on these topics, with participation rates tracked annually.
5 Data Collection, Monitoring, and Reporting
Data relevant to gender equality is collected and disaggregated by gender, job level, contract type, and pay scale. The company produces an Annual Gender Equality Report, which summarises:
- Recruitment and promotion statistics;
- Employees pay gap analysis;
- Gender composition of management and project teams;
- Overview of implemented activities and their outcomes.
Results are reviewed by the Gender Equality Officer and shared internally with management, while key highlights are published on the company website to ensure transparency and accountability.
6 Governance and Accountability
The Gender Equality Officer, appointed from the management, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the GEP, monitoring progress, and reporting outcomes.
Institutional commitment is guaranteed at the highest level, with the CEO ensuring the provision of necessary resources and organisational support.
The Gender Equality Plan is subject to an annual review, with a comprehensive update every three years to reflect progress, evolving priorities, and emerging best practices.
7 Communication and Visibility
The Gender Equality Plan is publicly accessible on the company website. Internally, regular updates are communicated through staff meetings, newsletters, and annual reports. Gender equality is actively promoted as a core company value to all new employees, collaborators, and partners, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.
8 Continuous Improvement
The Gender Equality Plan is treated as a living document. Feedback from employees, external partners, and project evaluations informs ongoing refinement and adaptation of the plan. The company is committed to continuously aligning its practices with EU recommendations and Horizon Europe guidance on equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that its policies remain effective, relevant, and forward-looking.