Gender Equality Plan

RESET (Research and Education of Social Empowerment and Transformation) is a Cypriot private research institute coordinating and partnering in EU-funded projects across Horizon Europe, ISF, CERV, and Erasmus+. RESET's work centres on social cohesion, youth inclusion, community resilience, gender equality, and intercultural dialogue.

This Gender Equality Plan (GEP) formalises RESET's commitment to gender equality as an organisational value, a Horizon Europe eligibility requirement, and a driver of research quality. The plan covers the period 2026–2031 and addresses the five content areas prescribed by the European Commission: work-life balance and organisational culture; gender balance in leadership and decision-making; gender equality in recruitment and career progression; integration of the gender dimension into research and programme content; and measures against gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment.

RESET already operates with strong female leadership: Dr. Eliza Patouris (Managing Director) and a predominantly female team of nine full-time staff and four external collaborators. The GEP builds on this foundation, setting binding targets and concrete actions to sustain and deepen equality across all dimensions while ensuring inclusive conditions for all genders, including male and non-binary staff.

The GEP is governed by a designated GEP Officer (Antigoni Loizidou, Researcher), supported by an annual operating budget and reviewed annually by the Managing Director.

1.1 Purpose and Scope

This GEP constitutes RESET's formal commitment to gender equality and fulfils the Horizon Europe eligibility criterion applicable to public bodies, research organisations, and higher education establishments established in EU Member States (General Annex B, Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023–2024). As a private research institute based in Cyprus, RESET is subject to this criterion for all proposals to which it contributes.

The plan applies to all full-time staff, part-time staff, and external collaborators engaged by RESET in any capacity, including on EU-funded projects. It extends to RESET's role as consortium coordinator or partner, requiring that gender equality principles are upheld in RESET-managed workpackages and project activities.

1.2 EU Policy Framework

This GEP aligns with the following EU-level policy instruments:

• Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030.
• Gender Action Plan III (GAP III, SWD/2020/284) — applies gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting priority across all EU external and internal actions.
• Horizon Europe Gender Equality Eligibility Criterion (General Annex B) — mandates GEP publication, dedicated resources, data collection, monitoring, and training for R&I organisations.
• EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child 2021–2024 (COM/2021/142) — relevant to RESET's work with youth-facing projects.
• EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970/EU) — applicable from June 2026; RESET commits to full compliance with pay transparency obligations.
• European Pillar of Social Rights — specifically Principle 2 (Gender Equality) and Principle 9 (Work-Life Balance).

1.3 National Framework — Cyprus

RESET operates within Cyprus's national legal framework for gender equality, including:

• Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Employment and Vocational Training Law (2002, L.205(I)/2002) — prohibits direct and indirect discrimination on grounds of gender.
• Prevention and Combating of Domestic Violence Law (2000, amended 2021) — establishes employer obligations regarding GBV in the workplace.
• Parental Leave and Paternity Leave Law (L. 8(I)/2012, amended 2020) — sets minimum statutory leave entitlements, which this GEP exceeds.
• National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2022–2025 — aligns with RESET's commitments on equal pay, leadership representation, and GBV prevention.
• Cyprus Anti-Discrimination Law (L.56(I)/2004) — prohibits discrimination on multiple grounds, including gender and sexual orientation, in employment.

2.1 About RESET

RESET (PIC: 895643002) is a private research institute headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. Founded to advance socially inclusive research, education, and dialogue, RESET has coordinated or partnered in 30+ EU-funded projects across Horizon Europe, ISF, CERV, Erasmus+, and CREA in four years of operation. RESET's thematic focus areas (gender equality, youth inclusion, anti-discrimination, civil security, and community resilience) make gender mainstreaming both a strategic priority and an operational competence. RESET has coordinated gender-specific projects including POLITIK-HER (political literacy for young women), CRASH (gender-based violence) and RainbowFam (LGBTIQ+ family rights) and collaborates with specialist civil society organisations including ACCEPT Cyprus and the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies.

RESET operates with a strongly female-dominant team (82% female overall; 100% female in senior management and research roles). The GEP accordingly focuses on sustaining these conditions whilst ensuring that no candidate is excluded on grounds of gender and that male and non-binary colleagues are actively welcomed.

2.3 Pay Equity Baseline (October 2026)

RESET operates a transparent, role-based pay structure. A formal equal pay audit will be conducted in Q1 2027 and biennially thereafter. Current gender pay gap: no differential pay exists within role categories. The 2027 equal pay audit will apply a role-controlled methodology to verify this baseline.

The following four building blocks are required by Horizon Europe's GEP eligibility criterion. RESET implements each as set out below.

3.1 Publication

• This GEP is a formal organisational document, signed by the Managing Director, and published in full on RESET's website.
• The GEP is available in English. A summary in Greek will be prepared for Cypriot national stakeholders by 2027.
• All updates, progress reports, and revised versions will be published at the same URL with version date and change log.
• The GEP will be referenced in all EU grant applications submitted from October 2026, with a direct hyperlink to the published document.

3.2 Dedicated Resources

• GEP Officer: Antigoni Loizidou (Researcher) is designated GEP Officer. She holds a 5% FTE allocation for GEP implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Supervisory Oversight: Dr. Eliza Patouris (Managing Director) provides strategic oversight of GEP implementation and has ultimate accountability for GEP delivery.
• GEP Steering Meeting: The MD and GEP Officer convene a formal GEP review meeting at least twice per year, with notes circulated to all staff.
• Project-Level Integration: For all EU-funded projects where RESET is coordinator, the project budget includes a dedicated line for gender mainstreaming activities proportionate to project scale.

3.3 Data Collection and Monitoring

• Annual Staff Gender Data: RESET collects sex/gender-disaggregated data on all staff and collaborators in Q4 of each year. Data cover headcount by gender, seniority, role type, pay band, and leave taken.
• Annual GEP Progress Report: Published on RESET's website by each year, covering the prior calendar year. Reports include baseline comparisons, progress against targets, and updated action timelines.
• Equal Pay Audit: A formal role-controlled equal pay audit is conducted biennially by the Finance Director, with findings reported to the MD and published in the Annual GEP Progress Report.
• Research Data: Gender-disaggregated data are collected in all primary research. Analysis applies an intersectional framework (gender × age × ethnicity × disability).
• Incident Register: All reports of gender-based discrimination, harassment, or GBV received under this GEP are logged anonymously in a restricted internal register and reviewed at each GEP Steering Meeting. Aggregated trend data are published annually.

3.4 Training

• Unconscious Bias Training: Mandatory for all staff and external collaborators annually, covering gender bias in hiring, research design, and programme delivery. Mode: online module (minimum 90 minutes) with completion certificate.
• GBV and Sexual Harassment Training: Mandatory for all staff annually. Covers recognition, prevention, reporting procedures, and bystander intervention. Mode: blended (online + facilitated discussion).
• GEP Onboarding Module: All new staff and collaborators complete a GEP orientation session within the first month of engagement, covering RESET's commitments, the GEP Officer's role, and reporting channels.
• Grant-Writing Gender Dimension: All staff involved in proposal development complete a one-day gender mainstreaming in R&I workshop within six months of joining RESET (or by Q2 2027 for current staff).
• Training Records: Completion is documented in RESET's HR system. Annual training completion rates are reported (gender-disaggregated) in the Annual GEP Progress Report.

RESET is committed to an organisational culture in which all staff can balance professional responsibilities with personal and family commitments, irrespective of gender. RESET recognises that care responsibilities including childcare, elder care, and menstrual health disproportionately affect women and designs its HR policies to mitigate this effect.

The GEP commits to maintaining inclusive leadership conditions ensuring no gender is excluded from leadership pathways whilst applying parity floors to project governance bodies and external representation.

RESET recruits on merit. This pillar formalises structured measures to detect and remove potential sources of gender bias from recruitment, pay, and career progression processes.

Gender mainstreaming in research is an operational objective of Horizon Europe and a quality standard for EU-funded projects. RESET integrates the gender dimension into proposal development, research design, data collection, and training delivery.

RESET is committed to a working environment free from all forms of gender-based violence and sexual harassment. This pillar establishes prevention, detection, and response mechanisms that apply to staff, collaborators, and project participants in RESET-managed activities.

The following table presents all GEP actions mapped to their implementation timeline across the 2026–2031 period.

6.1 Annual Review Process

• The GEP Officer collects all monitoring data by 31 January each year.
• A draft Annual GEP Progress Report is prepared by the GEP Officer by 15 February and reviewed by the Managing Director.
• The finalised report is published on resetcy.com by February and shared with all staff.
• Where KPI targets are not on track, a remediation action plan is developed within 30 days of publication.

6.2 GEP Revision Cycle

• This GEP is a living document reviewed annually. Minor updates (clarifications, contact changes) are made without version increment.
• Substantive revisions (new actions, changed targets, structural changes) increment the version number and require re-approval by the Managing Director.
• A comprehensive GEP revision is planned for Q4 2028, incorporating learning from the first two years of implementation and updated EU policy guidance.

7.1 GEP Governance Structure

7.2 Formal Declaration and Signature

This Gender Equality Plan has been developed in accordance with Horizon Europe General Annex B eligibility requirements and the European Commission's Guidance on Gender Equality Plans (European Commission, 2021). It is hereby formally adopted as RESET's binding organisational commitment for the period 2026–2031.

RESET Ltd  |  Flat 101, Omonoias 72, 3048, Limassol, Cyprus
E: info@resetcy.com  |  T: +357 99553975  |  W: resetcy.com
Gender Equality Plan — Version 1.0 — Effective 1 October 2026 — Next Review: October 2027