Gender Equality Plan 2026-2028

Document

Gender Equality Plan

Version

1.0

Effective date

31 August 2026

Next formal review

31 August 2027

Management adoption statement

DEVELOPMENT AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES HUB P.C., acting as the principal Greek operating company of OSQOM Group, approves this Gender Equality Plan as the group-wide institutional framework. Formal entity-level adoption for funding eligibility requires execution by the company’s authorised representative, public publication, internal communication and implementation evidence. Any other group legal entity relying on the framework must complete its own authorised adoption record.

Approved by

George Pantoulas

Founder, OSQOM Group · authorised entity signature to be completed

Date and record

31 August 2026

Group management approval, Version 1.0; entity signature record required

Purpose, scope and principles

This plan establishes OSQOM Group's commitments, governance, measures, indicators and review process for advancing gender equality. It applies to employees, executives, applicants, interns, contractors and project personnel working within OSQOM Group operations, subject to applicable national and European law.

The plan supports equal opportunity and treatment regardless of sex, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, maternity, paternity, family or care responsibilities. It is implemented alongside the principles of dignity, non-discrimination, merit, privacy, accessibility, due process and protection from retaliation.

This document is the group-wide framework issued through the principal Greek operating company, DEVELOPMENT AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES HUB P.C., VAT ID EL801496850. It must be signed by its authorised representative before the company relies on it as an eligibility document. Any other group legal entity participating in a grant under its own identity must separately adopt this plan or an entity-specific equivalent.

Horizon Europe minimum process requirements

Public document and management adoption

In progress

This Gender Equality Plan is the management-approved OSQOM Group framework prepared for public publication. Full entity-level compliance requires public access, an executed adoption certificate or top-management signature, and active internal communication.

Dedicated resources and expertise

In progress

OSQOM Group commits a minimum annual implementation allocation of 40 working hours and EUR 1,500, reviewed annually. The Executive Sponsor is accountable for delivery and performs the coordination function until a Gender Equality Coordinator is formally designated. External gender equality or employment-law expertise will be engaged when specialist input is required.

Data collection and monitoring

In progress

OSQOM Group will collect and review sex and, where voluntarily disclosed and legally permissible, gender-disaggregated workforce data. Progress will be assessed annually against defined indicators, with a public implementation report issued at least every two years. Small-number data will be aggregated or withheld to protect privacy.

Training and awareness raising

In progress

Gender equality awareness training will be provided to staff, while decision-makers, hiring managers and project leaders will receive targeted training that includes unconscious bias, inclusive recruitment, respectful workplace conduct and prevention of harassment.

Governance, responsibility and dedicated resources

Executive Sponsor

The Founder and top management retain overall accountability, approve resources, review progress and authorise corrective action.

Gender Equality Coordinator

A management-designated coordinator will organise implementation, maintain the evidence register, coordinate data collection and schedule training. Until formal designation, these duties remain with the Executive Sponsor.

Implementation contributors

People or operations representatives, project leaders, hiring decision-makers and relevant business-unit representatives contribute within their responsibilities.

Expertise

External gender equality, organisational development, employment-law or safeguarding expertise is engaged where the organisation lacks sufficient internal specialist competence.

Time allocation

A minimum of 40 working hours per calendar year is reserved for coordination, monitoring, training preparation, reporting and corrective actions.

Financial allocation

A minimum annual implementation budget of EUR 1,500 is reserved and may be increased for specialist review, training, accessibility, investigations or project-specific needs.

Data collection, indicators and reporting

Data will be collected only where lawful, necessary and proportionate. Voluntary gender-identity information will not be inferred. Results will be aggregated, access-restricted and suppressed where small numbers could identify individuals. The annual internal review and biennial public report will use the following indicators where relevant and statistically meaningful:

•Workforce composition by organisational level and contract type.
•Recruitment applicants, shortlists, appointments and departures, where reliable data is available.
•Promotions, leadership appointments and participation in decision-making roles.
•Participation in training, mentoring and professional-development activities.
•Use of flexible work and family-related leave, reported only in aggregated form.
•Pay and remuneration patterns where legally permissible and statistically meaningful.
•Completion of gender-dimension screening in relevant research and innovation projects.
•Awareness training delivery, attendance and participant feedback.
•Anonymised reports of harassment or discrimination and the implementation of preventive actions.

The first public implementation report is scheduled for no later than 31 August 2028. It will describe actions completed, available indicators, gaps, corrective measures and the status of the next plan. Internal monitoring will occur annually.

Training and awareness programme

All personnel will receive periodic awareness information on gender equality, respectful conduct, reporting routes and protection from retaliation. Training will be incorporated into onboarding or internal communications where proportionate to workforce size and working arrangements.

Decision-makers, hiring managers and project leaders will receive targeted training on unconscious bias, structured recruitment, inclusive leadership, gender-sensitive communication, fair allocation of opportunities, prevention of sexual harassment and the integration of sex and gender analysis into relevant research and innovation content.

Audience	Minimum content	Frequency	Evidence
All staff	Equality principles, respectful conduct, reporting channels, retaliation protection.	At onboarding and periodic refresher, normally annually.	Agenda or materials, invitation and aggregated attendance record.
Decision-makers and hiring managers	Unconscious bias, structured selection, inclusive leadership, fair progression.	Before or during appointment to the role, with refresher at least every two years.	Training plan, materials, attendance and completion record.
R&I and project leaders	Sex and gender analysis, inclusive data and testing, impact assessment and reporting.	At project design stage where relevant.	Screening template, methodology notes and project documentation.

Thematic areas, concrete measures and targets

Work-life balance and organisational culture

Measures

•Maintain flexible and hybrid working arrangements where compatible with the role.
•Schedule routine internal meetings within reasonable core working hours whenever practicable.
•Monitor employee experience through an annual confidential inclusion and work-life balance pulse survey.
•Review access to parental, care and other family-related leave without gender stereotyping.

Targets

✓Annual staff pulse survey from 2027.
✓At least 80% favourable response on equal access to flexibility by the 2028 review, subject to sufficient response volume.
✓All identified material barriers receive a documented management response within 90 days.

Gender balance in leadership and decision-making

Measures

•Review gender representation in management, project leadership and decision-making bodies annually.
•Use inclusive succession planning and actively broaden outreach for leadership vacancies.
•Seek diverse participation in selection and major project decision panels wherever organisational size permits.

Targets

✓Annual leadership representation review.
✓No leadership vacancy process will rely on a single unstructured interview.
✓Where under-representation is identified, the next recruitment or succession plan will include documented corrective outreach measures.

Gender equality in recruitment and career progression

Measures

•Screen job descriptions and vacancy announcements for gender-coded or exclusionary language.
•Use role-related criteria, structured interviews and documented evaluation standards.
•Monitor recruitment, promotion, learning access and, where data quality allows, remuneration outcomes by sex or gender.
•Provide equal access to mentoring, training and career-development opportunities.

Targets

✓100% of new public job advertisements screened for inclusive language from adoption of this plan.
✓100% of regular hiring decision-makers trained in structured, bias-aware selection by 30 June 2027.
✓Annual review of recruitment and progression indicators, with corrective actions recorded when unexplained disparities are identified.

Gender dimension in research and innovation content

Measures

•Screen research, innovation, AI, health, product and user-research projects for the relevance of sex and gender variables.
•Where relevant, include sex or gender considerations in research questions, sampling, datasets, testing, impact assessment and reporting.
•Document a reasoned conclusion where the gender dimension is assessed as not relevant.
•Assess intersectional effects where feasible and proportionate, including age, disability and socioeconomic factors.

Targets

✓100% of Horizon Europe and comparable publicly funded R&I proposals undergo a documented gender-dimension screening.
✓100% of projects where sex or gender is relevant include an appropriate analysis or mitigation approach.
✓Relevant project outputs report limitations arising from missing or unbalanced data.

Measures against gender-based violence and sexual harassment

Measures

•Apply zero tolerance to sexual harassment, gender-based violence, retaliation and discriminatory conduct.
•Maintain confidential reporting routes and a documented process for prompt, impartial and proportionate assessment.
•Protect complainants, witnesses and affected persons from retaliation and unnecessary disclosure.
•Provide information on external support and competent authorities where appropriate.

Targets

✓Reporting and response procedure communicated to all personnel by 31 December 2026.
✓All reports acknowledged promptly and handled without avoidable delay, subject to due process and applicable law.
✓Annual review of anonymised incident categories, response times and preventive measures.

Prevention, reporting and response

Discrimination, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, gender-based violence, victimisation and retaliation are prohibited. Concerns may be raised to the Gender Equality Coordinator, the Executive Sponsor or another designated confidential contact. Where the concern involves one of these persons, an alternative independent contact or external adviser will be used.

Reports will be acknowledged, assessed and handled through a fair process that protects confidentiality as far as possible, avoids conflicts of interest and respects the rights of all involved. Interim protective measures may be adopted where proportionate. Nothing in the internal process restricts a person's right to contact competent authorities or seek independent advice.

Implementation schedule and evidence register

Date	Action or evidence item	Status at publication
31 August 2026	Group management approval; complete entity adoption signature and public publication of GEP Version 1.0.	In progress
30 September 2026	Confirm Gender Equality Coordinator and internal implementation responsibilities.	Scheduled
31 December 2026	Complete baseline workforce review and communicate confidential reporting procedure.	Scheduled
31 March 2027	Deliver first staff awareness session and leadership or decision-maker briefing.	Scheduled
30 June 2027	Complete bias-aware recruitment training and implement R&I gender-dimension screening template.	Scheduled
31 August 2027	Annual internal review of indicators, actions, resources and identified gaps.	Scheduled
31 August 2028	Publish the first public implementation report and adopt the next or revised GEP.	Scheduled

Supporting records may include management decisions, role designations, budget records, anonymised monitoring tables, training materials, invitations, attendance records, screening templates, meeting notes and implementation reports. Personal or confidential evidence will not be published where disclosure would breach privacy or legal obligations.

Review, version control and public availability

Top management will review implementation at least annually. The plan may be revised earlier following organisational change, legal or programme guidance, monitoring results, incidents or stakeholder feedback. Material revisions will receive a new version number, adoption date and public publication.

Current and previous versions will remain accessible from this website where technically and legally practicable. The authoritative public hyperlink for Version 1.0 is:

https://osqom.com/GenderEqualityPlan

References

Formal document control

Owner

DEVELOPMENT AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES HUB P.C. / OSQOM Group top management

Version

1.0, approved 31 August 2026; entity signature required

Contact

osqom.com@gmail.com