Diversity is a core value at CERN.  Our rich, collaborative environment features a diverse pool of talented individuals from all over the world, working together towards a common goal. Incorporating this value across all aspects of our work is key for CERN as an international organisation, both towards its Member States and the wider community.

Demonstrating its early commitment to nurturing a diverse working environment, CERN appointed its first Equal Opportunities Officer in 1996, and in 2011 the Organization established the Diversity and Inclusion programme. Since that time, CERN has seen many actions and initiatives to promote gender equality and inclusion (See: Other GEP-related actions and activities, below).

In March 2021, CERN’s Senior Management (the “Enlarged Directorate”) endorsed a new D&I strategy called, “25 by ’25”.   The 25 by '25 strategy is a CERN-wide aspirational target to boosting gender and nationality diversity within the employed members of personnel (MPE) population. The strategy aims to reinforce efforts and advancements already in place through a leadership-led and collaborative approach and is the Organization’s flagship D&I action towards improving gender representation at CERN.

Given its long-standing commitment towards gender and diversity objectives, CERN is well in line with the European Commission’s (“EC”) reinforced commitment toward gender equality in European research organizations.

As set out in the EC’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the following declaration underpins the European Union’s gender goals:  “In all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women.”  In this spirit, as of January 2022 all public bodies, research organisations or higher education institutions established in an EU Member State must have in place a Gender Equality Plan (“GEP”) “or equivalent” to be eligible for participation in Horizon Europe projects. This requirement applies to all Horizon Europe calls with a deadline in 2022, and beyond.

The European Commission defines a GEP as: “a set of commitments and actions that aim to promote gender equality in an organisation through a process of structural change”.

The EC has set out four mandatory requirements (or building blocks) which must be fulfilled (Ref. Gender equality in research and innovation) to satisfy Horizon Europe / GEP eligibility requirements.

Through its past and ongoing actions and initiatives, including the “25 by ‘25” strategy (detailed below), CERN fully meets the GEP criteria, making CERN eligible for participation in Horizon Europe project proposals within this time frame.

Below are the four Gender Equality Plan mandatory requirements and a summary of the actions and activities CERN has in place to satisfy these requirements:

1. Public document: "The GEP should be a formal document signed by the top management, and disseminated within the institution. It should demonstrate a commitment to gender equality, set clear goals and detailed actions and measures to achieve them."

Since the establishment of the Diversity and Inclusion programme in 2011, several initiatives have taken place at CERN to promote gender equality and inclusion, including:

• Events and Conferences: 

A list of past events, conferences, and talks to promote gender equality at CERN are listed here.

• Inter-Organizational Networks: 

CERN is a member of the Genera Network - a Gender Equality Network in the European Research Area. More information on the Genera Horizon 2020 project can be found here.

CERN Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti is a signatory to the International Gender Champions “panel parity pledge” as well as the “gender-based violence pledge”. Find out more about these commitments here.

• Informal Networks:

Informal active networks where exchanges on gender-related discussions take place include: Women in Technology (“WIT”) network and the CERN LGBTQ network.

• The Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable:

Established and hosted by the D&I Programme, the Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable convenes every two months to discuss matters of mutual interest, including on gender-related topics. Participants represent a number of formal and informal networks at CERN, including: the Diversity offices of the CERN Experiments, the Theory Department gender & diversity focal point, the WIT, LGBTQ Network, the Disability network, the International Relations taskforce, the Staff Association etc. The D&I Roundtable has produced policy recommendations to the Director-General, such as the revision of the English language version of the Staff Rules and Regulations to render the text gender inclusive (effective July 2021).

• 5 Yearly Review (“5YR”):

Under a mandatory 5-yearly exercise, CERN conducts a comparative survey on social and diversity measures. This study informs CERN on its performance against a number of comparator international organizations in areas, such as: childcare facilities, flexible work arrangements, and leave for family reasons.

In March 2021, the senior Management endorsed the Diversity and Inclusion Programme’s initiative, “25 by ´25”.  The 25 by '25 strategy is a CERN-wide engagement and commitment to improving the diversity within the Members of the Personnel (MPE) in two specific dimensions: gender and nationality.

In addition to the past and current efforts and advancements, the strategy aims to reinforce these efforts through a leadership-led and collaborative CERN-wide approach.

Progress under 25 by '25 is reported on an annual basis to the CERN the Enlarged Directorate.  The departmental nationality and gender dashboards are specifically designed to record progress on a biannual basis and to enhance the departments’ understanding of any gender and nationality disparities.

A schematic overview of the project is here:

The 25 by ‘25 implementation is organised in three main phases:

1. Phase 1 - Endorsement from the Director-General and Extended Directorate:  Completed March 2021
2. Phase 2 - Department Heads appoint 25 by '25 “Focal Points” to carry out a Departmental D&I Review Exercise (an assessment of the Department’s D&I maturity level across 7 categories (including Recruitment, Promotion, and Leadership):  Completed Q1 2022
3. Phase 3: Establish and implement Department-tailored "Fitness plans" to strengthen existing D&I maturity level and/or move toward the next level: Completion aimed by end Q3 2022

In addition to the required elements set out above, the EC cites 5 recommended areas research organisations should considere in the context of a robust Gender Equality Plan:  

1. Work-life balance and organisational culture
2. Gender balance in leadership and decision-making
3. Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
4. Integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content
5. Measures against gender-based violence, including sexual harassment

CERN’s GEP-related actions and activities in the EC recommended areas:

• What is a Gender Equality Plan (EC)
• EC GEP FAQ