Leading towards sustainable gender equality plans in research performing organisations
Leading TowaLeading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans in research institutions –  LeTSGEPs – aims at connecting different Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) in the design and implementation of GEPs. The project seeks to design actions and implement measures that will lead to systemic institutional change and address gender bias in RPOs at a very initial stage of gender equality measures implementation. At the same time more experienced partners in GEPs implementation will be included to guide the other partners through  the various steps of the project, following the Gender Equality in Academia and Research GEAR tool developed by European Institute for Gender Equality (2016) and with the scientific support of a highly qualified Scientific Advisory Board. 
As a powerful instrument of detecting factors that make gender inequality persistent within institutions, besides the Gender Equality Plan, LeTSGEPs will foster the use of Gender Budgeting (GB), since budgets reflect real policy commitments. Gender equality plans and programs will succeed if accompanied with related specific fund allocation for the policy targets, and if the programs enacted are evaluated in terms of their gender equality impact by means of gender budgets leading to what we can define as more sustainable and powerful GEPs. A robust methodological approach, by taking stock from the implementation of Gender Budgeting in RPOs  in order to produce relevant knowledge on the application of gender budgeting in RPOs and its role in making GEPs sustainable will be produced and shared with all partners. 
For raising institutional awareness on the importance of GEPs and gender budgeting the administrative staff will be actively involved in the training to equip also them with the necessary knowledge for its application. A distinctive characteristic of LeTSGEPs is a continuous support during the implementation of GEPs and by the high motivation expressed by partners in GEPs and GB implementation.