**Paphos University Secures Horizon Europe Funding for Gender Equality Research Initiative**
Neapolis University Paphos has been awarded competitive funding from Horizon Europe to lead a significant three-year research partnership aimed at enhancing gender equality within research and innovation institutions. The university will collaborate with prestigious partners, including University College London (UCL), the University of Barcelona, and Greece’s KMOP, under a project titled GENDRIVE – Gender Equality as a Driver of Research Excellence and Careers in Research and Innovation Institutions.
The GENDRIVE initiative was selected from a highly competitive pool, with the recent Twinning call attracting nearly 2,000 proposals. The European Commission’s 2026 Twinning call closed on April 9 and was designed to support institutions in countries with less advanced research systems by fostering connections with leading European counterparts. This initiative aims to transfer expertise and improve the ability of these institutions to compete on an international level.
Neapolis University will coordinate the international consortium as part of the Twinning action under Horizon Europe’s Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence programme, known as WIDERA. The funding allocated for the 2026 Twinning call amounts to €223 million, with an additional €41.5 million earmarked for 2027. While the exact value of the grant awarded to GENDRIVE has not been disclosed, projects can request EU contributions ranging from €800,000 to €1.5 million.
The focus of GENDRIVE is to integrate gender equality into the core of research quality and institutional reform, rather than viewing it merely as an administrative requirement. The project will involve joint research, staff exchanges, training, and mentoring, aimed at strengthening research management and fostering international networking. This comprehensive approach is expected to enhance the research and innovation capacity of Neapolis University and its partners.
The project will be led by the Department of History, Politics and International Studies at Neapolis, engaging various academic and administrative units across the university. GENDRIVE is also aligned with the objectives of EMERGE, the European university alliance of which Neapolis is a full member.
The timing of this initiative is particularly significant for Cyprus, which is currently ranked 16th in the EU for innovation, classified as a moderate innovator at 92.1% of the EU average according to the European Commission’s 2026 scoreboard. Despite this ranking, domestic investment in research remains low, with Cyprus spending only 0.65% of its GDP, or €224.9 million, on research and development in 2024. This figure contrasts sharply with the EU average of 2.24%.
Interestingly, Cyprus has managed to attract €49,482.80 in Horizon Europe funding per researcher, a figure that is more than ten times the EU average of €4,851.90. This discrepancy highlights Cyprus' strong integration into European research networks, despite its research system's heavy reliance on competitive project funding and international collaborations.
The GENDRIVE project addresses critical gender disparities in the research sector. Recent data from the European Commission’s She Figures report indicates that while women accounted for 66% of doctoral graduates in Cyprus in 2021—the highest proportion in the EU—they hold only 14% of the most senior research positions and 11% of leadership roles in higher education institutions. Furthermore, women represent 39% of the overall researcher population, with just 32% in the business sector.
Neapolis University has expressed pride in securing this funding, emphasizing that the selection reflects the institution’s research and academic excellence, its capacity for institutional development, and the confidence placed in its ability to lead major international research initiatives.
The GENDRIVE project is expected to contribute significantly to the advancement of gender equality in research settings, promoting a more inclusive and equitable environment in higher education and research institutions across Europe.