GenderSAFE

What GenderSAFE does

GenderSAFE is an EU-funded research project under the Horizon Europe framework, coordinated by the European Science Foundation (ESF) from Strasbourg, France. The project supports research-performing and higher education institutions across the European Research Area in establishing safe, inclusive, and respectful environments by developing comprehensive policies to counteract gender-based violence, including sexual harassment and discrimination against trans and non-binary people. Its primary users are universities, research organizations, students, gender equality officers, HR officers, and trainers/change agents requiring tools for policy development, institutional self-assessment, training delivery, and capacity building.

The core technology is a coordinated suite of policy tools and training resources anchored on the UniSAFE Toolkit platform. The flagship product is the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool, a structured framework that evaluates an institution's capacity across the 7P model (prevalence, prevention, protection, prosecution, provision of services, partnerships, and policies). Supporting deliverables include a Model Policy Framework (zero-tolerance blueprint co-designed with the Community of Practice, final deliverable due December 2026), National Policy Monitoring (an interactive map of EU national frameworks), a multilingual Training Materials Catalogue (8 languages), a Strategic Framing Guide, and a Policy Brief. Outputs are hosted on a self-serve platform (unisafe-toolkit.eu) and the Zenodo open-access repository (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21037591). The project is delivered through a six-partner consortium and aligned with the EU Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct and the ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality.

Commercially, GenderSAFE is not a revenue-generating entity. It has no commercial pricing model, all outputs are freely available without charge, and the organization is funded exclusively through the European Union's Horizon Europe grant. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: webinars, Community of Practice meetings, trainings, and a Final Conference scheduled for 26 January 2027 at Central European University in Vienna. Marketing and dissemination rely on a website, blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, MailChimp newsletter, and direct institutional engagement via the consortium. Headcount is 7, with Lut Mergaert (Yellow Window) serving as Scientific Coordinator.

Name

GenderSAFE

Legal name

European Science Foundation

Website

https://gendersafe.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GenderSAFE is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project coordinated by the European Science Foundation that equips higher education and research institutions across Europe with policy frameworks, self-assessment tools, and multilingual training resources to prevent and counter gender-based violence. Outputs are freely available on the UniSAFE Toolkit platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Policy and Gender Equality Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Gender-based violence prevention
• Higher education policy frameworks
• Institutional gender equality
• Policy monitoring tools
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: GenderSAFE is an EU-funded project under Horizon Europe. The project does not generate commercial revenue but is funded by the European Union to support policy development and capacity building across European research and higher education institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GenderSAFE provides policy frameworks, training resources, and monitoring tools that help higher education and research institutions prevent and counter gender-based violence. Its core delivery is the free, EU-funded suite of outputs hosted on the UniSAFE Toolkit platform, anchored by the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool, the Model Policy Framework, multilingual Training Materials, and National Policy Monitoring. The project is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and coordinated by the European Science Foundation.

Product overview

GenderSAFE is an EU-funded project (not a commercial product) that provides a coordinated suite of policy tools, frameworks, training resources, and monitoring instruments to help higher education and research institutions prevent and counter gender-based violence. The core platform is the UniSAFE Toolkit, which hosts the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool — a structured framework enabling institutions to evaluate their capacity using the 7P model (prevalence, prevention, protection, prosecution, provision of services, partnerships, and policies). Around this core, the project delivers Training Materials (multilingual, participatory capacity-building resources), the Model Policy Framework (a co-designed policy blueprint for zero-tolerance approaches, expected December 2026), and National Policy Monitoring (interactive mapping of EU national frameworks). Supporting outputs include a Catalogue of Training Materials published on Zenodo, an Information Pack organized around a three-step institutional pathway, a Policy Brief on zero-tolerance approaches, a Strategic Framing Guide for overcoming resistance, and a Pledge for institutional commitment. The Community of Practice brings together institutions, students, and national authorities to co-design and test policies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UniSAFE Toolkit: An interactive platform hosting GenderSAFE project outputs including the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool and training materials.
• GenderSAFE Catalogue of Training Materials
• GenderSAFE Information Pack

Products and services

• Institutional Self-Assessment Tool A structured framework hosted within the UniSAFE Toolkit that enables higher education and research institutions to evaluate their capacity and progress in addressing gender-based violence, supporting adoption of coherent, sustainable strategies across the 7P model (prevalence, prevention, protection, prosecution, provision of services, partnerships, and policies).
• National Policy Monitoring An interactive map and analytical report mapping and analyzing national policies, laws, and legal frameworks across EU member states addressing gender-based violence, focusing on commitment, action, and accountability alignment with the 2024 Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct.
• Training Materials Introductory and thematic training materials available in multiple languages (EN, GR, IT, FR, HU, PT, ES, CZ), webinar replays, and associated resources designed to build institutional capacities to set up and implement gender-based violence policies through training of responsible staff and officers.
• Model Policy Framework A policy blueprint providing a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence, co-designed and tested by the GenderSAFE Community of Practice with multiple stakeholder circles. Final deliverable scheduled for December 2026.
• State of the Art Reports Reports on zero-tolerance approaches to gender-based violence and assessment of specific needs contributing to building a common policy discourse in the EU, reflecting theoretical debates including attention to power, intersectionality, mobility, and precarity.
• GenderSAFE Catalogue of Training Materials A comprehensive catalogue published on Zenodo containing training packages, scripts, presentations, and supporting documents curated to support capacity-building on gender-based violence in higher education and research, designed for reuse and adaptation within institutional and national structures.
• GenderSAFE Information Pack A practical information pack introducing GenderSAFE tools, guides, and training resources, organized around a three-step pathway: assess current frameworks via the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool, build capacity via the Training Programme, and harmonize policies via the Model Policy Framework.
• Policy Brief – Beyond Symbolic Commitment A policy brief providing higher education and research institutions with actionable recommendations to develop cultures that recognise the structural nature of gender-based violence, aligned with the Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct across pillars of deterrence, clear messaging, institutional change, intent clarity, and rehabilitation.
• Strategic Framing Guide A practical guide designed to empower change agents in research and higher education institutions to understand and anticipate resistance to gender-based violence policies, respond with evidence-based messaging, and frame GBV as a central issue of institutional performance and care.
• Pledge for Zero Tolerance to Gender-Based Violence A collective pledge aligned with the EU Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct, calling on higher education institutions, research organisations, and ERA stakeholders to commit to zero-tolerance principles against any form of gender-based violence.
• Community of Practice A collaborative community involving higher education institutions, students, and national authorities working together to contextualise and operationalise baseline policy principles, address challenges, and integrate different perspectives into policy design and implementation.

Quantifiable outcome

• All outputs freely available on UniSAFE Toolkit platform for reuse and adaptation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Science FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Science Foundation serves as the project coordinator for GenderSAFE. Based in Strasbourg, France, ESF is responsible for overall project management, coordination, and dissemination activities. The project is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe.
• ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender EqualitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenderSAFE aligns its work with the ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality and coordinates on policy development related to the EU Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct. The project coordinates launch events with this group.
• UniSAFE ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenderSAFE builds on the UniSAFE project's research, survey data, and the UniSAFE 7P framework. The project maintains integration with the UniSAFE toolkit platform and builds upon previous Horizon 2020 work on gender equality in research institutions.
• GenderSAFE Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix project partners collaborate on GenderSAFE, including organizations from Sweden, Czech Republic, and other EU countries. The consortium includes research institutions, equality experts, and policy specialists working together on project deliverables.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UniSAFE Project: The predecessor Horizon 2020 project (UniSAFE) whose 7P framework, survey data, and toolkit platform GenderSAFE directly extends and operationalizes. It is the closest functional comparable — same domain (GBV in research), same toolkit host platform, and same scientific lineage via Lut Mergaert.

Broad incumbents

• European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE): An EU regulatory agency that produces data, indices, and policy guidance on gender equality across the EU, including on violence against women. EIGE is the broader institutional incumbent setting the policy landscape GenderSAFE operationalizes within HE and research.
• Advance HE (Athena SWAN): UK-based charity administering the Athena Swan charter for gender equality in higher education and research. Athena SWAN pioneered the institutional self-assessment charter model that GenderSAFE adapts to GBV specifically, making it a structural and methodological comparable.
• Council of Europe — Gender Equality Commission: Intergovernmental body setting pan-European standards on gender equality and GBV (Istanbul Convention). Comparable as a higher-level policy actor whose conventions shape the regulatory environment GenderSAFE tools help institutions respond to.
• UN Women: United Nations entity coordinating global gender equality policy and GBV prevention. Lut Mergaert has served as an expert for UN Women, signaling methodological and policy alignment at the international governance level.
• European University Association (EUA): Largest umbrella body representing European universities, with active workstreams on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. EUA is a comparable institutional-ecosystem incumbent that universities look to for guidance in the same space GenderSAFE addresses.

Regional players

• Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE): Australian not-for-profit administering the Athena SWAN-accredited SAGE Award for gender equity in STEMM research institutions. Comparable because it implements an institutional self-assessment framework for HE/research equity, though it does not directly serve the EU.

Others

• Yellow Window: Belgian consultancy where the GenderSAFE Scientific Coordinator is Research Director. Yellow Window conducts gender equality policy research and consulting for EU institutions, making it a thematic enabler / consultancy peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChSo3yiTHMY-aqMc8SfjoLQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gendersafe-gbv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about GenderSAFE