Gender Equality Partnerships

Launched in 2021, the Gender Equality Partnerships initiative has grown from just five partnerships between the UK and three other countries to a thriving global network of 70 collaborative projects, spanning 120 institutions and 12 countries. 

Gender Equality Partnerships is one of our responses to a report that the British Council recently commissioned, entitled ‘Gender Equality in Higher Education: Maximising Impacts’. This report identified some key global gender equality challenges as well as some examples of how governments, higher education institutions, sector bodies and funders are successfully addressing these issues.

Globally, the Gender Equality Partnerships aims to build partnerships and systemic change in the priority themes detailed below:

Prevention of violence against women and girls with a particular focus on higher and further education institutions as safe spaces for women.
Addressing women’s underrepresentation in higher and further education leadership.
Enabling access and tackling subject segregation, particularly in the area of STEM.
Strengthening pathways into employment for women graduates from further and higher education.

Awards support partnerships between UK higher education institutions and partner institutions from Ukraine and other countries.

In Ukraine, the focus of Gender Equality Partnerships is on addressing women’s under-representation in higher education leadership.

Projects to be implemented in 2025

UK University	Ukraine University	Project Title
Bangor University	Khmelnytskyi National University	3R SheLeader: Resilience, Resourcefulness, and Resultfulness
Coventry University	Alfred Nobel University & Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture	Addressing the underrepresentation of women in HE leadership: Ukraine and UK
University of Birmingham	Ivan Franko National University of Lviv	Women in Leadership: Higher Education Institutions in Ukraine Before, During, and After War
University of Reading	National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine	Developing women’s leaderships skills and networks for equity in higher education leadership in Ukraine
University of Wolverhampton	Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University	Development of a policy and framework for greater gender equality in Ukrainian HE leadership
University of Worcester	Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University	Empowering female leaders in higher education through international peer-to-peer mentoring

Projects implemented in 2024

Kingston University – Lviv Polytechnic National University

Project title: ONLY: Open a New Leader in Yourself

ONLY: Open a New Leader in Yourself is an educational and leadership program for women representatives of Ukrainian higher education institutions. During the year, participants engaged in strategic and mentoring sessions, a mini-MBA with international experts, mentoring sessions led by Ukrainian and British experts, and networking events.

In the final stage, participants presented projects aimed at the development and transformation of Ukrainian higher education institutions, focusing on leadership, support, and innovation, which they are implementing in their own universities. Three participants were awarded a free internship at Kingston University in London.

Project video

University of Bedfordshire – Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics

Project title: A Career Roadmap for Women’s Leadership in Higher Education in Ukraine

The project's goal is to identify the barriers and challenges faced by women leaders in higher education institutions in Ukraine and the United Kingdom. It also aims to build the capacity of Ukrainian universities and expand opportunities for women researchers and leaders in higher education by developing a gender-sensitive career roadmap, “Women Leaders in Higher Education,” tailored to the cultural, socio-political context of Ukraine, and the subject areas of research.

The project includes a needs and challenges analysis, a series of focus groups utilizing the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitation methodology in a gamified format, and the creation of a career roadmap for women leaders in higher education in Ukraine.

University of Cambridge – Kharkiv National Medical University

Project title: EmpowerHER: Advancing Women’s Leadership in Medical Higher Education

The project aims to identify the reasons for the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions (particularly in senior roles) in medical higher education and to provide women from medical schools with the knowledge, support, and skill development necessary for confident leadership.

The project includes organizing a series of research studies, conducting awareness events, implementing an international mentoring program, preparing thematic media publications, running a photo campaign, and conducting a research visit for representatives of Kharkiv National Medical University to the University of Cambridge.

University of Hull – Mariupol State University

Project title: Fostering Women’s Leadership in Ukrainian Academia

An Intersectional and Culturally Responsive Perspective The project aims to foster women’s leadership, raise awareness about diversity, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality, and foster the creation of a culturally responsive and inclusive environment within Ukraine's higher education system.

It focuses on sharing successful institutional practices and supporting initiatives that advance gender equality and leadership development in Ukrainian higher education. Additionally, the project involves the development and implementation of a professional development course for educators titled “Inclusive Leadership in Higher Education through Cultural Immersion.”

Project webpage

Leicester University – Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University

Project title: FEMPLOYEE: Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Leadership in STEM Education - A Transversal Approach to Empowerment and Inclusion

The project aims to develop the FEMPLOYEE app, which will provide early-career women researchers (ECRs) with access to mentorship from experienced researchers in their field. The app will serve as a convenient platform for establishing professional connections, sharing experiences, and acquiring essential career skills.

Additionally, it will be used to collect data to identify key challenges faced by women in science. This information can be utilized to improve institutional policies on gender equality and support women in their pursuit of leadership positions.

Reading University – National University of Life and Environmental Sciences

Project title: Supporting Women's Leadership in Education

The project’s goal is to generate knowledge, build capacity, and develop policies that create more opportunities for women in higher education leadership in Ukraine.

The project aims to demonstrate the benefits of strengthening gender equality in higher education institutions, provide a detailed understanding of gender challenges and opportunities, and equip women leaders with leadership, management, and collaboration skills. Additionally, the project includes the development of a gender equality plan for NULES (National University of Life and Environmental Sciences) to promote gender equality within the institution, as well as the exchange of experiences and research methodologies on leadership in higher education.

Download the report

Discover more about how the initiative is supporting positive change globally in our new report: Gender Equality Partnerships: the journey so far. This report covers the global reach, impact and lessons learned of Gender Equality Partnerships, and includes case studies of impactful projects around the world.