Breaking down barriers to innovation through gender and diversity
On Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in Brussels, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini will host the Knowledge Apéro Breaking the barriers: Gender, culture and diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship, an informal networking event bringing together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to explore how the innovation sector can be reframed through cultural, intersectional and gender-sensitive approaches.
The event will mark the launch of the book Breaking the Barriers: Gender, culture and diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship (De Gruyter, 2026), developed within the framework of the three-year project Gendered Innovation Living Labs (GILL), in which Fondazione Brodolini participated as a project partner.
The book is edited by Hilda Romer Christensen, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and former Gender Studies Coordinator at the University of Copenhagen; Andrée Woodcock, Professor of Education, Ergonomics & Design at Coventry University and scientific lead of the GILL project; Nicola Marsden, Research Professor of Social Informatics at Heilbronn University; Alena Krizkova, Head of the Gender and Sociology Department at the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences; and Barbara De Micheli, Coordinator of FGB's Social Justice Area, who led the GILL project on behalf of Fondazione Brodolini.
Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme, the project concluded at the end of 2025, and was recently included in the European Commission's Repository of best practices for its contribution to integrating a gender perspective into research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Building on the project's results, the book positions culture as a transformative force in innovation and entrepreneurship, introducing the concept of the "cultural fix" – a "fourth fix" that complements existing strategies to "fix the numbers", "fix the institutions" and "fix the knowledge".
In this work, empirical research is combined with cultural analysis and gender-responsive methods. The volume offers practical pathways to make systems more inclusive, equitable and effective, while addressing key questions such as how gender and culture shape innovation, how strategies for creating inclusive and high-performing teams can be developed, and what the political impact of insights from cutting-edge European research and expert voices may be.
The event will take place at FGB’s Brussels premises (19A Avenue Marnix, Building A, 3rd floor) from 17:00 to 19:00. After an introduction by Liga Baltina, Head of FGB's Labour Market & Skills Research Unit, it will feature short presentations by the book editors Hilda Romer Christensen, Andrée Woodcock, Alena Krizkova, and Barbara De Micheli.
A discussion with experts, representatives of civil society organisations and Members of the European Parliament will follow. Furthermore, as part of the Knowledge Apéro format, the event will also provide an opportunity for informal exchange and networking among participants.
The event is open to both invited and external guests, upon previous online registration via Eventbrite. Please note that FGB's Brussels office is located in a historic building which regrettably has some architectural barriers – namely steps at the entrance and very small lifts – and is not fully accessible to persons with reduced mobility
