Foreword 

Message from the Chief Executive Officer 

Connected Places Catapult (CPC) believes that the best innovation comes from a breadth of perspectives, experiences and ideas. Our ability to support businesses, public sector organisations and innovators across the UK depends on creating an equitable environment in which everyone can contribute and thrive. 

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2028 establishes a clear ambition to build an equitable and empowering culture, fuel innovation through diverse perspectives, and embed inclusion in how we work. This Gender Equality Plan translates that ambition into a focused programme of action to address structural barriers, improve representation, strengthen progression opportunities and create a workplace where everyone can succeed regardless of gender. 

Our evidence shows that women are underrepresented in senior and higher-paid roles. This contributes to our gender pay gap and reinforces the need for sustained action on recruitment, progression, leadership development, pay and reward, and workplace culture. 

The Gender Equality Plan demonstrates our commitment to transparent, evidence-led decision-making, leadership accountability and dedicated resources. Meaningful progress requires collective ownership across the organisation, supported by clear measures and public reporting. 

I am pleased to endorse the Gender Equality Plan and CPC’s commitment to delivering the actions it contains. 

Erika Lewis 

Chief Executive Officer 
Connected Places Catapult 

Introduction 

In 2022, the European Commission introduced Gender Equality Plans as an eligibility requirement for public bodies, research organisations and higher education institutions participating in Horizon Europe programmes. This Gender Equality Plan has been developed to meet those expectations while supporting Connected Places Catapult’s wider Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2028. 

The Plan establishes a framework for advancing gender equality across our workforce, leadership, organisational culture and innovation ecosystem between 2026 and 2029. It consolidates evidence from the CPC EDI Strategy 2026-2028; Gender Pay Gap Analysis 2025 and EDI Targets Framework into a coordinated programme of action. 

The Plan supports CPC’s ambition to: 

• increase representation of women in leadership, senior and technical roles; 

• target relevant structural drivers of the gender pay gap; 

• improve equitable access to recruitment, progression and development opportunities; 

• create an inclusive culture characterised by belonging, psychological safety and fairness; 

• embed gender considerations into innovation, research and project delivery; and 

• strengthen accountability through monitoring, governance and transparent reporting. 

Our commitment 

Connected Places Catapult is committed to advancing gender equality as an organisational priority and as a key component of inclusive innovation. Gender should not determine access to opportunity, progression, reward, participation or influence. 

To achieve this, CPC aims to: 

• increase representation of women in leadership, senior and technical roles; 

• target and address the structural drivers of the gender pay gap; 

• remove barriers affecting recruitment, retention, progression and reward; 

• create an inclusive culture, characterised by psychological safety, belonging and fairness; 

• embed gender equality into organisational strategy, business planning and leadership accountability; 

• apply an intersectional approach that recognises the interaction between gender and other aspects of identity and experience; 

• embed gender considerations into innovation, research and project delivery; and 

• publish progress and review actions annually. 

How Connected Places Catapult meets the mandatory Gender Equality Plan requirements 

A formal and public published document 

This Gender Equality Plan has been approved by CPC’s Senior Leadership Team and Senior Management Team, published in an accessible format on the organisation’s website. CPC will publish or formally report annual progress to support transparency and accountability. 

Dedicated resources and expertise 

Implementation is supported through Senior Leadership Team accountability; coordination by the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); oversight and challenge from the EDI Steering Group; delivery by HR, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management, Business Units and project teams; and communications support for accessible publication. 

Data collection and monitoring 

CPC collects and analyses gender-disaggregated workforce, pay, recruitment, progression, retention, culture and where available innovation data also . Monitoring will include quarterly oversight, annual reporting and confidentiality controls, including aggregation or suppression where small sample sizes could identify individuals. 

Training and awareness 

CPC will provide inclusive leadership, inclusive recruitment, gender equality and gender-bias learning for relevant leaders, managers, panel members and decision-makers. Evaluation will consider the application of learning as well as completion. 

Evidence base 

Workforce profile and gender pay evidence 

Indicator	2025 baseline	What the evidence indicates
Workforce used for pay analysis	287 employees: 135 women and 152 men	Maintain reliable gender-disaggregated workforce monitoring.
Women as a proportion of the analysed workforce	47.0%	Overall representation is more balanced than representation at senior levels.
Mean hourly gender pay gap	10.64%	Continue annual analysis and address structural representation.
Median hourly gender pay gap	13.73%	Monitor progression into higher-paid roles and the experience of the typical employee.
Women in lower pay quartile	59.72%	Women are overrepresented in the lowest-paid quartile.
Women in upper pay quartile	30.99%	Women are underrepresented in the highest-paid quartile.
Women in Band 4	30.6%	Senior-band representation requires focused action.
Women in Band 5	37.5%	Progression and pipeline measures remain priorities.
Women in Bands 4-6	35%	A five-year ambition to increase the average to 50% is subject to formal approval and annual review.

Key findings 

• CPC’s gender pay gap is driven by the representation of women and men across the banding structure rather than differences in pay within bands. Women remain underrepresented in higher-paid bands and overrepresented in lower-paid bands, which contributes to the overall gap. 

• Women are overrepresented in the lower pay quartile and underrepresented in the upper quartile, where higher-paid technical, leadership and bonus-eligible roles are concentrated. 

• Recruitment pipeline diversity, equitable access to development, progression and succession opportunities, and scrutiny of pay and reward decisions are central to CPC’s response. 

• Small-number data, including bonus information, will be interpreted carefully and reported only at a level that protects confidentiality. 

Strategic alignment 

The Gender Equality Plan is a focused delivery mechanism within CPC’s wider EDI architecture. It brings together strategic commitments, workforce evidence, targets and accountable implementation. 

EDI Strategy pillar	Contribution to gender equality
Our Culture	Inclusive policies and processes, Equality Impact Assessments, learning, colleague communities, psychological safety and action to address the gender pay gap.
Our People	Inclusive recruitment, a consistent employee experience, improved representation, development, progression and succession pathways.
Our Practice	Inclusive innovation by design, equality assessment across project lifecycles, accessible external processes, diverse engagement, data and reporting.

Our priority themes and actions 

CPC’s actions are organised under five thematic areas. Outcome ambitions are not quotas. Employment decisions will remain lawful, proportionate and merit based. Actions will be agreed through the approval process where implementation status or timing requires validation. 

Theme 1: Work-life balance and inclusive organisational culture 

CPC will create working conditions characterised by respect, belonging, psychological safety and equitable participation. 

Ref	Action	Lead / support	Timing	Measure / evidence
1.1	Review priority people policies, including flexible working, parental leave and workplace adjustments, through an EDI and gender lens.	HR / policy owners / Head of EDI	Phased	Policies assessed and actions tracked
1.2	Deliver inclusive leadership, gender equality and gender-bias learning for relevant leaders, managers and decision-makers.	Talent Management / Head of EDI	Annual	Completion, evaluation and application evidence

Theme 2: Gender balance in leadership and decision-making 

CPC will increase the representation and influence of women in senior, technical, leadership and decision-making roles. 

Ref	Action	Lead / support	Timing	Measure / evidence
2.1	Secure top-management agreement, publish the Plan and confirm executive sponsorship, resources, owners and the reporting calendar.	Board / SLT / Head of EDI	On approval	Signed plan, public link and responsibility record
2.2	Embed inclusive behaviours and at least one EDI objective within relevant senior leadership and management objective-setting.	SLT / HR / Leadership	Annual	Objectives recorded and reviewed
2.3	Track progression, development participation, acting-up, secondments and attrition by gender and other available characteristics.	Human Resources	From January 2027	Dashboard and annual trend
2.4	Introduce, mentoring or development support for mid-level technical and leadership pipelines.	HR / Talent Management / Leadership	By mid-2027	Participation and progression outcomes

Theme 3: Gender equality in recruitment and career progression 

CPC will ensure recruitment, development, progression, retention and recognition are accessible and fair. 

Ref	Action	Lead / support	Timing	Measure / evidence
3.1	Audit and standardise inclusive job descriptions, accessible application formats and proactive adjustment information.	HR / Talent Acquisition	Year 1	Percentage of campaigns meeting the standard
3.2	Complete inclusive recruitment learning for hiring managers and panel members before participation.	Human Resources / Talent Acquisition	By 2027	Completion rate
3.3	Use diverse panels where practical and introduce focused outreach for Band 4-6, senior and specialist pipelines.	Human Resources / Talent Acquisition / Business Units	Annual	Applicant, shortlist and appointment profile
3.4	Complete annual gender pay and reward analysis, including starting salary, promotion pay, allowances and bonus allocation.	Human Resources / Head of EDI	Annual	Mean and median gaps; quartile and reward analysis

Theme 4: Integration of the gender dimension into research and innovation 

CPC will integrate relevant gender considerations into research, innovation, programme and project activity. 

Ref	Action	Lead / support	Timing	Measure / evidence
4.1	Embed gender considerations into relevant project Equality Impact Assessments, inclusive innovation guidance and external data collection.	Business Units / project leads / EDI Steering Group	Phased	Relevant projects assessed and actions evidenced
4.2	Monitor engagement by women-led businesses and widen participation through targeted, accessible outreach and support where lawful data is available.	Business Units / programme leads	Annual	Participation evidence and learning

Theme 5: Measures against harassment and gender-based violence 

CPC will maintain effective prevention, reporting, response and support arrangements. 

Ref	Action	Lead / support	Timing	Measure / evidence
5.1	Review prevention, reporting, response and support arrangements relating to harassment, sexual harassment and gender-based violence.	Human Resources	Year 1 cycle	Review completed and actions tracked
5.2	Improve awareness of reporting routes, available support and expected workplace behaviours.	Human Resources / Talent Management /Leadership	Annual	Awareness and learning evidence

Outcomes and measures of success 

No.	Strategic outcome	By 2029 CPC aims to
1	Representation	Increase the representation of women in senior, technical, leadership and decision-making roles.
2	Pay equity	Reduce the structural causes of the mean and median gender pay gaps.
3	Inclusive culture	Further develop our inclusive culture by promoting working environments that enable respect, belonging, psychological safety and equitable participation for all colleagues.
4	Equitable employment practice	Ensuring recruitment, development, progression, retention and recognition are accessible and fair.
5	Inclusive innovation	Integrate relevant gender considerations into research, innovation, programme and project activity.
6	Accountability	Use clear ownership, resources, data, governance and public reporting to sustain progress.

Monitoring and reporting 

CPC will establish an indicator set at approval, including definitions, baselines, data owners and confidentiality thresholds. Indicators will be interpreted in context and small-number data will be suppressed or aggregated where necessary. 

Area	Core indicators	Frequency	Accountability
Representation	Women overall and by band; senior, technical and decision-making representation.	Quarterly / annual	HR / Head of EDI / EDI Steering Group
Recruitment	Applicants, shortlists, appointments, conversion and process compliance by gender.	Quarterly / annual	HR / Talent Acquisition / Business Units
Progression and retention	Promotions, acting-up, secondments, development, high-profile projects and attrition.	Half-yearly / annual	HR / L&D / Leadership
Pay and reward	Mean and median gaps; quartiles; starting salary; promotion pay; allowances and bonus outcomes.	Annual	HR / Head of EDI
Culture	Psychological safety, belonging, fairness, flexible working and inclusion indicators by gender where sample size permits.	Annual / pulse cycle	HR / Leadership / Head of EDI
Capability	Completion and evaluation of relevant inclusive leadership, recruitment and bias learning.	Quarterly / annual	Talent Management / Head of EDI
Policy and safety	Priority policies assessed; EIAs; prevention and response arrangements; awareness of support routes.	Annual	HR / policy and governance owners
Research and innovation	Relevant project EIAs; participation data; engagement by women-led businesses where available.	Annual	Business Units / project and programme leads

Reporting cycle 

Cycle	Purpose	Output
Quarterly	Review delivery, risks, recruitment and representation evidence where available.	EDI Steering Group dashboard and action log
Half-yearly	Review key workforce, pay and culture indicators where appropriate and supported by data.	Progress assessment and corrective actions
Annually	Assess outcomes, report progress publicly or formally, and refresh priorities and targets.	Annual GEP progress report
End of plan	Evaluate effectiveness and prepare the successor plan.	Impact evaluation and next GEP

Governance and accountability 

Strategic accountability rests with the Senior Leadership Team. The Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion coordinates implementation and reporting. The EDI Steering Group provides oversight and constructive challenge. Relevant functions and Business Units own delivery and evidence, with material risks escalated through agreed governance routes. 

Resource / role	Contribution
Chief Executive Officer and SLT	Approve and sign the Plan, confirm resources, review annual progress and hold owners to account.
Head of EDI	Coordinate delivery, maintain the action plan, advise owners, collate evidence, report progress and propose revisions.
EDI Steering Group	Provide strategic oversight, constructive challenge and quarterly review. Provides a formal channel for colleague community input.
HR, Recruitment, Reward, L&D and people-data leads	Deliver and evidence workforce, reward, policy, learning and employee-experience actions.
Business Unit and functional leaders	Own implementation in their areas and address identified barriers or underrepresentation.
Cross-Project Inclusion Group and project leads	Support integration of gender and wider inclusion considerations into relevant projects and innovation practice.
Communications	Support accessible publication and internal and external communication.
All colleagues	Engage with learning, uphold expected behaviours, provide feedback and support an inclusive culture.

Public transparency 

CPC is committed to public transparency and accountability in advancing gender equality. Following approval and signature by senior management, CPC will publish this Plan in an accessible format on its public website. 

• publish the approved Gender Equality Plan and retain clear document control; 

• continue annual statutory Gender Pay Gap reporting; 

• publish or formally report progress against actions and agreed indicators each year; 

• explain material changes to actions, measures, ownership or timing; 

• protect confidentiality through aggregation and small-number suppression; and 

• use evidence, insight into colleagues and stakeholder learning to update implementation priorities. 

Conclusion 

Gender equality is essential to achieving CPC’s ambition of becoming an equitable, inclusive, and innovative organisation. Through this Plan, CPC commits to measurable action, stronger accountability, improved representation and inclusive practice across its workforce and innovation ecosystem between 2026 and 2029. The Plan supports a workplace where colleagues of all genders can contribute, progress and thrive. 

Annex A: Three-year implementation roadmap 

Year 1: 2026-27 | Foundation	Year 2: 2027-28 | Embed	Year 3: 2028-29 | Demonstrate
Approve, sign, and publish the GEP.	Review Year 1 progress and rebaseline actions.	Evaluate delivery, outcomes and impact.
Confirm resources, owners, data definitions and confidentiality thresholds.	Embed progression and attrition dashboards.	Assess representation trends in Bands 4-6, senior and technical roles.
Audit inclusive and accessible recruitment practice.	Deliver mentoring or development interventions.	Review progress in reducing structural drivers of the pay gap.
Deliver priority leadership and recruitment learning.	Strengthen policy review, EIAs and culture measures.	Consolidate gender considerations in relevant innovation practice.
Establish quarterly and annual reporting.	Expand inclusive innovation data and action.	Publish end-of-plan evaluation and prepare the successor GEP.

Annex B: Principal risks and mitigations 

Risk	Mitigation
Targets are interpreted as quotas or conflict with merit-based decisions.	Use lawful, evidence-led ambitions and a comply-and-explain approach; obtain HR and legal review before implementation.
Data are incomplete, inconsistent or too small for reliable interpretation.	Agree definitions, improve collection, document limitations and apply confidentiality thresholds.
Actions lack consistent ownership or sufficient resource.	Assign named owners, confirm resources, review quarterly and escalate delivery risks.
Training activity does not translate into behaviour or outcomes.	Evaluate application and outcomes, not only attendance, and reinforce expectations through objectives and management practice.
Existing dates have passed or implementation status is unclear.	Complete an approval-stage status review and rebaseline transparently without weakening ambition.
The GEP becomes a compliance document rather than a change tool.	Maintain colleague engagement, leadership visibility, action-based governance and outcome reporting.

Annex C: Source documents 

• Connected Places Catapult Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2028 

• Connected Places Catapult Gender Pay Gap Analysis 2025 

• Connected Places Catapult EDI Targets Framework 

• CPC workforce, recruitment, progression, pay, culture and innovation monitoring data, subject to agreed definitions and confidentiality thresholds 

Annex D: Gender Equality Plan compliance mapping 

Requirement	CPC evidence and commitment
Formal public document	Approval by senior management, senior signatory, accessible publication and annual progress reporting.
Dedicated resources	Head of EDI coordination, SLT accountability, EDI Steering Group oversight and delivery by named functions and Business Units.
Data collection and monitoring	Gender-disaggregated workforce, pay, recruitment, progression, retention, culture and innovation indicators, with confidentiality controls.
Training and awareness	Inclusive leadership, inclusive recruitment, gender equality and gender-bias learning for relevant decision-makers.
Thematic action	Actions across work-life balance and culture; leadership and decision-making; recruitment and career progression; research and innovation; and prevention of harassment and gender-based violence.