GILL: Integrating Gender-Responsive Approaches into User-Centred Health Innovation

Key Aim:

The Gendered Innovation Living Labs (GILL) project (2023-2025) is a European initiative that aims to make innovation, entrepreneurship, and product development more inclusive by ensuring that gender and diversity are considered throughout the innovation process. Many technologies, services, and policies are developed without fully considering the different needs and experiences of women and other underrepresented groups. GILL works to address these gaps by developing practical tools, methods, training resources, and guidance that help organisations create more equitable and responsive innovations.

As a partner in the GILL consortium, the D4D team embedded gender-responsive tools and methodologies into health technology innovation activities, reinforcing their commitment to user-centred design. By implementing and testing GILL resources in real-world settings, D4D generated practical insights into how gender-responsive approaches can drive more inclusive innovation processes, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and deliver better health technology outcomes. 

A range of GILL tools and methods were tested, including GenderMag to review the Healthcare Science Innovation Fellowship online learning platform, Gender Impact Assessment to assess public-facing and project materials, reflective interviews to explore the experiences of female innovators, Fair Meetings and Airtime Monitoring to evaluate and improve inclusive team processes, and reflective diary methods within patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities to capture participant experiences and perspectives.

Impact:

Through this work, D4D has embedded new methods and approaches within its organisational processes. As a result, the team has increased awareness of gender-related health inequalities and strengthened the integration of gender considerations across its health innovation and entrepreneurship activities. The project has driven meaningful changes in working practices, enhanced understanding of the barriers and challenges faced by female innovators, and encouraged the adoption of more inclusive approaches within routine innovation processes. This, in turn, has influenced the development of the Women's Health theme by broadening consideration of holistic factors, including mental health and wellbeing, helping to ensure that future innovations better reflect the diverse needs, experiences, and priorities of the populations they serve.

Project Team and Funding:

The project was led by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and brought together a multidisciplinary consortium of 17 partners from 10 countries. The partnership combined expertise from research, innovation, industry, public sector organisations, healthcare, and cultural institutions. D4D collaborated with nine academic and research institutions (among them D4D partner Coventry University), four small and medium-sized enterprises, one local authority, and one museum.

The project was funded by the European Union (GILL, 101094812). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them. This project is also co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant number 10049511].

Read More Links:

Learn more about the work through our open access publication:  Gender-responsive methods in action: Case studies on the application of gender inclusion for sustainable change | University Press Library Open 

Read more about the wider project here: GILL-Project | GILL-Project

Access the GILL Hub and a collection of gender response tools and methods here: GILL Hub - The GILL Hub

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