AANG Holdings Group Member
Effective Date: 01/05/2025 Last Updated: 01/05/2025
The Gender Equality Plan (GEP) of Metabio establishes a comprehensive framework designed to promote gender equality, prevent discrimination, and ensure equitable participation in all areas of the organization’s work. This plan applies to every Metabio employee, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and contract staff, and extends to leadership, governance committees, research teams, clinical operations, and any external partners involved in research activities funded, supported, or overseen by Metabio. The purpose of this policy is to integrate gender considerations into Metabio’s culture, research practices, and operational structures, ensuring a workplace grounded in fairness, equal opportunity, and respect for diversity. In implementing this GEP, Metabio reaffirms its commitment to the principle of equal treatment as set out in Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, which establishes the legal framework guaranteeing equality between women and men in employment, occupation, and working conditions, including remuneration for work of equal value. The structure and content of this GEP are further aligned with the Horizon Europe Guidance on Gender Equality Plans issued by the European Commission (2021), which defines the minimum core requirements for institutional GEPs, including formal approval, public availability, dedicated resources, sex-disaggregated data collection, and capacity-building measures. These principles provide the foundation for ensuring that Metabio’s organisational policies, research practices, and internal governance mechanisms reflect recognised European standards for advancing gender equality and safeguarding non-discrimination.
Metabio’s Gender Equality Plan is situated within a clear and robust policy framework that reflects the organisation’s commitment to European and international standards on equality, human rights, and responsible research governance. The Plan is based on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which establishes equality between women and men as a fundamental principle of the Union and prohibits discrimination in all professional and social contexts. It is further informed by the broader objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for the elimination of discrimination and structural barriers to the full participation of women and girls in all spheres of society. Together, these instruments provide the normative basis upon which Metabio structures its internal policies and organisational culture relating to fairness, inclusion, and equal treatment. The GEP also operates in compliance with all relevant national labour, equality, and anti-discrimination legislation, ensuring that Metabio’s internal policies and organisational practices adhere to the applicable legal requirements in every jurisdiction in which the organisation operates. Internally, the Plan is aligned with Metabio’s policies on human resources, diversity and inclusion, ethical conduct, and research integrity, ensuring consistency across the organisation’s operational, scientific, and administrative functions. Through this integrated policy orientation, Metabio upholds its commitment to equal treatment, transparent and merit-based recruitment and progression, pay equity, balanced representation in leadership and decision-making structures, and the systematic incorporation of gender perspectives across all research and innovation activities.
The implementation of Metabio’s Gender Equality Plan is supported by a structured and clearly delineated governance model. Oversight responsibility is assigned to a designated Gender Equality Officer, who ensures the operational execution of the Plan, coordinates capacity-building and awareness initiatives, oversees the monitoring of gender-disaggregated data, and reports regularly on progress to senior management. The Officer acts as the central point of accountability for all matters relating to gender equality within the organisation. Strategic direction is provided by the Gender Equality Steering Committee, consisting of representatives from Human Resources, Legal Affairs, Clinical Operations, Research and Development, Finance, and Executive Leadership. The Committee is responsible for reviewing progress indicators, approving revisions to the Plan, ensuring compliance with internal and external regulatory requirements, and advising on corrective or enhancement measures where needed. It also ensures that gender considerations are systematically integrated into organisational decision-making, operational planning, and research governance. To guarantee effective and sustainable implementation, Metabio allocates dedicated annual resources to gender equality measures. This includes funding for training and professional development, tools for data collection and monitoring, awareness and communication activities, and specialised external expertise where appropriate. These resources ensure that the commitments outlined in the GEP are operationally viable and continuously supported across all functional areas of the organisation.
Metabio ensures that employees at all levels are informed and equipped to support gender equality through a structured training and awareness program. All employees are required to complete training on unconscious bias, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment principles, and other foundational topics relevant to equitable workplace culture. Managers and individuals in decision-making roles receive additional gender-sensitive leadership training, while research and clinical teams participate in training focused on integrating gender considerations into scientific and clinical study design. In addition to mandatory programs, Metabio offers optional workshops on inclusive communication, work–life balance, and mentorship opportunities for underrepresented genders, thereby reinforcing a culture of continuous learning and awareness.
Metabio systematically collects and analyses gender-disaggregated data to evaluate progress toward gender equality and identify areas requiring action. Data is gathered annually on hiring and recruitment trends, compensation and promotion patterns, participation in training programs, contract types and working conditions, and representation across teams, leadership roles, and research projects. Where relevant, data is also collected on the participation of different genders in clinical and research activities. All data is anonymized, securely stored, and managed in full compliance with GDPR and internal data protection practices.
Metabio promotes a workplace culture that supports work–life balance through flexible working models, equal access to parental leave, and programs that facilitate a smooth transition back to work following extended leave. The organization strives to strengthen gender representation in leadership by fostering an inclusive leadership pipeline and ensuring diversity in key governance committees. Recruitment and promotion practices are structured to reduce bias and improve transparency through standardized criteria, balanced shortlists whenever feasible, and the consistent use of gender-neutral language in job advertisements. In research and innovation, Metabio systematically integrates the gender dimension into project design, methodology, and dissemination. This includes ensuring that sex- and gender-based differences are considered where scientifically relevant. The organization maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward gender-based violence and harassment, with clear reporting pathways, confidential investigation processes, and adequate support for all individuals involved.
Metabio engages systematically with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation and continuous refinement of its Gender Equality Plan. Internal stakeholders, including employees at all levels and across functions, are consulted to provide insight into organisational practices, identify potential barriers, and inform evidence-based improvements. External stakeholders, such as research collaborators, patient advocacy organisations, and professional associations, are involved in structured initiatives that support knowledge exchange, dissemination of best practices, and alignment with sector-wide standards. Through this integrated approach, the GEP remains adaptive, strategically relevant, and consistently aligned with both organisational priorities and broader industry benchmarks for gender equality.
Metabio integrates gender equality expectations into its procurement and partnership processes. Suppliers and external partners are encouraged to adopt or maintain their own gender equality commitments, and clinical trial sites participating in Metabio-led research must adhere to basic standards of equality, anti-discrimination, and inclusion. When evaluating potential collaborators, Metabio gives preference to organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity and ethical workplace practices.
The initial phase of implementation focuses on establishing governance structures, conducting a baseline gender audit, and launching core training programs. During the second quarter of the first year, Metabio publishes the GEP internally and externally, strengthens recruitment and promotion processes, and embeds gender considerations into organizational workflows. Further initiatives, including mentorship programs and the integration of the gender dimension into research processes, are rolled out throughout the year. At the end of each year, Metabio conducts a comprehensive review of progress, adjusts priorities, and prepares updates to the GEP. This cycle repeats annually.
Metabio evaluates the progress of gender equality through defined, measurable indicators. Targets include achieving more balanced representation in candidate shortlists, strengthening the presence of underrepresented genders in leadership roles, ensuring full completion of mandatory training modules, reducing pay disparities to within acceptable thresholds, and conducting an annual audit to confirm that gender considerations are systematically integrated into research and development activities.
Progress on the GEP is monitored quarterly by the Gender Equality Steering Committee and summarized in an annual Gender Equality Report published for employees and, where appropriate, for external stakeholders. The GEP is updated annually to reflect new data, organizational changes, and evolving best practices. These review processes ensure transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Metabio maintains a robust, confidential reporting system that enables employees to report concerns related to discrimination, harassment, or inequality without fear of retaliation. Reports may be submitted anonymously or directly through designated HR channels. All cases are handled with impartiality, respect, and confidentiality. Support services, including counselling and legal guidance where appropriate, are available to affected individuals.
To ensure transparency and encourage employee engagement, Metabio communicates its gender equality initiatives through multiple channels, including the company website, the internal intranet, town hall meetings, and periodic newsletters. Leadership actively endorses these initiatives, reinforcing their importance across the organization and promoting an inclusive and informed workplace culture.
All data collected for the purposes of monitoring gender equality is processed in accordance with GDPR and Metabio’s data protection policies. Only aggregated and anonymized data is used for reporting and analysis. Ethical principles guide the integration of gender considerations into research practices, ensuring that gender-related data is handled responsibly and scientifically.
The principles of this GEP extend to Metabio-managed clinical research and collaborations with external study sites. Metabio ensures that clinical studies incorporate gender-inclusive recruitment strategies, that study protocols reflect sex- and gender-based scientific considerations where appropriate, and that external partners uphold comparable standards of equality, respect, and safety. Compliance is monitored through routine assessments and partnership agreements.
