The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) is the only government-funded research institute in South Korea specializing in construction and land management. KICT is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and diverse research environment within the science and technology sector. By harnessing the talents of all individuals regardless of gender, KICT aims to achieve excellence in research and innovation. This Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is an official document established to meet the gender equality standards required under the Horizon Europe programme.

This GEP complies with the four mandatory requirements established by the European Commission

• Publication of Official Document : This GEP, formally approved and signed by the President of KICT, is publicly available on the official institutional website and has been disseminated to all employees.
• Dedicated Resources : Dedicated human resources have been assigned to the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the GEP, including the Officer for Women in Science and Technology and relevant institutional councils.
• Data Collection and Monitoring : Gender-disaggregated data on key institutional indicators are collected, managed, and publicly disclosed on an annual basis through institutional surveys.
• Training and Education : Mandatory training programmes are provided to all employees to address and eliminate gender stereotypes and unconscious bias.

This plan incorporates the five thematic areas recommended by the European Commission.

• Objective : To foster an open and inclusive organizational culture that supports sustainable work-life balance.
• Actions
  • Promote family-friendly policies.
  • Clarify performance evaluation exemptions for employees utilizing family-friendly policies.
• Targets
  • Achieve a replacement staffing rate of over 60% for parental leave absences to reduce departmental workload burdens.
  • Ensure 100% application of performance evaluation exemptions for employees using family-friendly policies (e.g., parental leave, maternity leave, and maternal protection leave).

• Objective : To increase the representation of women in leadership and decision-making positions.
• Actions
  • Implement merit-based Personnel Committees for promotions and awards.
  • Ensure gender-balanced composition across all internal committees.
• Targets
  • Require committee members to formally commit to avoiding gender-biased criteria or language.
  • Maintain female representation in committees and project teams (PTs) at a level exceeding the previous year’s female researcher employment rate (16.4% in 2024).

• Objective : To ensure fair, transparent, and gender-neutral recruitment and career progression processes.
• Actions
  • Review and revise recruitment materials to ensure the use of gender-neutral language.
  • Analyze recruitment and employment trends of female researchers and promote professional networking opportunities.
• Targets
  • Increase the proportion of female researchers as follows:(17.0% in 2025, 17.6% in 2026, 18.2% in 2027, 18.9% in 2028)
  • Hold quarterly meetings of the Women in Science and Technology Council or provide equivalent specialized training.

• Objective : To establish institutional processes for integrating the gender dimension into research and innovation activities.
• Actions
  • Provide institute-wide training on the prevention of sexual violence and sexual harassment to enhance gender awareness.
  • Disseminate best practices and exemplary cases of gender-integrated research from peer institutions.
• Targets
  • Achieve at least an 80% completion rate of violence prevention training among regular employees.

• Objective : To establish and maintain a zero-tolerance culture toward gender-based violence and sexual harassment.
• Actions
  • Establish confidential counseling and grievance mechanisms for sexual harassment and provide training for designated personnel.
  • Revise institutional guidelines on sexual harassment and violence prevention to reflect evolving societal standards.
• Targets
  • Designate and train two in-house grievance counselors.
  • Establish a sexual harassment and violence grievance committee that includes external experts.

• Implementation Period : 2025-2028
• Responsible : Officer for Women in Science and Technology
• Monitoring and Evaluation : Annual monitoring will be conducted through data analysis and the publication of institutional reports (e.g., reports submitted to the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology). Corrective measures will be introduced where targets are not achieved.