Beyond Compliance: systematisation of EDI practices as a strategy for cultural change

Gender inequality and limited institutional maturity in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) remain persistent challenges within European STEM research environments, particularly in Mediterranean contexts. This article presents preliminary results from the EU-funded Horizon Europe project STEP (STEM and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Research Enhancement in Portugal), which adopted an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to systematically embed EDI within research and teaching practices. The study aims to explore how EDI can function not merely as a compliance requirement, but as a strategic driver of cultural and institutional change.

Methodologically, the article draws on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with key institutional actors involved in the project’s coordination, analysed through the combined lenses of neo-institutionalism and Actor-Network Theory. This framework allows examination of both macro-level institutional pressures and micro-level socio-technical dynamics shaping organisational change.

Findings indicate that STEP contributed to increased institutional awareness, greater confidence among underrepresented groups, and the systematisation of EDI practices across governance, research management, and academic life. The project fostered interdisciplinary dialogue between STEM and the Social Sciences and Humanities, supported the mainstreaming of EDI, and facilitated the transition from symbolic adoption to more embedded practices.

The article concludes that even short-term, small-scale European projects can catalyse sustainable cultural and institutional transformation when EDI is treated as an integral component of research governance rather than an administrative obligation.