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Equal Opportunities

ZRC SAZU is committed to respecting the principles of equal opportunities in research, which means fair behavior and conduct in relations with everyone involved in research and support activities. This also includes eliminating all forms of discrimination, regardless of sex, nationality, race, ethnic origin, language, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, social status, financial status, education, or any other personal circumstance (as set out in Article 1 of the Protection against Discrimination Act). Upholding these principles requires prevention and sanctioning of their violation.

ZRC SAZU dedicates special attention to promoting gender equality in the workplace, which involves not only eliminating discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression, but also proactive action to remove any structural inequality as well as sex- and gender-related stereotypes and prejudice. For this purpose, the Gender Equality Plan of ZRC SAZU (GEP 2019–2023) was adopted and subsequently updated in January 2022. Although the previous GEP officially concluded, its implementation in practice continued until the end of 2025, as regular activities were ongoing and certain institutional changes – particularly in the area of preventing sexual harassment – required more time; consequently, all measures envisaged within this thematic pillar were completed only in the first half of 2025.

In 2025, the ZRC SAZU Committee for Ethics, Integrity, and Equal Opportunities in Research initiated the preparation of a new Inclusive Gender Equality Plan of ZRC SAZU, which is expected to be adopted in May 2026 and will remain in force until the end of the stable funding period in 2033. The preparation of the new GEP includes an evaluation of the previous GEP across five thematic pillars (organisational culture; gender equality in decision-making; career progression; the gender dimension in research; prevention of sexual harassment) as well as three additional areas of equal opportunities, namely:

  • the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ persons and the addressing of related issues,
  • the inclusion of persons with physical and other forms of disabilities,
  • the inclusion of foreign and/or non-Slovene-speaking researchers.