The Horizon Europe-funded GRASS CEILING (Gender Equality in Rural and Agricultural Innovation Systems) project has been selected as a 'Success Story' by the European Commission.
Led by Professor Sally Shortall from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at South East Technological University (SETU), the project is featured on the European Commission’s Research and Innovation website under the title “Cutting a path through European agriculture’s ‘grass ceiling’”.
'Success Stories' are selected by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and highlight EU-funded projects that are delivering clear, real-world impact.
GRASS CEILING brought together a consortium of 29 partners across nine European countries and ran from January 2023 to December 2025. The project focused on empowering rural women engaged in socio-ecological innovation by identifying gaps in existing supports, improving data capture, and ensuring women’s realities and needs are better reflected in European and national policy.
This recognition by the European Commission highlights the importance of creating space for rural women’s voices in innovation and policy."
Professor Sally Shortall
A core element of the project was the creation of Living Labs, women-led innovation spaces established in each partner country. Through these Living Labs, 72 rural women innovators received targeted training, supporting leadership, innovation and knowledge exchange within rural and agricultural systems.
The final GRASS CEILING showcase event took place at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels in December, where participants shared their innovations and experiences. Key policy recommendations and a practical policy toolkit, including resources for gender proofing and gender benchmarking, were also presented to European stakeholders.
Commenting on the project’s recognition, Professor Sally Shortall, Project Lead, said, “This recognition by the European Commission highlights the importance of creating space for rural women’s voices in innovation and policy. The Living Labs demonstrated what is possible when women are supported to lead change within their own communities.”
A key teaching and learning output from GRASS CEILING is its online Training Academy, delivered as a five-module Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) based on project case studies and Living Lab insights. The course is designed to support women innovators, farm organisations and wider innovation communities across Europe.
The Irish Living Labs were led by Dr Leana Reinl and Professor Felicity Kelliher from the Faculty of Business at SETU, with Macra na Feirme as co-lead. Dr Muireann Prendergast was the lead Postdoctoral Researcher for Ireland, with Kilpatrick Innovation also partnering on the project.
