About NCSA

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) facilitates and promotes the use of modern methods for parallel processing. The most prominent Bulgarian scientists in this field from several Universities and Institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences participate in workgroups and perform research, application development, and support in close cooperation with Bulgarian National Supercomputing Center’s team.

Applications of supercomputers to science, industry, medicine, finance, natural disasters risks evaluation, environmental protection, etc., and particularly, in designing of nanomaterials, novel functional materials in electronic industry, medicine, and pharmacy, ecology, molecular biology are supported.

Most of the efforts NCSA team are to bridge the scientific and industrial perspectives by providing a forum for the exchange of different views and opinions and an attempt to answers questions, such as why High-Performance Computing (HPC) needs to be invested in and how HPC can bring visible and tangible influence to peoples’ lives and competitiveness to industrial companies.

Gender Equality Plan

GENDER EQUALITY PLAN
National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), Bulgaria
2026–2029

Approved by	Prof. Stoyan Markov, Dr. Sc.
Date of approval	7 July 2026
Coordinator	Peicho Petkov
Review cycle	Annual

Introduction

NCSA is a Bulgarian research and technology organisation operating in supercomputing, high-performance computing, data-intensive science, artificial intelligence, advanced digital infrastructure, research collaboration, project implementation and professional training. NCSA does not provide formal higher education and does not enrol or educate students. Accordingly, this Plan applies to employees, researchers, engineers, technical specialists, administrative and project staff, managers, trainees, visiting researchers, external experts, infrastructure users and participants in NCSA-organised professional events.

NCSA is committed to equal opportunities, respectful working relations, research excellence and an organisational culture in which sex or gender does not create unjustified barriers to recruitment, career development, remuneration, leadership, access to infrastructure, project participation or professional visibility.

This Plan adapts systematic data collection, equality in recruitment and careers, balanced decision-making, integration of the gender dimension in relevant research and innovation, awareness-raising, prevention of gender-based violence and work-life balance.

Legal and policy framework

Bulgarian Protection against Discrimination Act
Bulgarian Labour Code
Bulgarian Gender Equality Act
Applicable personal-data-protection and whistleblower-protection legislation
Horizon Europe Gender Equality Plan eligibility requirements
European Charter for Researchers and principles of transparent, merit-based recruitment
NCSA internal rules, employment procedures and codes of conduct

1. Systematic data collection, objective analysis and action

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator/target	Term/periodicity	Responsible units/resources
1.1	Collect annual sex-disaggregated workforce data by organisational unit, occupational category, contract type, grade and seniority.	All NCSA personnel	Evidence-based equality monitoring	Annual dataset completed; coverage ≥90% of personnel records	Annually, by 31 March	HR/Administration; Gender Equality Coordinator
1.2	Monitor the gender composition of researchers, engineers, system administrators, project managers, administrative staff and other professional groups.	All NCSA personnel	Horizontal and vertical segregation	Annual distribution and multi-year trend by staff category	Annually	HR/Administration
1.3	Monitor the composition of senior management, scientific/technical advisory bodies, recruitment panels, project steering groups and other decision-making bodies.	Management and committee members	Gender balance in leadership and decision-making	Representation by gender; documented justification where balanced composition is not feasible	Annually and when bodies are appointed	Director; committee chairs; Gender Equality Committee
1.4	Collect recruitment data covering applicants, shortlisted candidates, interviewed candidates and appointments.	Job applicants and recruitment panels	Equality in recruitment	Selection rates by gender; 100% of formal procedures use documented criteria	For every recruitment procedure; annual summary	HR/Administration; recruitment-panel chairs
1.5	Monitor promotions, contract renewals, access to training, project leadership, conference participation and other career-development opportunities.	Employees and project personnel	Career development	Annual participation and outcome data by gender	Annually	HR/Administration; project managers
1.6	Review remuneration data within comparable roles and investigate material unexplained differences.	Employees	Equal pay and fair remuneration	Annual pay analysis; documented review of unexplained differences above an internally approved threshold	Annually	Director; Finance; HR/Administration
1.7	Collect data on requests for maternity, paternity, parental and carers’ leave, flexible working and return-to-work support.	Employees	Work-life balance	100% of eligible requests processed under applicable rules; return-to-work discussion offered after extended leave	Annually	HR/Administration; line managers
1.8	Include an anonymised analysis of collected data, progress, risks and corrective measures in the NCSA annual management report or a dedicated GEP report.	NCSA management and personnel	Transparency and accountability	Annual report approved and public non-confidential summary published	Annually	Director; Gender Equality Committee
1.9	Maintain anonymised statistics on complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, gender-based violence and retaliation.	Employees, visitors, trainees, users and event participants	Prevention and institutional response	Cases recorded by category and response time; no personal data in public reporting	Annually	Designated contact persons; Ethics/complaints body

2. Integrating the gender dimension into scientific research, innovation and HPC services

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator / target	Term / periodicity	Responsible units / resources
2.1	Introduce a gender-dimension screening question in internal proposal-development and project-review procedures.	Researchers, engineers and project teams	Gender-responsive research and innovation	100% of NCSA-coordinated Horizon Europe proposals screened	For each proposal	Project office; proposal coordinators
2.2	Where research involves people, human-related data or societal impacts, assess whether sex, gender or intersecting characteristics affect research questions, data, simulations, algorithms, validation or impact.	Research and technical teams	Scientific quality and responsible innovation	Relevant proposals include analysis or a reasoned statement of non-relevance	For each relevant project	Principal investigators; work-package leaders
2.3	For AI and data-intensive projects, assess possible bias in datasets, model design, performance metrics and deployment effects.	AI, data science and software teams	Fair and trustworthy AI	Bias assessment documented for relevant projects	At design and review stages	Technical leads; ethics/data-protection support
2.4	Monitor participation by gender in NCSA research projects, project leadership, access calls, training events and scientific dissemination.	Researchers, infrastructure users and event participants	Equal participation and visibility	Annual participation statistics and trend analysis	Annually	Project office; event organisers; infrastructure access coordinators
2.5	Organise at least one annual seminar or practical case study on gender in HPC, AI, data science or responsible digital innovation.	Employees, researchers, technical specialists and external collaborators	Capacity building	At least 1 specialised activity per year	Annually	Gender Equality Coordinator; invited experts

3. Integrating the topic into professional training

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator / target	Term / periodicity	Responsible units / resources
3.1	Develop concise internal guidance on gender equality, inclusive recruitment, respectful conduct and reporting channels.	All personnel	Awareness and practical implementation	Guidance issued and reviewed at least every two years	By Q3 2026; biennial review	Gender Equality Coordinator; HR/Administration
3.2	Provide induction information on equal treatment, anti-harassment rules and complaint channels to newly recruited personnel and long-term visitors.	New employees and long-term visitors	Institutional awareness	100% receive induction information	At entry	HR/Administration
3.3	Provide unconscious-bias and structured-selection training to managers and recruitment-panel chairs.	Managers and selection panels	Fair recruitment and decision-making	100% of panel chairs trained or briefed before participating	Before appointment / refresher every 2 years	HR/Administration; external experts
3.4	Provide training on prevention of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, including bystander responsibilities and non-retaliation.	All personnel	Safe organisational culture	At least 80% staff participation by end-2027; 95% by end-2029	Initial cycle and biennial refreshers	Gender Equality Coordinator; qualified experts

4. Enhancing organisational culture

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator / target	Term / periodicity	Responsible units / resources
4.1	Adopt and communicate standards for inclusive language and non-stereotypical visual representation in institutional communication.	All personnel; communications staff	Inclusive culture and visibility	Guidance applied to major public communications	From 2026; annual review	Management; communications function
4.2	Seek meaningful participation of different genders in committees, panels, invited-speaker programmes and high-visibility institutional roles.	Management, experts and event contributors	Balanced participation	Aim for at least 40% representation of each gender across newly appointed bodies and annual speaker portfolios, where the expertise pool permits	Ongoing; annual reporting	Director; committee chairs; event organisers
4.3	Establish a Gender Equality Committee and designate a coordinator with allocated working time.	NCSA personnel	Implementation capacity	Committee appointed; at least two meetings per year; coordinator named publicly	Within 3 months of adoption	Director
4.4	Conduct periodic anonymous staff surveys on organisational culture, inclusion, work-life balance and awareness of reporting mechanisms.	All personnel	Institutional climate	Survey response rate and action plan based on findings	At least once every 2 years	Gender Equality Committee; external/internal survey support
4.5	Use a Code of Conduct for major NCSA-organised conferences, schools, workshops and professional training events.	Event participants, speakers and organisers	Safe and inclusive events	100% of major events publish conduct expectations and reporting contact	From 2027	Event organisers; Gender Equality Coordinator

5. Ensuring work-life balance

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator / target	Term / periodicity	Responsible units / resources
5.1	Schedule routine meetings and internal training within core working hours whenever operationally feasible.	All personnel	Work-life balance	At least 90% of routine internal meetings held within approved core hours	Ongoing; annual review	All managers and meeting chairs
5.2	Apply transparent flexible-working and remote-working arrangements where compatible with operational, infrastructure-security and cybersecurity requirements.	Eligible employees	Work-life balance and retention	Policy communicated; uptake monitored by gender	Ongoing	Director; HR/Administration; line managers
5.3	Ensure that maternity, paternity, parental or carers’ leave does not create unjustified disadvantage in performance review, access to training, contract renewal or career progression.	Employees taking protected leave	Equal career development	Annual review of relevant decisions; corrective action where needed	Annually	HR/Administration; management
5.4	Offer a structured reintegration discussion and access to necessary technical updates or training after extended leave.	Employees returning from extended leave	Career continuity	100% of returnees offered support	At return	Line managers; HR/Administration
5.5	Allow hybrid participation in meetings, training and selected events where technically and operationally feasible.	Personnel and external participants	Accessibility and participation	Hybrid option assessed for major events and relevant internal activities	Ongoing	Event organisers; IT support

6. Prevention of gender-based violence, sexual harassment and retaliation

NCSA applies zero tolerance to discrimination, gender-based violence, sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation. The organisation shall establish confidential and accessible reporting channels, designate trained contact persons and adopt a written procedure for receiving, assessing, investigating and resolving reports.

The procedure shall protect confidentiality on a need-to-know basis, manage conflicts of interest, provide timely acknowledgement, allow proportionate interim protective measures, respect the rights of all persons involved and prohibit retaliation against anyone who reports or participates in a procedure in good faith.

These standards apply to the workplace, online communication, business travel, conferences, professional training, social functions connected with work, and interactions with external users, contractors and collaborators.

No.	Planned action	Target group	Addressed area of impact	Indicator / target	Term / periodicity	Responsible units / resources
6.1	Adopt or update a Code of Conduct and a confidential complaints procedure.	All personnel and persons within scope	Prevention and response	Documents approved and published internally; public summary available	Within 6 months	Director; legal/HR support; Gender Equality Committee
6.2	Designate at least two trained contact persons, where practicable of different genders.	All persons within scope	Accessible reporting	At least 2 trained contacts and clearly communicated channels	Within 6 months; annual confirmation	Director
6.3	Provide specialised training to contact persons and managers receiving disclosures.	Contact persons and managers	Competent case handling	100% trained before performing the role	Before appointment; refresher every 2 years	Qualified external experts
6.4	Monitor anonymised case categories, acknowledgement times and resolution times, without publishing identifying details.	Management and oversight bodies	Accountability and improvement	Annual anonymised review completed	Annually	Designated case-management function

Implementation, monitoring and revision

The Director provides formal endorsement, authority and adequate human and financial resources.
The Gender Equality Committee coordinates implementation and prepares an annual progress report.
Each responsible unit maintains the evidence required for its indicators.
Targets are reviewed after the first baseline assessment. Where small numbers could identify individuals, data are aggregated or reported as multi-year trends.
A mid-term review is conducted in 2027 and a final evaluation in 2029. The Plan is revised when monitoring results, organisational changes or legal/programme requirements make revision necessary.
The signed Plan and non-confidential annual progress summaries are published on the NCSA website.

Conclusion

Through this Plan, NCSA will strengthen equal opportunities for its personnel and collaborators, improve the quality and transparency of recruitment and decision-making, support work-life balance, prevent harassment and integrate the gender dimension into relevant research, HPC, AI and data-intensive activities. As NCSA does not educate students, the Plan deliberately focuses on employment, research, technical infrastructure, project participation, professional training, external users and institutional events rather than student admissions, doctoral education or teaching curricula.

Approved by: Prof. Stoyan Markov, Dr. Sci.

Position: ____ Head of NCSA ____________

Date: _______ 7 July 2026 _______________

Signature / institutional stamp: ______________________________