In a time when innovation ecosystems are called to be not only competitive but also fair, inclusive, and regenerative, gender responsiveness must move beyond strategy documents into systemic practice. But what does that look like in real and concrete terms? This high-level session brings together leading voices from research, entrepreneurship, international organizations, to discuss how gender-responsive innovation can generate meaningful impact across different regions, sector and societal layers. Speakers will reflect on their experiences leading major European and global initiatives and projects, from Europe to Africa, to unpack the critical success factors for embedding gender equity in science, tech, urban systems, entrepreneurship, etc., also exploring how gender-responsive approaches can be designed, implemented, and scaled through collaboration and collaborative ecosystems (such as the Living Lab). 

Bringing together practitioners, researchers, and tool developers, the session will: 

• Bring a global policy perspective, offering insights into how high-level frameworks shape gender equality across innovation. 

• Highlight how Living Labs can serve as enablers of structural change by embedding gender in co-creation and innovation processes. 

• Focus on the transformation of tech design and entrepreneurship through inclusive and debiased co-creation methods. 

• Showcase tools and lessons learnt to understand what works, for whom, and in which context when addressing structural inequalities. 

• Highlight the entrepreneurial perspective from the African context, highlighting how gender-responsive entrepreneurship can be transformative and the importance of locally rooted, globally informed innovation models.