Step-by-step checklist for policymakers
This practical checklist, developed by AEIDL within the GRASS CEILING Horizon Europe project, provides a clear roadmap for building the Rural Women Innovation Compass.
It guides policymakers and managing authorities through seven key steps — from defining strategic goals and mapping users to developing data frameworks, governance systems, and participatory engagement processes.
Know more about each step
Step 1 – Define the strategic framing
Step’s rationale
A clear Theory of Change is essential to ensure that the Rural Women Innovation Compass serves as a purpose-driven instrument rather than a purely technical tool. The Compass should articulate the causal logic linking data collection, analysis, and visualisation to concrete policy and investment decisions that improve gender equality and innovation capacity in rural areas. The theory of change will map how enhanced visibility of women’s contributions leads to fairer access to finance, knowledge, and networks, ultimately fostering inclusive rural development. To transform data into meaningful insight, the Compass requires a robust analytical backbone. Statistical and spatial models will enable the identification of gendered patterns in innovation ecosystems, access to finance, and resilience to climate or market shocks.
Key questions for policymakers
- How does the Compass contribute to 2028–2034 EU performance targets (gender equality, innovation, inclusion)?
- How will outcomes be reflected in National Regional Partnership Plans indicators and evaluation plans?
Action points for policymakers
- Draft a Theory of Change connecting data inputs to equality and innovation outcomes.
- Identify measurable outputs and expected impacts.
- Define analytical models to uncover gendered patterns in rural innovation.
Step 2 – Segment and understand users
Step’s rationale
User segmentation is equally important to tailor outputs to distinct needs: EU and national policymakers (strategic monitoring), local authorities and managing bodies (programme design), researchers (evidence generation), and rural women’s organisations (advocacy and empowerment). Defining these user groups and their decision points will guide indicator selection, interface/prototype/demonstrator design, and communication formats, ensuring that the Compass delivers usable, timely, and actionable insights for every stakeholder.
Key questions for policymakers
- Who are the primary, secondary, and indirect users of the Compass?
- Which NRPP stakeholders will use Compass data during planning, implementation, and reporting? What decisions do they take using the data?
- How can the Compass support Local Action Groups and women-led enterprises?
Action points for policymakers
- Conduct a user mapping exercise identifying decision cycles and needs.
- Map user needs against NRPP performance milestones.
- Develop differentiated user profiles and access levels.
- Co-design communication and data-visualisation formats per audience.
Step 3 – Build the Analytical and Indicator Framework
Step’s rationale
Step 3 – Build the Analytical and Indicator Framework The Compass must rely on a robust analytical backbone that transforms raw data into policy-relevant insight. This involves designing indicators, composite indices, and models capable of revealing gendered dynamics in rural innovation ecosystems. Statistical and spatial models can highlight disparities in access to finance, digital skills, or resilience to shocks, while qualitative evidence from rural women enriches interpretation.
In this step, it is necessary to consider the mapping developed for this deliverable/technical note of EU monitoring systems, as well as the Data Analysis Gaps, complemented by other indicators or proxies at national and regional levels. In addition, each corresponding managing authority must take into account the dimensions proposed in this study and their relation to the thematic areas of the Rural Observatory, in order to adapt them to their specific context by adding or adjusting elements according to their needs.
Key questions for policymakers
- Which Compass indicators align with the 2028–2034 performance framework and NRPPs?
- How will data feed into NRPP annual reports and evaluations? Which indicators best represent women-led innovation, inclusion, and resilience?
- How can data from different sources be harmonised and compared?
- How will qualitative and quantitative insights be combined?
Action points for policymakers
- Define a core indicator catalogue linked to NRPP and CAP result indicators.
- Integrate mixed-method approaches and periodic methodological reviews.
Step 4 – Develop the data infrastructure
Step’s rationale
The effectiveness of the Compass depends on a resilient and interoperable data infrastructure that adheres to FAIR principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. The system should integrate diverse data sources (Eurostat, ARDECO, CAP, EIGE, Copernicus, and national observatories) through harmonised metadata standards. An interoperability workflow should include automated ingestion, anonymisation, validation, and updates, ensuring both data quality and privacy.
Key questions for policymakers
- What data systems and sources can be linked or harmonised?
- How to guarantee comparability and FAIR compliance across Member States?
- What technical standards ensure sustainable interoperability?
- What infrastructure investments are required for 2028–2034?
Action points for policymakers
- Establish data-sharing agreements between NRPP Managing Authorities and the Observatory.
- Apply FAIR principles and EU interoperability standards (DCAT-AP, SDMX, INSPIRE).
- Create an open-access API for performance monitoring.
- Ensure GDPR compliance and establish secure, open-access layers.
Step 5 – Establish governance, ethics and data stewardship framework
Step’s rationale
Building a gender-responsive governance and ethical backbone is fundamental. A multi-level data stewardship model should link the EU Rural Observatory, DG AGRI, DG REGIO, DG RTD, Eurostat, ARDECO with national focal points for NRPPs and other plans. These actors must coordinate data access, quality control, and interoperability in line with GDPR and EU data-space principles. Ethical oversight will ensure privacy, informed consent, and fair representation of women and marginalised groups. Adopting intersectional, feminist, and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles will safeguard the Compass as a trustworthy and inclusive evidence system.
Key questions for policymakers
- Who are the responsible actors for data management and ethics at EU and national levels?
- Who will provide the territorial and context-specific information? And locally grounded data?
- How will ethical standards and intersectional data practices be applied?
- How is accountability for data quality and privacy ensured?
Action points for policymakers
- Create a governance board and assign data stewards at all levels.
- Define ethical guidelines and consent protocols.
- Establish periodic data audits and bias reviews.
Step 6 – Implementation, capacity building and sustainability plan
Step’s rationale
To move from concept to practice, the data strategy requires a staged implementation plan supported by capacity-building and sustainable resources. Initial pilots in selected Member States should test data integration, indicator feasibility, and dashboard functionality. A training programme for national statisticians, CAP/NRPPs Paying Agencies, and rural observatories should strengthen gender-sensitive data collection and reporting. Long-term sustainability will depend on embedding the Compass within the EU monitoring systems or even the Women in Farming Platform announced in the Vision for Agriculture and Food. Regular evaluations will ensure continuous improvement and demonstrate added value for evidence-based policymaking.
Key questions for policymakers
- Which regions/rural case studies should pilot the system?
- Which institutions need training for gender-sensitive monitoring?
- How can capacity gaps in data collection and analysis be addressed?
- What financial mechanisms ensure continuity and maintenance?
Action points for policymakers
- Conduct pilot projects to test data workflows and usability.
- Develop and deliver targeted training modules on gender-sensitive data.
- Deliver annual training sessions for NRPP evaluators and data officers.
- Secure multi-annual funding and establish performance monitoring cycles.
Step 7 – Communication, outreach and participatory engagement
Step’s rationale
The success of the Rural Women Innovation Compass depends on active participation and shared ownership by rural women, communities, and policymakers. A participatory engagement strategy should include co-design workshops, regional data dialogues, and an annual “Rural Women Data Forum” to align priorities and validate findings. At EU level it could go under the Women in Farming Platform announced in the Vision for Agriculture and Food. Communication efforts will focus on accessible, multilingual storytelling—combining dashboards, case studies, and interactive maps that translate data into real-life narratives. Open-data interfaces and feedback loops will allow users to contribute, interpret, and apply insights locally, ensuring that the Compass remains a living, user-driven resource rather than a static repository.
Key questions for policymakers
- How can rural women and communities actively shape and validate the data?
- How to ensure inclusive, multilingual communication of performance data?
- What feedback mechanisms inform policy adaptation?
Action points for policymakers
- Hold annual NRPP regional consultations.
- Develop storytelling dashboards and communication materials.
- Implement digital feedback and user-tracking systems to inform updates.