Inclusivity project awarded £1m
By: Communications
A project to support diversity and equity challenges for researchers has been awarded a £1m grant from The Wellcome Trust.
Creating a Culture of Inclusion: Increasing Diversity and Equity of Access (IDEA) will support a research culture change programme in the Faculty of Medicine and Health (FMH), to then drive institutional efforts to address equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) challenges at a faster pace.
The £1m award from the Wellcome Trust will address some of the long-standing challenges in higher education arising from persistent under-representation and under-recognition of multiple protected characteristics (such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability).
IDEA will look at innovative adaptations of training and mentoring for research culture context, funding opportunities to generate further original possibilities and pilot studies to increase inclusion in research design.
It will provide a launchpad for fundamental changes for research staff, activity and the wider culture of the Faculty.
Wellcome Trust’s research shows that underrepresented groups are disproportionately affected by poor research culture. UEA’s IDEA project will also link up with others funded by the Trust’s institutional research culture funding grants to drive national change.
IDEA’s goals for improving the diversity of research culture at UEA are:
- A research culture of inclusivity
- Upskilled research leaders to identify /address inequalities
- Improved research design inclusivity
- A university-wide, effective and enduring transformation
FMH was chosen for the pilot due to the diverse types of research conducted, and the wide collaborative nature of the research with colleagues from other UEA faculties. IDEA will ensure that all members of the FMH research community develop the skills and take the actions required to support a diverse workforce and encourage diversity of research practices. This will be reinforced by systemic changes (e.g., research ethics procedures, HR policies) requiring better EDI awareness and standards of practice by researchers.
The project is led by the PVC Research and Innovation, Brian Reid, and the lead investigator is Joanna Semlyen (MED). They will be working in partnership with the People and Culture Division in order that the programme can be linked with institutional efforts to address systemic change and support the work of Strategy 2030.
Associate Professor in Psychology/Medical Education Joanna Semlyen said: “Research culture can mean many things but in this bid I considered inclusion to be key. And Wellcome agreed.”
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