Creating a Culture of Inclusion: Increasing Diversity & Equality of Access (IDEA)

The Increasing Diversity and Equality of Access (IDEA) Initiative is a Wellcome Trust Institutional Fund for Research Culture pilot project within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMH) at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Developing an inclusive research culture within FMH

Meaningful and impactful research is produced in a research environment that fosters a culture of drawing on the collective strengths of all research staff, representative in our diverse society. However, we know from the Wellcome Trust's that under-represented groups (e.g., ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBT+ communities) are disproportionately affected by poor research culture. There are long-standing challenges in Higher Education Institutes arising from the persistent under-representation of certain minority groups and the under-recognition of the barriers that they face in their academic careers (Advance HE). These barriers take various forms, including unconscious bias and systemic inequalities that hinder equal access to opportunities and resources.

For example,

UK-based white applicants are more likely to succeed than UK-based Black, Asian and minority ethnic applicants (Wellcome Trust, 2025).
Those with non-Western surnames are more likely to be rejected for publication (Adam, 2024).
Women have fewer high-impact publications and are more likely to be rejected by journals (Nazar et al., 2022).
UKRI awardees who ar women and/or from ethnic minorities typically secure smaller grants (UKRI, 2020).
Applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds are less successful than white applicants in NIHR funding (NIHR, 2022).

UEA is committed to addressing this disparity through the IDEA initiative. IDEA will address the lack of diversity and inequity in research culture head on, centralising equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations to deliver impactful wide-ranging interventions to bring about meaningful change. This will be done by effecting a culture change programme piloted in FMH, to then drive institutional efforts to address EDI challenges at a faster pace. IDEA will ensure that all members of the FMH research community have the opportunity to 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., to FMH ethics procedures, and HR policies) requiring better EDI awareness and standards of practice by researchers.

The value of IDEA for improving the diversity of research culture at the UEA is fourfold:

Fostering a culture of inclusivity/sense of belonging.
Upskilling research leaders to identify/address inequalities/exclusions.
Improving the inclusivity of our research.
Ensuring this transformation will be University-wide, effective and enduring.

Initiative Aims

To improve the diversity, inclusivity, and equality of the research conducted in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Initiative Activity

Objectives of IDEA

Objective 1: Increase Education, Training and Skills in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Culture.

Objective 2: Enhance Visibility of Diverse and Improved Practice

Objective 3: Develop Inclusive Data Collection Practice in Research Design

If you’d like to speak to us and learn more about any of these projects, please contact us at: IDEA@uea.ac.uk

The Team

Project Team:

Research Associate: Dr Leanne Tyson

Senior Research Associate: Dr Poopak Azhand

Senior Research Associate: Dr Zoe Vaill

Organisational Development Partner: Alex Dawson

Project Administration Manager: Alice Burt

Collaborate With Us

If you are interested in collaborating with us for any of the projects being delivered as part of the IDEA initiative, please get in touch.