Draft equality, diversity and inclusion strategy announced

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UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a consultation on the organisation’s new equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy.

Setting out our ambition for an inclusive research and innovation system, the new strategy will detail the organisation’s long-term commitment to achieving this aim.

The open consultation runs from 13 January with a closing date of midday on 28 March 2022. We welcome input from across the research and innovation system to refine the draft strategy and inform the development of future action plans and measures.

Wide-ranging engagement

The development of the new strategy has been driven by wide-ranging engagement, discussion and challenge from a wide variety of individuals and organisations with UKRI and its councils.

Marking an important milestone

UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said:

The launch of the consultation on our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy marks an important milestone in our ambition to work with the community to reshape research and innovation culture so that it truly values and supports different people, places and projects.

Despite significant progress, there is much further to go. Change is too slow, with deep inequalities stubbornly embedded and no silver bullet solutions. There are many, often directly conflicting ideas about the best ways to effect change, and many coordinated interventions will be necessary.

UKRI, as an employer, funder and convenor of the system, is committed to building the evidence base and delivering the actions needed to bring about the transformative change that is so critical for research and innovation success.

I encourage anyone with a stake in research and innovation, from all backgrounds, roles and experiences, to take part in the consultation. This will help us to co-create a research and innovation system by everyone, for everyone.

Encouraging consultation input

UKRI Executive Champion for People, Culture and Talent, Professor Melanie Welham, said:

As the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation UKRI has a responsibility to catalyse and convene change across the system.

We welcome and encourage input from across our communities into the consultation, throughout the development of our strategy and after its publication later this year.

Outlining our ambition

The strategy will outline our ambition for a research and innovation system where:

  • everyone feels included, is heard, respected and able to be their real self
  • different people, ideas, ways of thinking, skills and perspectives are valued
  • people and ideas thrive, are supported and encouraged
  • everyone can participate in, contribute to and benefit from our investments in research and innovation.

Four cornerstones for change

As outlined in the strategy, UKRI’s ambitions are underpinned by four cornerstones for change:

  1. We will foster an inclusive, equitable, just and diverse research and innovation system by championing and focusing on systemic and structural change.
  2. We will be open, transparent, and inclusive in our approaches by listening, influencing and working in partnership.
  3. We are committed to leading, taking action and being innovative. We will use evidence, data and learning from our organisation and others to inform our actions and how we work.
  4. We expect every individual in UKRI to be inclusive in all that they do, and we will hold ourselves to account for our actions as individuals, as leaders, partners and as an organisation.

View the draft strategy and consultation on the EDI strategy page.

Top image:  Credit: JohnnyGreig, Getty Images

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