Introduction
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) continue to be fundamental to UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) vision for a world-class research and innovation system, one in which everyone is enabled to contribute, thrive and benefit. Our renewed mission, to advance knowledge, improve lives, and drive growth, reflects our commitment to creating a more inclusive and impactful research environment, both nationally and globally.
UKRI employs over 9,000 people across our cross-council functions, seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Our workforce comprises scientists, technologists and professional services colleagues, each playing a vital role in delivering research and innovation that benefits society and the economy.
As our new Chief Executive Officer, Ian Chapman, has stated, “UKRI is the most amazingly important organisation, stacked full of talented and dedicated people”. This recognition highlights the value we place on our people and the importance of fostering a culture where all colleagues feel respected, supported and empowered to succeed.
Since the launch of our EDI strategy and workforce EDI plan in 2023, we have made tangible progress in embedding inclusive practices across the organisation. This includes advancing inclusive leadership, enhancing wellbeing support and strengthening the collection and use of diversity data.
Our EDI strategy
UKRI’s EDI strategy sets out how we use our roles as a leader, funder, partner and employer to create a more inclusive research and innovation ecosystem. It guides our efforts to ensure that participation is broad, and the benefits of research and innovation are accessible to all.
Our four strategic objectives are to:
- Foster a world-class research and innovation system, ‘by everyone, for everyone’.
- Include and support a diversity of people and ideas through our funding and partnerships.
- Create a more inclusive and fair organisational culture, where everyone can contribute and participate, and feels valued and respected.
- Advance and grow knowledge and capability to support a thriving research and innovation system by being a creative, evidence-based, and evidence-informed organisation.
Our workforce EDI plan
Building on UKRI’s overarching strategy, ‘Transforming tomorrow together’, our workforce EDI plan brings together previous initiatives and sets out clear actions to create an environment where all staff feel valued and able to fulfil their potential. Over the past year we have delivered activity across all six priorities, including the launch of the Wellbeing Ambassador Network, improvements to EDI training and enhanced support for staff networks.
Our six priorities are:
- priority 1: build a shared UKRI approach to mainstreaming workforce EDI, based on collaboration and communication
- priority 2: improve our data and insight to build an evidence-based approach to EDI
- priority 3: diversify our workforce
- priority 4: support our staff networks to foster an inclusive workplace
- priority 5: build capability and confidence of our workforce to embed EDI across UKRI
- priority 6: develop a human resources (HR) centre of expertise in EDI to lead the way for UKRI staff
This report outlines our progress on these priorities and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement, while meeting our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
Our legal obligations
As a public body, UKRI has a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity between people from different groups
- foster good relations between people from different groups
The six priorities in our workforce EDI plan form our internal equality objectives. This annual report outlines how we are fulfilling these obligations and continuing to build an inclusive workplace. In addition, we have published the following reports in support of our general and specific duties:
Ensuring accountability and transparency
We continue to benefit from a governance model that enables collaboration and oversight on our delivery. Our Workforce EDI steering group and delivery group report to our Chief People Officer and feed into our committees, ensuring leadership accountability, strategic alignment and decision-making, and transparency in our efforts.
Workforce EDI steering group
The Workforce EDI steering group is a core component of the governance and delivery model, providing oversight and review of the workforce EDI plan in an advisory capacity, monitoring progress and implementation at all organisational levels including UKRI-wide, council and centres, institutes and units. Membership of the EDI steering group includes senior leaders, strategic and operational leads, and staff network and union representatives.
Workforce EDI delivery group
The group brings together colleagues from across UKRI who have responsibility for leading on different aspects of our collective priorities for EDI. Group members have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the research and innovation sector, and subject matter expertise in EDI. The group connects practitioners to share good practice and foster collaboration. Regular updates on delivery group activities are provided to the Workforce EDI steering group.
Our progress in 2024 to 2025
Priorities for 2024 to 2025
We continued to deliver against our six priorities in 2024 to 2025. In fulfilment of our objectives to identify and address structural barriers to staff inclusion and diversify our workforce, we aimed to:
- conduct detailed analysis of our recruitment and selection processes to eliminate barriers and advance equality in recruitment
- continue to grow our evidence base for EDI, with emphasis on improving our diversity data, and evaluating our actions to learn and determine what works
- continue to evolve our leadership and learning programmes and widen access, explicitly embedding inclusive behaviours into our learning outcomes
- work with our staff networks to understand the experiences of diverse groups, and identify ways to advance equality and eliminate barriers in our employee lifecycle
- champion a culture of dignity and respect with our anti-bullying, harassment and discrimination (ABHD) programme
- enhance our wellbeing provision, prioritising a healthy working life across the ‘four pillars’ of wellbeing (mental, physical, social and financial)
- embed our values and people standards in all aspects of the employee lifecycle, recognising and rewarding positive behaviours to promote a healthy workplace culture
- learn from and share good practice within UKRI and the research and innovation sector
Building our evidence base for an inclusive culture
We are building our data and insights to strengthen our evidence-based approach to EDI. We draw on both quantitative and qualitative data, including the voices of colleagues through their lived experiences, to inform targeted and meaningful actions. This evidence base supports work to improve our culture and ensures we meet our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.
Diversity monitoring
Better data will improve our understanding of the diversity of our workforce and the impact of our activities on different groups. Improvements in diversity data sharing are closely linked to the implementation of Oracle Fusion, an integrated HR, payroll, finance, reporting, procurement and helpdesk platform which we launched in June 2025. Our new system launched with improved questions to align with good practice for collecting diversity data.
A cross-functional communications campaign is being developed to raise awareness on the importance of equality data and encourage participation. This will feature a central information hub, an animated explainer video and tailored messaging resources for local teams. An ambitious target has been set, to increase data-sharing rates by 20 percentage points across disability, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation.
Colleague feedback on inclusion and fair treatment
The 2024 UKRI People Survey was open from 22 April to 17 May 2024 and was completed by over 5,000 colleagues. The results provide essential colleague feedback to inform our evidence base.
Overall, colleague perceptions of inclusion and fair treatment have improved significantly since 2022. Specifically in 2024:
- 84% of respondents said they were treated fairly at work
- 88% felt they were treated with respect by the people they work with
- 73% felt that UKRI respects individual differences (such as cultures, working styles, backgrounds and ideas)
This year we analysed the People Survey data by identity characteristics, including:
- age
- ethnicity
- gender
- religion
- health
- caring responsibilities
- sex
Analysis revealed that work-related factors such as wellbeing, psychological safety and team environment play an important role in perceptions of inclusion and fair treatment for our colleagues, with the most influential factor being ‘I believe my opinion is valued at work’. The analysis also highlighted both shared and distinct experiences. These findings are informing focused actions to support equity and inclusion, with further exploration on improving inclusion and fair treatment in our work on gender, race, religion or belief, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Building capability and confidence of our workforce to embed EDI
We want everyone that works for UKRI to recognise the role they play in creating a positive environment for their colleagues and for anyone engaging with us. We are providing the tools and support to enable colleagues to understand their role, behaviours and embed EDI in their work. We ensure our curriculum is evidence-led and underpinned by good practice and evaluate our training to ensure it is robust.
EDI training
Training plays a vital role in embedding inclusive behaviours and practices across the organisation. Our EDI Fundamentals mandatory online learning module offers a comprehensive introduction to understanding our legal responsibilities and what we can all do as individuals to advance equality and build inclusion. In total 831 colleagues completed the module during the reporting period.
In addition, 53 facilitator-led training sessions provided further opportunities for in-depth learning across a range of specific areas, including:
- LGBTQ+ inclusion
- anti-racism
- neurodiversity awareness
- active bystander interventions
- anti-bullying, harassment, and discrimination (ABHD)
We will continuously review and improve the provision to ensure it remains relevant to our objectives and impactful in equipping colleagues with the knowledge and skills to be inclusive in their day-to-day work.
Leadership development
We have continued to evolve the UKRI leadership development programmes to ensure they remain current, aligned with emerging leadership trends, and focused on creating an inclusive network of leaders who can collaborate and drive behavioural culture change across the organisation. The programmes focus on embedding inclusive leadership behaviours and creating safe spaces for honest dialogue, promoting trust and psychological safety, and equipping leaders at all levels to deliver UKRI’s vision of an outstanding research and innovation system.
Evaluation insights have demonstrated a shift towards greater accountability and collective leadership, a stronger sense of UKRI identity, and the growth of networks that foster belonging and build “one UKRI”. Quantitative evidence also indicates improved promotion and retention rates, demonstrating a link between the leadership development programmes and career progression.
Reverse mentoring
In 2024, the Science and Technology Facilities Council delivered a second cohort of reverse mentoring, supporting inclusive leadership by enabling senior leaders to learn directly from colleagues with diverse lived experiences. Evaluation of the programme found improved levels of understanding and dialogue, with many reverse mentors reporting a stronger sense of belonging. Mentees demonstrated increased cultural humility and motivation to drive change, with EDI being prioritised more visibly at leadership levels. The level of senior leader engagement was a key factor in realising the benefits and desired outcomes of the programme, and mentors expressed a desire for more consistent commitment to ensure lasting impact.
Recommendations included:
- expanding the initiative across UKRI to ensure strategic alignment
- broadening the programme to involve other underrepresented groups
- providing additional support for reverse mentees to communicate more clearly the EDI actions taken because of the relationships
- sharing the learnings from the programme with colleagues to raise awareness of the benefits and promote engagement with the programme
These insights have helped shape a UKRI-wide pilot, which was launched in June 2025.
Promoting inclusion by design through Equality Impact Assessment
In April 2024 we launched harmonised Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) guidance and training, supported by regular drop-in sessions to build colleagues’ confidence and capability. This enabled colleagues to carry out EIAs that help ensure policies, processes, and ways of working are inclusive by design. Targeted training was delivered to Change Champions and EIAs were embedded into our Change Roadmap and guidance, so that EIAs become a natural part of our change activities. As a result, we have seen an upturn in colleagues developing thoughtful and comprehensive EIAs and engaging with diverse stakeholders to support this work.
This has led to proactive inclusive decisions being made during the planning stages of a wide range of projects and change programmes. While there is still more work to do to fully embed EIAs, we have seen an increase in the number of submitted EIAs to our central repository and will continue to monitor to ensure ongoing and increasing engagement.
Diversifying our workforce
We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the people who contribute to and benefit from research and innovation. We are taking steps to attract and retain talented people with a diversity of experience, skills and knowledge, enabling us to deliver world-leading science, technology and innovation.
Disability inclusion
We maintained our Disability Confident Level 2 employer status. We are proud to be part of the Disability Confident Employer scheme and we are committed to improving the experiences of disabled job applicants and colleagues.
To deepen understanding of disability inclusion, an independent team of researchers from the EDI Caucus were commissioned in January 2025 to explore workplace experiences from the perspectives of disabled and neurodivergent colleagues, those with long-term health conditions, and the teams that support them. Focus groups and interviews were conducted throughout February and March 2025, generating rich qualitative insights. These will be analysed alongside other data sources to inform future priorities for inclusive practice and service design.
Early insights highlight areas of progress such as flexible working and peer support, and identified where we must do better, including better guidance on adjustments and consistency of support for disabled colleagues across the organisation. This work lays the foundation for evidence-led improvements in accessibility and equity.
In the meantime, we are reviewing our reasonable adjustments guidance, providing neurodiversity inclusion training and delivering Disability Smart workshops to upskill colleagues across HR.
10,000 Interns programme
We continued our engagement with the 10,000 Interns programme, offering paid internship opportunities to Black and disabled students and graduates. In 2025, 23 interns were recruited, 21 through the Black Interns programme and two through the Able Interns programme. The initiative provides structured training, mentoring, and development, and has led to four interns securing fixed-term or permanent roles within UKRI. To strengthen alignment with our broader Early Careers offer, the Talent team introduced a more structured experience, supporting interns with insights and skills relevant to future career pathways.
As part of the ongoing review of the programme, the Talent team gathers feedback from interns, line managers, mentors and participating councils through surveys and interviews. This insight helps identify areas for improvement and ensures the programme remains aligned with UKRI’s intended outcomes.
Creating an inclusive workplace
We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered to thrive. Through our eight established staff networks, communities of interest and wellbeing strategy, we enable people with shared experiences and challenges to connect, collaborate, and shape a workplace culture that embraces inclusion. Additionally, our action plan for building a culture of dignity and respect, developed through evidence and engagement, provides a structured approach to further strengthening our organisational culture.
Anti-bullying, harassment and discrimination (ABHD)
Following an independent Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination (BHD) review, we launched our Dignity, Respect and Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Plan 2024–27. This established a consistent, organisation-wide framework for addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination, and a connected approach in improving our culture. The plan sets clear expectations for behaviour, prioritises prevention, and promotes early intervention to support constructive outcomes and restore working relationships.
Key activities delivered during the reporting period include:
- the development of new guidance on sexual harassment
- updates to the health and safety policy to reinforce wellbeing and psychological safety
- the launch of the Wellbeing Ambassadors network
- enhancements to leadership development programmes focused on inclusive leadership behaviours and building a psychologically safe workplace
ABHD and active bystander training and resources were also developed to further embed inclusive and respectful workplace practices.
We continue to monitor experiences of bullying, harassment and discrimination through our People Survey. The results of our 2024 People Survey revealed that 5% of colleagues had experienced discrimination and 7% reported experiencing bullying or harassment. These figures are the same as those reported in 2023.
During the reporting period, 15 complaints related to bullying, harassment or discrimination were formally recorded, of these eight were raised by men and seven by women. These figures relate to formally reported cases that were opened during the reporting period and recorded centrally, and include cases where a complaint was raised through the Bullying and Harassment Policy, as well as conduct cases where bullying and harassment is identified as a significant factor. Data on other protected characteristics cannot be reported due to low disclosure rates.
While every effort has been made to report accurate total figures, there are known limitations in the reporting of complaints related to bullying and harassment. Many concerns raised are successfully resolved informally and not recorded as cases. A key focus in 2025 to 2026 is enhancing the case tracker to enable the collection of more accurate and comprehensive data. This forms part of a robust risk assessment approach that will strengthen our ability to identify areas of concerns or trends, ensure timely resolution, and enable continuous improvement in how concerns are raised and addressed.
This data, along with other elements of our ABHD framework such as training for line managers and embedding our people standards across the employee lifecycle, will enable us to:
- improve support and outcomes for colleagues affected by bullying, harassment and discrimination
- identify behavioural patterns
- measure the effectiveness of our interventions in promoting inclusive behaviours
- ensure our processes support psychological safety in our culture
Staff networks
Staff networks continued to play a vital role in connecting and supporting colleagues and providing insights to inform policies and decision. Peer support activities include in-person and online drop-ins for informal supportive conversations and vibrant and supportive online chat forums.
Staff networks also delivered a programme of activities and celebrations open to all colleagues that supported inclusion, wellbeing and professional development. Activities included talks, webinars, collaborative workshops, and ‘hackathons’.
Some of the topics that were covered in these events included:
- caring responsibilities
- dementia
- special educational needs and disability (SEND) families
- support services for carers and parents
- goal-setting
- continuous improvement
- cross-cultural working and nurturing learning relationships’
Events focused on gender equality addressed imposter syndrome, menstrual health in the workplace, and tackling online violence against women. Additional sessions highlighted inclusive workplace trends, pilgrimage stories, and support for those preparing for parenthood.
We continued to support and develop the staff networks throughout the reporting period. A Framework of Operations and Engagement was developed to provide clarity and governance on activities linked to the establishment and management of staff networks. Co-chairs were granted a time allocation for leadership activities, and processes for appointing and developing new Executive and Senior sponsors were developed. Co-chairs and sponsors also had the opportunity to develop their effectiveness in role though attendance at an Employee Network Leadership programme, delivered by external experts.
Menstrual health and menopause in the workplace
In October 2024, we formally signed the Menopause at Work Pledge, committing to annual actions that foster a menopause-inclusive workplace. Throughout the reporting period, we updated internal resources, marked Menopause Awareness Month, and initiated plans for a menstrual health peer support group within the Disability Matters Network.
Additionally, we continued to develop guidance, reflecting our continued efforts to raise awareness, encourage open dialogue, and provide appropriate support for colleagues affected by menopause and related health conditions.
Carer Confident Active Employer
In November 2024, UKRI was awarded Level 1 Carer Confident Active Employer status by Carers UK, recognising our commitment to supporting colleagues with caring responsibilities. This accreditation reflects our progress in creating a workplace where carers are recognised, respected and supported in the workplace, and builds on our journey to ensure carers can thrive and have fulfilling careers.
National Inclusion Week 2024
In September 2024 we celebrated National Inclusion Week with events delivered by the Workforce EDI team and staff networks to celebrate and accelerate our progress towards inclusion. Events covered topics such as imposter syndrome, early careers and collecting EDI data.
The UKRI People Library was launched, as a platform for colleagues to share lived experiences and personal reflections, fostering empathy, inclusion and understanding across the organisation. Contributions covered a wide range of topics including:
- mental health
- disability
- bereavement
- menopause
- neurodiversity
- gender identity
- intersectionality
- cultural heritage
Colleague wellbeing
In July 2024 we launched our Wellbeing Ambassador Network, establishing a consistent framework of support for colleagues. Over the first 12 months, 23 facilitated workshops took place across UKRI sites and virtually, and over 470 Wellbeing Allies were trained, up from 113 at launch. We also have 23 Wellbeing Champions across our councils and locations.
Allies provide confidential listening and signposting across the four pillars of wellbeing: mental, physical, social, and financial. Wellbeing Champions drive collaboration and communication and meet regularly to share practice and identify issues and risks. The network is governed by a formal framework and aims to train 25% of colleagues, reinforcing our commitment to psychological safety and inclusive wellbeing support.
In the last year we have also refreshed our wellbeing resources. We changed supplier for our Employee Assistance Programme from Health Assured to PAM Wellness. We also introduced a new mental health resource, Togetherall, available to all employees
Listening to and learning from the experiences of our colleagues has provided insights into future areas of focus and improvements. These include:
- prioritising health and wellbeing with visible support and championing from our leaders
- continuing to create safe spaces for peer support and connection
- providing line managers with the resources and guidance needed to support colleagues from diverse backgrounds
Our focus for 2025 to 2026
We will continue to deliver against our six priorities in 2025 to 2026. In fulfilment of our objectives to identify and address structural barriers to inclusion and diversify our workforce, we will deliver in the following areas.
Develop our evidence base for action
We will:
- build communications and engagement campaigns to support improvements in our workforce diversity data, aligned with the implementation of Oracle Fusion
- conduct in-depth EDI analysis of the UKRI People Survey
Build capability and confidence of our workforce to embed EDI
We will:
- continuously review and improve our EDI learning offering, with refreshed mandatory modules and additional sessions and workshops to improve knowledge and awareness on key cultural issues
- develop our EDI policy suite by strengthening guidance for colleagues
This includes updating resources on supporting trans colleagues and exploring new guidance and toolkits to address a broader range of experiences such as menopause, menstrual and reproductive health, and disability inclusion.
Diversify our workforce
We will conduct detailed analysis of our recruitment diversity data to better understand representation and outcomes across the recruitment process. This will identify potential barriers and ensure we are delivering inclusive and fair recruitment practices.
Create a more inclusive and fair organisational culture
We will:
- develop a strategic framework to addressing structural barriers to disability inclusion and improve the experiences of Disabled colleagues
- continue to develop our staff networks as a space for connection, collaboration and allyship
- deliver our Dignity, Respect and Anti-BHD plan actions, with a particular focus on improving our policies and processes for raising concerns, enhancing support for colleagues, and promoting a psychologically safe, speak – up culture
- continue to develop inclusive leadership behaviours through our leadership programmes, including a reverse mentoring pilot
Workforce diversity data summary
Data snapshot 31 March 2025.
As of March 2025, UKRI’s overall headcount was 9,007. This includes colleagues defined as:
- employee (also employee and pensioner)
- agency
- contractor
- colleagues seconded into UKRI
It does not include those seconded out of UKRI, on career breaks, visiting scientists or workers, or grant-funded students.
Our overall people headcount is made up of colleagues in direct science research roles and those in professional services and research support roles.
This report provides data on headcount, as opposed to full time employment (FTE) figures, to enable accurate reporting of protected characteristics of age, disability, ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation.
For more information about FTE figures, see our explainer on UKRI workforce 2025.
We draw on data across our systems including data held in our HR information system, Oracle (migrated to Oracle Fusion in June 2025). This report presents data in the past tense, recognising that this is a snapshot from March 2025 and that our people data is not static and may have changed by the time of publication.
Please note that within the report, all breakdowns are presented in two tables, one to present percentages and one to present numbers.
Where numbers are below five, they have been suppressed and are denoted in the tables as ‘…’. Other numbers are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Percentages are calculated based on unrounded numbers and are suppressed where the count is less than five.
This approach protects individual anonymity and ensures principles of data protection are met while still providing a clear indication on organisational trends.
Percentages have also been rounded to one decimal place. This can mean that in some cases, totals will not equal 100.0%. When a percentage has been rounded to 0.0%, this is not an indication of zero counts.
Where possible, we have included a table comparing high-level data over three years: 2023, 2024 and 2025. This is to present any patterns or change in our workforce demographics over a reasonable length of time.
There are gaps in our datasets where a significant proportion of our people data is unknown, either due to incomplete profiles in our systems or an active choice made by colleagues to withhold their personal data. In addition, not all protected characteristics have been presented within this report due to current system limitations or low completion rates.
Work to understand low sharing rates is an ongoing priority to ensure our data collection and reporting can grow in line with our aspirations to strengthen our evidence base and for a more inclusive and diverse workforce.
The majority of UKRI and its constituent parts transitioned to Oracle Fusion in June 2025. This has provided an opportunity to enhance our system capability and alignment with best practice. This will be a complex process, but once finalised we will launch a data campaign to encourage colleague disclosure across all the equality data categories. We anticipate improvements in our datasets in future reporting periods, although we may see an immediate downward trend in data from the transition to Oracle Fusion due to data migration and colleagues having to become familiar with a new system.
Data for areas of the organisation with smaller populations will be more volatile as changes among a small number of colleagues can have a significant impact on figures each year. As such, the data for centres, institutes and units are aggregated and included within the relevant funding council.
Workforce population by council and corporate hub
This section provides information about the relative sizes of the councils and corporate hub. Headcount figures are provided alongside percentages to indicate the proportion of the full colleague population that makes up each area.
| Council | Number of staff | Percentage of UKRI staff |
|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 125 | 1.4% |
| BBSRC | 172 | 1.9% |
| EPSRC | 231 | 2.6% |
| ESRC | 220 | 2.4% |
| Innovate UK | 842 | 9.3% |
| MRC | 1232 | 13.7% |
| NERC | 1484 | 16.5% |
| Research England | 105 | 1.2% |
| STFC | 3290 | 36.5% |
| Corporate hub | 1306 | 14.5% |
STFC had the largest colleague population, making up 36.5% of the overall workforce. AHRC (1.4%) and Research England (1.2%) had the fewest colleagues.
Workforce population by age
The tables below present the age demographic of colleagues for each of the last three years and illustrate that these have stayed consistent across all age groups.
| Year | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 16.3% | 26.6% | 23.9% | 21.3% | 7.4% |
| 2023-24 | 17.8% | 27.1% | 23.0% | 20.5% | 7.4% |
| 2024-25 | 16.3% | 26.6% | 23.9% | 21.3% | 7.4% |
| Year | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 1360 | 2215 | 2000 | 1780 | 615 |
| 2023-24 | 1570 | 2390 | 2025 | 1805 | 650 |
| 2024-25 | 1565 | 2490 | 2065 | 1835 | 655 |
There are small numbers of colleagues that are in the under 20 years, over 65 years, and unknown age ranges. In 2024 to 2025 these comprise approximately 0.7% under 20 years, 2.0% over 65 years, and 1.7% unknown.
The largest age demographic has consistently been the 30-39 age group, which in 2025 was 2490 (27.6%).
The second largest age demographic has consistently been 40-49, and in 2025 this group represented 22.9% of the total workforce.
The third largest age demographic has consistently been 50-59. In March 2025, this represented 20.4% of the total workforce.
Tables 4 and 5 present age demographics for each council and for the corporate hub.
| Council | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 10.4% | 49.6% | 24.8% | 14.4% | 10.4% |
| BBSRC | 20.3% | 29.7% | 25.0% | 18.0% | 6.4% |
| EPSRC | 10.8% | 36.8% | 24.2% | 20.3% | 7.4% |
| ESRC | 16.4% | 29.2% | 30.1% | 19.2% | 4.6% |
| Innovate UK | 10.1% | 24.3% | 22.9% | 18.2% | 7.1% |
| MRC | 18.9% | 34.3% | 20.0% | 17.9% | 6.5% |
| NERC | 15.0% | 26.4% | 25.0% | 24.4% | 7.2% |
| Research England | 15.2% | 39.0% | 24.8% | 18.1% | … |
| STFC | 23.5% | 24.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% | 8.2% |
| Corporate hub | 9.5% | 28.6% | 28.8% | 24.3% | 7.4% |
| Council | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 15 | 60 | 30 | 20 | 15 |
| BBSRC | 35 | 50 | 45 | 30 | 10 |
| EPSRC | 25 | 85 | 55 | 45 | 15 |
| ESRC | 35 | 65 | 65 | 40 | 10 |
| Innovate UK | 85 | 205 | 195 | 155 | 60 |
| MRC | 235 | 425 | 245 | 220 | 80 |
| NERC | 225 | 390 | 370 | 360 | 105 |
| Research England | 15 | 40 | 25 | 20 | … |
| STFC | 775 | 790 | 655 | 630 | 270 |
| Corporate hub | 125 | 375 | 375 | 315 | 95 |
Within each council and in corporate hub approximately 4-5% of colleagues were made up of the under 20 years, over 65 years, and unknown age ranges combined. For presentation purposes these have not been included in table 4 and 5. Where actual figures are particularly low, they have been supressed in line with data protection principles.
Workforce population by disability
The following tables indicate the proportion of colleagues for each of the last three years who have, and have not, shared a disability with the organisation. These are presented alongside categories where disability status is not yet known.
| Year | Disabled | Not disabled | Disability withheld | Disability not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 2.6% | 25.9% | 0.1% | 71.4% |
| 2023-24 | 2.8% | 23.6% | 0.2% | 73.4% |
| 2024-25 | 3.1% | 21.7% | 0.2% | 75.0% |
| Year | Disabled | Not disabled | Disability withheld | Disability not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 220 | 2160 | 10 | 5960 |
| 2023-24 | 245 | 2080 | 15 | 6470 |
| 2024-25 | 280 | 1955 | 15 | 6755 |
A large proportion of colleagues at the census date of 31 March 2025 had not reported their disability status (75.0%). This level of unknown data makes it difficult to draw comprehensive conclusions and has been consistent over the last three years.
The following tables present disability demographics for each council and for corporate hub. Where actual figures are particularly low, they have been supressed in line with data protection principles.
| Council | Disabled | Not disabled | Information withheld | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 5.6% | 8.0% | … | 86.4% |
| BBSRC | 4.7% | 23.3% | … | 72.1% |
| EPSRC | 5.6% | 25.5% | … | 68.4% |
| ESRC | 4.6% | 24.7% | … | 70.8% |
| Innovate UK | 5.6% | 6.8% | 0.7% | 86.9% |
| MRC | 1.8% | 21.3% | … | 76.7% |
| NERC | 1.8% | 33.0% | … | 65.1% |
| Research England | 6.7% | 8.6% | … | 84.8% |
| STFC | 3.0% | 23.2% | … | 73.7% |
| Corporate hub | 3.1% | 16.2% | … | 80.7% |
| Council | Disabled | Not disabled | Information withheld | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 5 | 10 | … | 110 |
| BBSRC | 10 | 40 | … | 125 |
| EPSRC | 15 | 60 | … | 160 |
| ESRC | 10 | 55 | … | 155 |
| Innovate UK | 45 | 55 | 5 | 730 |
| MRC | 20 | 265 | … | 945 |
| NERC | 25 | 490 | … | 965 |
| Research England | 5 | 10 | … | 90 |
| STFC | 100 | 760 | … | 2425 |
| Corporate hub | 40 | 210 | … | 1055 |
When broken down by councils and corporate hub the levels of not reported data were high across all areas, with NERC having the lowest percentage with unreported data for 65.1% of colleagues, and Innovate UK with the highest percentage of unreported data at 86.9%.
Workforce population by ethnicity
While we collect data relating to ethnicity at a disaggregated level, due to low sharing rates ethnicity data in this section is presented at an aggregated level. The category ‘Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group’ includes colleagues identifying as Black, Asian, or from other or multiple ethnic backgrounds. The category ‘White’ encompasses White British, White Irish, and other White ethnic backgrounds. Colleagues from White minority ethnic backgrounds may appear in either category, depending on their self-identification at the time of data collection.
Wherever possible, we encourage the use of disaggregated ethnicity data to inform internal actions and decisions. As sharing rates improve, we aim to report more granular data in future years.
The following tables indicate the recorded ethnicity data for colleagues over each of the last three years.
| Year | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 6.1% | 57.2% | 5.9% | 30.8% |
| 2023-24 | 5.8% | 51.3% | 4.9% | 38.0% |
| 2024-25 | 5.8% | 47.5% | 4.2% | 42.5% |
| Year | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 510 | 4770 | 490 | 2575 |
| 2023-24 | 510 | 4520 | 435 | 3350 |
| 2024-25 | 520 | 4275 | 380 | 3830 |
A large proportion of colleagues have not disclosed their ethnicity, and the level of unreported data has increased since 2023.
This decline in data sharing is largely due to the recruitment system introduced in 2020, which does not transfer equality information collected during recruitment into new starter records. As a result, it is challenging to track progress on improving ethnicity diversity within our workforce.
It is worth noting that this is less pronounced for other equality monitoring categories (for instance sexual orientation and disability), as these already had lower sharing rates prior to the introduction of the standalone recruitment system. Sex and age are non-discretionary and recorded for pension and employment purposes and therefore were unaffected by the transition.
Known data shows that in 2025, 47.5% of the workforce identified as White and 5.8% were Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic heritage.
When removing unknown data, the picture shows a slight increase in the proportions of Black, Asian and Other Minority Ethnic colleagues compared to White colleagues and is illustrated by the data in Table 12.
| Year | Black, Asian, and other Minority Ethnic group | White |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 9.7% | 90.3% |
| 2023-24 | 10.1% | 89.9% |
| 2024-25 | 10.8% | 89.2% |
The following tables present aggregated ethnicity data for each council and for corporate hub. Numbers below five have been suppressed in line with data protection principles.
| Council | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 4.0% | 56.0% | 4.0% | 36.0% |
| BBSRC | 5,2% | 47.7% | … | 45.3% |
| EPSRC | 7.8% | 57.6% | 1.7% | 32.9% |
| ESRC | 5.0% | 57.5% | 2.7% | 34.7% |
| Innovate UK | 12.5% | 58.7% | 4.9% | 24.0% |
| MRC | 6.2% | 38.9% | 5.0% | 50.0% |
| NERC | 2.8% | 46.8% | 8.6% | 41.8% |
| Research England | 4.8% | 31.4% | … | 61.9% |
| STFC | 5.5% | 47.7% | 2.8% | 44.0% |
| Corporate hub | 5.2% | 45.4% | 3.1% | 46.3% |
| Council | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 5 | 70 | 5 | 45 |
| BBSRC | 10 | 80 | … | 80 |
| EPSRC | 20 | 135 | 5 | 75 |
| ESRC | 10 | 125 | 5 | 75 |
| Innovate UK | 105 | 495 | 40 | 200 |
| MRC | 75 | 480 | 60 | 615 |
| NERC | 40 | 695 | 125 | 620 |
| Research England | 5 | 35 | … | 65 |
| STFC | 180 | 1570 | 95 | 1445 |
| Corporate hub | 70 | 595 | 40 | 605 |
In 2025, 71.2% of colleagues in Innovate UK had shared their ethnicity data. This is the highest rate across councils and areas although down 79% the previous year.
| Council | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White |
|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 6.7% | 93.3% |
| BBSRC | 11.1% | 889% |
| EPSRC | 12.9% | 87.1% |
| ESRC | 7.4% | 92.6% |
| Innovate UK | 17.5% | 82.5% |
| MRC | 13.5% | 86.5% |
| NERC | 5.4% | 94.6% |
| Research England | 12.5% | 87.5% |
| STFC | 10.3% | 89.7% |
| Corporate hub | 10.5% | 89.5% |
When excluding unreported data, NERC has the lowest percentage of Black, Asian, Mixed and Minority Ethnic group colleagues at 5.4% and Innovate UK has the highest at 17.5%.
| Pay band | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | … | 12.9% | … | 83.6% |
| Band B | 1.3% | 44.0% | 5.1% | 49.6% |
| Band C | 4.9% | 38.7% | 2.5% | 53.9% |
| Band D | 6.1% | 39.7% | 3.3% | 50.9% |
| Band E | 8.3% | 54.1% | 5.0% | 32.6% |
| Band F | 6.1% | 70.0% | 4.7% | 19.2% |
| Band G | 5.5% | 70.0% | 5.9% | 18.6% |
| Band H | … | 70.4% | 4.0% | 24.0% |
| Band X | … | 62.0% | 5.6% | 28.7% |
| Band Y | … | 40.0% | … | 52.0% |
| Pay band | Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic group | White | Ethnicity withheld | Ethnicity not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | … | 20 | … | 145 |
| Band B | 5 | 165 | 20 | 185 |
| Band C | 55 | 435 | 30 | 605 |
| Band D | 140 | 925 | 75 | 1185 |
| Band E | 190 | 1240 | 115 | 750 |
| Band F | 85 | 965 | 65 | 265 |
| Band G | 25 | 330 | 30 | 90 |
| Band H | … | 90 | 5 | 30 |
| Band X | … | 65 | 5 | 30 |
| Band Y | … | 10 | … | 15 |
Colleagues in Band A had considerably lower ethnicity sharing rates than all other bandings, with ethnicity not reported at 83.6%. Sharing rates were highest at Band F with the 19.2% where ethnicity was not reported and Band G at 18.6%.Colleagues of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic heritage were represented highest in Band E (8.3%) and lowest at Band B (1.3%) and Band H (1.6%). Due to high levels of unknown data, it is difficult to understand the full extent of representation gaps across all bands.
Workforce population by sex
The following tables show the workforce population by sex for each of the last three years. This relates to legal sex and is information required for tax purposes.
We are currently unable to report on gender identity, due to the combination of historic system limitations and low completion rates.
| Year | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 44.6% | 53.7% | 1.7% |
| 2023-24 | 44.9% | 53.7% | 1.4% |
| 2024-25 | 45.0% | 53.5% | 1.6% |
| Year | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 3720 | 4485 | 140 |
| 2023-24 | 3960 | 4730 | 120 |
| 2024-25 | 4050 | 4815 | 140 |
Our workforce population broken down by sex has been consistent since 2023, with male colleagues remaining the largest group in 2025, at 53.5%.
| Council | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 67.5% | 32.5% | 0.0% |
| BBSRC | 73.5% | 26.5% | 0.0% |
| EPSRC | 68.1% | 31.9% | 0.0% |
| ESRC | 77.3% | 22.7% | 0.0% |
| Innovate UK | 49.4% | 34.5% | 16.1% |
| MRC | 54.5% | 45.5% | 0.0% |
| NERC | 45.8% | 54.2% | 0.0% |
| Research England | 66.7% | 33.3% | 0.0% |
| STFC | 27.2% | 72.7% | … |
| Corporate hub | 59.6% | 40.1% | … |
| Council | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHRC | 85 | 41 | 0 |
| BBSRC | 125 | 45 | 0 |
| EPSRC | 160 | 75 | 0 |
| ESRC | 170 | 50 | 0 |
| Innovate UK | 415 | 290 | 135 |
| MRC | 670 | 560 | 0 |
| NERC | 680 | 805 | 0 |
| Research England | 70 | 35 | 0 |
| STFC | 895 | 2390 | … |
| Corporate hub | 780 | 525 | 5 |
| Pay band | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 24.7% | 75.3% | 0.0% |
| Band B | 52.2% | 47.8% | 0 |
| Band C | 54.1% | 45.9% | 0.0% |
| Band D | 49.3% | 50.6% | … |
| Band E | 44.9% | 55.1% | 0.0% |
| Band F | 42.2% | 57.8% | … |
| Band G | 41.7% | 58.3% | 0.0% |
| Band H | 32.9% | 67.1% | 0.0% |
| Band X | 38.5% | 61.5% | 0.0% |
| Band Y | 50.7% | 49.3% | 0.0% |
| Pay band | Female | Male | Sex unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 120 | 365 | 0 |
| Band B | 620 | 570 | 0 |
| Band C | 1790 | 1515 | 0 |
| Band D | 3270 | 3355 | … |
| Band E | 3070 | 3765 | 0 |
| Band F | 1575 | 2155 | … |
| Band G | 575 | 805 | 0 |
| Band H | 125 | 255 | 0 |
| Band X | 130 | 205 | 0 |
| Band Y | 35 | 35 | 0 |
There is variation in the proportion of female colleagues across the bands. This is considered in more detail in our gender pay gap report.
Workforce population by sexual orientation
The following tables provide information about the sexual orientation of our workforce, where this is known, and about proportions of our workforce where this information is unknown or withheld.
| Year | Bisexual | Gay, Lesbian | Heterosexual, Straight | Withheld | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 0.9% | 0.9% | 40.2% | 10.2% | 0.2% | 47.5% |
| 2023-24 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 36.3% | 8.9% | 0.2% | 52.9% |
| 2024-25 | 1.1% | 0.8% | 34.1% | 7.7% | 0.2% | 56.1% |
| Year | Bisexual | Gay, Lesbian | Heterosexual, Straight | Withheld | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 75 | 80 | 3360 | 855 | 15 | 3965 |
| 2023-24 | 80 | 75 | 3195 | 780 | 15 | 4665 |
| 2024-25 | 100 | 75 | 3070 | 695 | 15 | 5055 |
The level of unknown data remains high (56.1%) and has increased since 2023 (47.5%).Withheld data has slightly decreased since 2023 (10.2%) by 2 percentage points (7.7%).
On the reporting date of 31 March 2025, known data shows 34.1% of our workforce disclosed they were heterosexual, 0.8% gay or lesbian and 1.1% bisexual.