Diversity data

Contents

Why we collect diversity data

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are integral to UKRI’s vision and mission. Including and valuing a broader range of people and talent will help us achieve the extraordinary potential of research and innovation to improve lives, promote economic growth, and support a knowledge economy that benefits everyone.

We made a commitment to advance how EDI data is collected, used, and analysed across UKRI in:

This includes how we use evidence and data to inform our decisions and enhance our organisational performance.

What we mean by diversity data

Diversity data refers to information about characteristics that are protected in equality legislation across the UK, and any other personal information relating to identity, such as socio-economic background or caring responsibilities.

The Equality Act (2010) applies to England, Scotland and Wales, and protects individuals from discrimination and harassment because they have a protected characteristic. It also aims to advance equality of opportunity for all. Northern Ireland (NI) has its own set of equality legislation which shares underpinning principles with the Equality Act.

Read more about Northern Ireland’s legislation on discrimination (Equality Commission for Northern Ireland).

There are nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act. These are:

  • age
  • disability
  • gender reassignment
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation

Northern Ireland has an additional protected characteristic of ‘political opinion’.

UKRI wants to build a more inclusive evidence base and examine how our decisions and practices affect various groups. Where relevant, for some activities we also collect data on:

  • caring and parenting
  • nationality and national identity
  • socio-economic diversity

Our approach to collecting diversity data

In developing our approach to collecting diversity data, we consider UK equality legislation and recognised practice, including:

  • census questions for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
  • feedback from user testing
  • guidance from organisations with equality and diversity expertise, including the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Equality and Human Rights Commission Employers Code of Practice, and the Office for National Statistics

UKRI has international offices and funds global research and innovation. Although we consider relevant UK legislation and practice, we aim to include our global workforce and research and innovation community when collecting diversity data.

Protecting your personal data

All personal data is stored securely and handled in line with UK data protection legislation. In addition, all diversity data processed by UKRI is handled according to the legal expectations afforded to special category data. This ensures that this information has additional, protective measures in place regarding its use.

There are different reasons why we process diversity data, and these should be communicated to you at the time that we request this information.

All EDI data is treated as confidential information, and we will not publish any identifiable information. This means that we will employ methods such as rounding, obfuscation, and merging categories to protect individual’s privacy.

See our privacy notice for more information about UKRI’s approach to handling personal data, including your data protection rights and how to contact the data protection team.

Last updated: 5 June 2025

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