STEMM CHANGE - Uncovering Barriers to Inclusivity and Transforming Institutional Culture

Through our research and innovation this project will deliver a toolkit of embedded interventions and methodologies which will deliver a significant measurable difference to equality, diversity and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM). Our vision is to:- Contribute to achieving the combinations of talent that Engineering & Physical Sciences need to meet the sector and subject challenges of the 21st century and then using ourselves and our partners and collaborators as a test bed, develop (i) changed processes (ii) changes in culture and (iii) a significant change in behaviours to achieve a strategic diversity in STEMM. Ultimately we will widen the opportunities for entry and career development for groups typically under-represented in STEMM both in academia and industry. We will deliver 6 specific and measurable interventions which are described in detail within the proposal.

Our goal is to ensure that EDI becomes "business as usual" and that we don't consider it as separate to our usual day to day work. That of course will take longer than the life of this project. Within 2 years however, we would expect to see significant change at Nottingham and in our partner organisations with our tools and methodologies embedded, over 50 senior managers trained and supported directly, over 250 colleagues trained directly in our methodologies through our networks and our dissemination events and with over 10,000 page views on our website. We will have established new, strong collaborations across the sector which will provide a springboard for future innovation. Of course the challenges for each partner are different so we will need to refine metrics as we go through the programme, however, we expect in 2 years to have delivered a widely available software tool for reducing bias in recruitment and for setting the R3fD criteria along with the training that accredits others to use it on their own. We expect this tool to have been used in the recruitment of over 50 roles.

We will create long-term, sustainable impact by directly informing change processes designed to transform the infrastructure of institutions through our team links. Key to this will be the new permanent role of the Transitional Project Manger who following the project will become a full time member of University of Nottingham staff financially supported across the 3 STEMM faculties at Nottingham.

Through innovative data transparency, data discovery, action-learning and software design, we will enable long-term sustainable impact by placing new tools directly in the hands of individual researchers and the senior leaders responsible for equality and diversity. Rather than merely call for increasing diversity, Work package 2 produces datasets, processes of change and mechanisms that will allow institutions to work through, monitor and hold themselves publically accountable to the diverse communities that they aim to reflect. Through workshops, training, networking events within the team, publications, public-facing short summaries of themes and yearly symposia, we will provide knowledge, findings and material that will improve policy-making around inclusion by ensuring that it is evidenced based. The recruitment software and training will help transform the pipeline into HEIs of diverse staff. Our Active Checklist will support and advance sustainable change by encouraging the embedding of research and more critical reflection into strategies of inclusion.