IGNITE Network+: Innovation and Growth Needs Inclusion and engagement of all Talent in Energy research
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
The IGNITE Network+ aims to support sustainable, abundant, clean and equitable energy for all, by harnessing the talents of energy researchers from all backgrounds. The current lack of diversity in energy researchers stems not from a lack of interest, talent or ambition in underrepresented individuals, but from systemic inequalities in UK systems and institutions. The IGNITE Network+ will address diversity issues by: collecting data that can expose systemic inequality; designing, testing and implementing disruptive initiatives; monitoring the success of interventions and activities; identifying, disseminating and encouraging good practice. In parallel, we will work to support individuals from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds through a mixture of organisational interventions, mentorship, advice and advocacy.
To achieve the changes to energy systems needed to meet net-zero carbon by 2050 requires innovation, and its translation into industry, at pace. Increased diversity in energy researchers will significantly improve our chances of success. Research has shown that diversity in the workforce, if managed effectively, increases innovation, brings greater scientific impact and improves economic growth. Despite an increasing societal awareness of the value of equality and diversity, a decade of diversity initiatives has had little effect. UK engineering, in particular, has some of the poorest diversity statistics in Europe: 8% of professional engineers are female and 6% are black and minority ethnic (BAME), this compares to UK population statistics of 51% and 14% respectively. Reliable data on other forms of diversity such as disability and sexual orientation in engineering are unavailable.
Diversity initiatives generally focus on two areas: diversifying the pipeline of applicants from schools and higher education, and, once within the profession, training/mentoring the underrepresented workforce to reach leadership positions. These initiatives are based on the assumption that young people from diverse backgrounds are not attracted to degrees in engineering and physical science subjects, and that once they enter the profession, they require support in order to 'stick at it' and succeed. In other words, implying that the problem lies with the individuals themselves. Evidence shows that this is not the case. In many other countries women make up 40% of engineering graduates and research shows that underrepresented workers perform very well, without the need to additional support, if the workplace is inclusive.
The IGNITE Network+ aims to increase diversity in the energy sector by critically evaluating the systemic inequalities in policy and practice that prevent researchers from underrepresented backgrounds progressing through stages in their career pathway. We will: identify and challenge inequities in the standard research metrics used to assess researcher performance, disseminate our findings widely to universities, funding bodies, professional institutions and the energy industry; survey information on, and exchange best practice in, equality, diversity and inclusion with all partners; and pilot and encourage uptake of mechanisms to support diverse individuals within energy research through a mixture of mentorship, advice and advocacy, as well as training of senior managers and leaders.
The reports and recommendations made by the IGNITE Network+ are expected to provide a compelling, scientifically-robust case for change, which will therefore have to be resourced accordingly by funding councils, individual institutions and UK/devolved Governments. If we can provoke that change through this project, then all talent can flourish in UK energy research, which will have a major impact on the UK's ability to meet net zero carbon targets by 2050.
To achieve the changes to energy systems needed to meet net-zero carbon by 2050 requires innovation, and its translation into industry, at pace. Increased diversity in energy researchers will significantly improve our chances of success. Research has shown that diversity in the workforce, if managed effectively, increases innovation, brings greater scientific impact and improves economic growth. Despite an increasing societal awareness of the value of equality and diversity, a decade of diversity initiatives has had little effect. UK engineering, in particular, has some of the poorest diversity statistics in Europe: 8% of professional engineers are female and 6% are black and minority ethnic (BAME), this compares to UK population statistics of 51% and 14% respectively. Reliable data on other forms of diversity such as disability and sexual orientation in engineering are unavailable.
Diversity initiatives generally focus on two areas: diversifying the pipeline of applicants from schools and higher education, and, once within the profession, training/mentoring the underrepresented workforce to reach leadership positions. These initiatives are based on the assumption that young people from diverse backgrounds are not attracted to degrees in engineering and physical science subjects, and that once they enter the profession, they require support in order to 'stick at it' and succeed. In other words, implying that the problem lies with the individuals themselves. Evidence shows that this is not the case. In many other countries women make up 40% of engineering graduates and research shows that underrepresented workers perform very well, without the need to additional support, if the workplace is inclusive.
The IGNITE Network+ aims to increase diversity in the energy sector by critically evaluating the systemic inequalities in policy and practice that prevent researchers from underrepresented backgrounds progressing through stages in their career pathway. We will: identify and challenge inequities in the standard research metrics used to assess researcher performance, disseminate our findings widely to universities, funding bodies, professional institutions and the energy industry; survey information on, and exchange best practice in, equality, diversity and inclusion with all partners; and pilot and encourage uptake of mechanisms to support diverse individuals within energy research through a mixture of mentorship, advice and advocacy, as well as training of senior managers and leaders.
The reports and recommendations made by the IGNITE Network+ are expected to provide a compelling, scientifically-robust case for change, which will therefore have to be resourced accordingly by funding councils, individual institutions and UK/devolved Governments. If we can provoke that change through this project, then all talent can flourish in UK energy research, which will have a major impact on the UK's ability to meet net zero carbon targets by 2050.
Organisations
- University of Strathclyde (Lead Research Organisation)
- DURHAM UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- UK Carbon Capture & Storage Research Centre (Collaboration)
- Hitachi (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- BAM Nuttall (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (Project Partner)
Publications
Reis R
(2023)
Biodegradable Polymer-Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Composites for Controlled and Sustainable Pesticide Delivery
in Advanced Sustainable Systems
Description | C-DICE Sandpit Event |
Organisation | Loughborough University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of a sandpit event as part of the Flexible Funding call FA1: Increasing the number of diverse PIs on UKRI grants |
Collaborator Contribution | C-DICE are hosting and facilitating the sandpit in Loughborough University. |
Impact | 30 academic staff have signed up to attend a sandpit event on 16 and 17 April 20024. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | ECR Net Zero Conference 2024 |
Organisation | UK Carbon Capture & Storage Research Centre |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | IGNITE formed part of an organising collaboration of 14 consortia in energy/net zero led by UKCCSRC and IDRIC to deliver the ECR Net Zero Conference, Birmingham Conference & Events Centre, 27 and 28 February 2024. |
Collaborator Contribution | The UKCCSRC and IDRIC led the collaboration. |
Impact | Presentation by Claire Scott, Programme Manager to introduce IGNITE to over 250 ECRs Plenary EDI session which included contributions from two IGNITE team members Dr Marco Reggiani (University of Strathclyde) and Dr Jessica Gagnon (University of Manchester) and collaborating partner EDI+ and C-DICE (Loughborough University) |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | EDI+ Network |
Organisation | Durham University |
Department | Durham Energy Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | The IGNITE Network and it's sister project EDI+ established a collaboration to run joint networking activities including events seminar series and annual event and a quarterly newsletter. |
Collaborator Contribution | EDI+ jointly contributed to the |
Impact | Apr-23 - Joint Launch Event, University of Strathclyde Feb-24 - Joint Networking Seminar in Imperial College London (Presenter: Dr Jess Wade, Imperial College London speaking about Allyship) Mar-24 - Joint Annual Event, University of Manchester |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Chair Session Putting Equality and Diversity at the Heart of Decarbonisation, Prof Aoife Foley |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited to chair a session and talk about IGNITE during the week long Decarbonising Transport: Obstacles, Options and Opportunities Talks, panels and workshops on the transport decarbonisation challenge, bringing together key stakeholders to help inform the way forward. The session took place on Wed 17 May 15:30 - 17:00. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decarbonising-transport-obstacles-options-and-opportunities-tickets-5... |
Description | ECR Net Zero Conference 2024, Claire Scott |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Provided an overview about the network and the upcoming flexible funding call to the delegates of the ECR Net Zero Conference, Birmingham 2024 to around 250 ECRs. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://ukccsrc.ac.uk/ecr-net-zero-conference-birmingham-27-28-february-2024/ |
Description | ECR Net Zero Conference 2024, Dr Marco Reggiani and Dr Jess Gagnon |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Contributed to the EDI Plenary Session at the ECR Net Zero Conference 2024 to around 250 ECRs. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://ukccsrc.ac.uk/ecr-net-zero-conference-birmingham-27-28-february-2024/ |
Description | Flexible Funding FA2 Workshop EDI Challenges, Dr Jess Gagnon and Dr Marco Reggiani |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The aim of this workshop: bring people together who are interested in applying for funding "FA2: EDI Challenges, identifying barriers and designing disruptive initiatives"; facilitate preparation of collaborative bids by building project teams; generate ideas by exploring the most challenging areas facing the energy research community, identifying barriers and designing disruptive initiatives. Around 40 people attended (in person and online) on 18 April 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.ignitenetplus.ac.uk/latest/launch-event/workshops#workshops |
Description | IGNITE Web-site and Members Pages |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The IGNITE Web-site was established in January 2023 and is now the key tool of for engagement with the energy research community. We continue to develop this, and have created a membership directory and spotlight on our members. Since we launch in January 2023 we have had 3,696 primary visitors to the web-site. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.ignitenetplus.ac.uk/ |
Description | Interview with Prof Becky Lunn |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview video series with Prof Becky Lunn to introduce the network to a wider audience, published on YouTube and shared with the web-site and social media. This was released along with our web-site, and just before the launch event and helped grow our membership which is now sitting at over 300 individual members. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhaZab7PbV4_QzoZeT-l5slXI8Pzpd8CZ |
Description | Isle of Barra & Vatersay Science Festival 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | The team attended the Isle of Barra & Vatersay Science Festival with our Draw a Scientist activity and Guess who's not a scientist game to encourage young people to breakdown stereotypes. We spoke with up to 100 school children, parents and teachers as well as networking with other exhibitors. We were also shown on the local news channel and included in the festival final report. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/people/Isle-of-Barra-Vatersay-Science-Festival/100091271910055/ |
Description | Network Launch Presentation, Prof Becky Lunn |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Prof Becky Lunn along with other colleagues presented about the the network, why we need the network and how we plan to achieve the aims and objectives to broad audience of around 100 attendees. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhaZab7PbV487Qb2rsN_D3Mj-_f_OVwq8 |
Description | Networking Seminar with Jess Wade, Allyship |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The event was attend by 12 people and additional 12 people viewed the recording after the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1FODTYjQSE |
Description | Nuclear Waste Services/ the RSO presentation at their Annual Conference 2024, Prof Becky Lunn |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited to present on IGNITE at the Annual Nuclear Waste Services/ the RSO conference, 11 January 2024. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.research-support-office-gdf.ac.uk/connect/previous-events/ |
Description | PA5 Mentoring Programme Action Learning Training 2024, Claire Scott and Dr Neha Chandarana |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The briefing workshop was attended by 11 participants who had signed up for the pilot mentoring circles programme running Jan - Jun 2024. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.ignitenetplus.ac.uk/initiatives/mentoring |
Description | PA5 Mentoring Programme Briefing Session 2023, Claire Scott and Dr Neha Chandarana |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The briefing workshop was attended by 12 participants who had expressed an interest in the pilot mentoring circles programme. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.ignitenetplus.ac.uk/initiatives/mentoring |
Description | Planning Group for UKERC-Energy Institute Diversifying the Energy Sector Event, March 2024 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited to participate in the planning group for the UKERC and Energy Institute event taking place in London, 26 March 2024. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/diversifying-the-energy-sector-edi-initiatives-that-succeed/ |
Description | Visit Heriot-Watt University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Visit EDICaucus, Herriot-Watt University along with the EDI+ network to liaise with another EDI network project, and learn from some of their best practice. In addition, met with Dame Professor Heather MacGregor, IRDIC EDI lead to discuss potential collaboration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |