Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality (EDII)

The EDII Working Group is an advisory body which provides guidance on EDII to the BR-UK Leadership Team. The Terms of Reference for our EDII group are available upon request to our Programme Manager (sancha.martin@ed.ac.uk).   The EDII Group is co-led by Professor Ann Phoenix and Dr Sharon Cox and the current members of the Group are Dr Julze Alejandre, Dr Nia Coupe, Professor Oliver Escobar, Ms Sancha Martin, Dr Laura McGowan, Professor Graham Moore , Dr Lesley Uttley and Dr Liza Zhang.  Our full position statement is available below and in this article we discuss how we have defined EDII, what our commitments are and how we will meet them.

We have adapted the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) definitions of EDI and defined intersectionality as follows: 

Equalities: Providing equal access to resources and opportunities to all individuals and all groups. 

Diversity: Having diverse research approaches and people from a broad range of backgrounds and levels that reflect wider society. 

Inclusion: Welcoming and treating equally individuals and groups from all backgrounds. Engaging with each person as an individual and valuing all colleagues. Supporting a sense of belonging that is respectful of people for who they are. Providing an environment where people feel supported to enabled to work toward their goals.  

Intersectionality: Understanding that no social identity, characteristic or background exists in isolation from others and that disadvantage cannot be understood without analysing and understanding the ways in which everybody is multiply positioned. 

The BR-UK Leadership Hub is committed to recognising and highlighting EDII as part of leading best practices in behavioural research and its translation. 

In BR-UK Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality (EDII) principles will be embedded in all aspects of our work to ensure all members of the workforce including those attending BR-UK events and webinars are treated with respect whilst being provided with equal and fair opportunities for participation and advancement. 

We recognise that equal representation across a range of backgrounds and characteristics enhances the working environment. A broad range of research contributions makes for a fairer scientific environment that produces better outputs that can be of direct use and relevance for societal issues, including those which directly affect minority and or underrepresented groups. As a result, we aim to create a transparent organisation and network with the principles of EDII embedded in their work and practice.

We will: 

• treat everyone with respect and dignity and ensure that we listen to others, learn, develop and progress ourselves as individuals and our team as a whole as a result. 

• review our policies regularly and accept feedback on them at any time. 

• place EDII at the heart of all we do – including our logistics, operations and research activities. 

• consider all aspects of policies, procedures and processes within BR-UK to ensure that they are developed with EDII at their heart wherever possible, for example in our Commissioning Fund, public engagement, meeting organisation and so on.   

• collaborate with others to facilitate peer review and critically engage with similar multi-disciplinary, multi-partner research groups. 

• Provide updates on our EDII reviews, progress and challenges annually. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and public engagement, are often viewed as separate sets of goals and processes within research projects and programmes. However, they are highly interconnected. As recognised within the NIHR Research Design Service EDI toolkit, truly diverse research teams are “more likely to conceive of, design and conduct research that will meet the needs of a diverse population that includes underserved and under-represented groups”. A diverse research team, which includes members who share characteristics with the populations with whom they are conducting research, may also be better positioned to build relationships with diverse public contributors. Hence, EDI, and meaningful public involvement, come together around a shared goal of ensuring that research meets the needs of all of society, including its most under-served groups. Examples include areas such as neurodevelopmental research, where research practice is being transformed by teams of neurodiverse researchers, working together with neurodiverse members of the public, to develop and pursue research agendas.