This strategy outlines our ambition, aim, principles, and goals for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the King’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF). We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive research environment. We want the research undertaken at the King’s CRF, and the research teams who use our facilities, to reflect this aspiration.
We are aware that our equality, diversity, and inclusion journey is at an early stage. Whilst we are currently meeting all requirements, there is scope for us to adopt new practices, and for us to strengthen a culture where EDI sits front and centre. We recognise that on the EDI Maturity Model [1], we are at the ‘compliance’ stage; we greatly look forward to moving through to the next stages of discovery and commitment.
Our work at the King's CRF is funded substantially by the NIHR, and we use their definitions of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Equality is ensuring that everyone is given equal access to resources and opportunities to use their skills and talents. Diversity is being reflective of the wider community; having people from a broad range of backgrounds represented in all areas and at all levels. Inclusion is an approach where groups or individuals with different backgrounds are welcomed, culturally and socially accepted, and treated equally.
Vernā Myers, an inclusion strategist, succinctly summarises this in the following analogy. We have added, ‘belonging’ into the analogy, as we also want people at our Clinical Research Facility to feel free to be themselves.
"Diversity is being invited to the party.
Inclusion is being asked to dance.
Belonging is dancing like nobody is watching."
We want staff, researchers, and public members to read and use this document often. We understand that there will be a need for us to learn continually and actively. We will need to learn from our successes and failures, from others within and outside our sector, and from our public members and the wider community we serve. This ‘learning approach’ is clearly outlined in the NIHR EDI Strategy [2], and it will be required for long-term success when embedding EDI in the work of the King’s Clinical Research Facility.
[1] https://diversity.tapnetwork.ca/maturity-model1
[2] https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022-2027/31295
To view the acronyms written out in full, please visit the 'acronyms' section of the strategy by clicking here
