The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything they do.
In September 2022 they developed and launched a new Research Inclusion strategy which focuses on five key themes.
- Become a more inclusive funder of research
- Widen access and participation for greater diversity and inclusion
- Improve and invest in the NIHR talent pipeline
- Embed evidence-led diversity and inclusion approaches
- Collaborate with partners for impact and sustainability
NIHR’s approach aims to ensure:
- Inclusion is embedded in NIHR systems, culture and processes
- NIHR’s research and advisory workforce is considerably more diverse
- Access and participation in health and social care research are far wider
- Everyone in the NIHR visibly contributes to the ongoing delivery of the strategy
- An approach of learning as we go is adopted across the board and there is an understanding of what does and does not work within the wider NIHR community, in and out of the sector and beyond.
In doing this, significant and often complex issues, some of which are structurally embedded within NIHR and society as a whole, are being tackled. The long-term success of the strategy will require drawing on evidence and best practice from our partners and industry leaders.
NIHR’s inclusion aims focuses on the involvement and engagement of all the different groups involved in its work.
There are five main groups involved:
- NIHR workforce, comprising staff in NIHR coordinating centres and research delivery staff
- NIHR research workforce which includes those that apply for, or are in receipt of NIHR research funding
- Advisory workforce including those on committees, reference groups, advisory boards and external reviewers
- Research participants, specifically study participants
- Public contributors, whose input spans the activities of the four groups listed above
OH BRC role in delivering the NIHR EDI Strategy
Oxford Health BRC as part of the NIHR research workforce and a recipient of NIHR funding is required to write an EDI Strategy.
The OH BRC Strategy takes into account the EDI considerations of both the University of Oxford and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust along with that of our formal partners (for individual partner links see the strategy document).
The Oxford Health BRC is committed to EDI. The EDI Framework we are developing will encourage engagement with all partners with the aim of putting EDI at the heart of best practice within the BRC.
Our overall Vision for EDI, shared with the NIHR Oxford Health Cognitive Health Clinical Research Facility (Oxford Health CRF), is as follows:
“With an underpinning commitment to equality in research, we will work with partners to establish, and enhance, the evidence- base for EDI. We will focus on relevant data collection and processes that will enhance the diversity of our research participants and workforce, including at senior levels.”
An action plan has been drawn up that allows us to address the four objectives below and report regularly on progress and best practice.
The NIHR Oxford Health BRC, as a network of centres of excellence in brain health, will:
1. Focus on creating equitable opportunities within the BRC facilitated by mentoring, developing support networks, and a commitment to embed EDI within a positive culture.
2. Build leadership networks within the BRC to advocate for progressive EDI and to challenge resistant systems.
3. Develop EDI resources and implement them with the production of further relevant materials for better research design.
4. Ensure that the patient and public communities served by our partner network locally and nationally have the opportunity to participate in our research in accordance with INCLUDE guidance.
OH BRC full EDI strategy document is available to read and download as a PDF here.
