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Fostering diversity and equality
EMBL launches new strategy aimed at improving work culture and encouraging inclusive scientific research
Showing a continued commitment to create a diverse and inclusive organisation for conducting leading molecular biology research, EMBL has launched an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy.
This strategy follows the creation of a new EDI government structure and a survey on the perceptions and experiences of equality, diversity, and inclusion at EMBL, which provided an evidence-base for strategic directions. The strategy not only provides a value statement for EMBL, but also plans to implement an approach that instils these values in the way people conduct research and business at the organisation’s six sites.
Coming into effect on 1 January 2022, this strategy will become a vehicle for EMBL’s values: openness, inclusion, integrity, transparency, and fairness. It advances a vision to create a more inclusive research and work culture that leverages diversity, in its broadest sense, to enhance EMBL’s role as a leader in the life sciences in Europe and globally.
“We are taking a proactive approach and will ensure that we measure and report on our progress, holding ourselves accountable for delivering on what we have promised,” said EMBL Director General Edith Heard. “As EMBL’s Director General, I have made a personal commitment to driving change and progress towards a truly inclusive organisation.”
To realise these plans, the EDI strategy encompasses four priority areas: people, internal processes and policies, EMBL research culture and leadership, and EMBL external engagement. These will guide initiatives and action plans for the next five years, in line with and as a lever to EMBL’s next programme.
Some of the more specific courses of action from the strategy include:
- Attracting, developing, supporting, and promoting under-represented groups at EMBL, for instance, through greater visibility, celebration of diversity, and awareness-raising
- Ensuring that EDI principles are built into all internal processes, systems, and policies, including reviewing recruitment processes at EMBL to ensure these are unbiased and inclusive to all groups
- Developing a model of inclusive leadership in EMBL science and services – EMBL will encourage and expect inclusive, respectful behaviours from all its leaders
- Engaging with and influencing EMBL’s environment to promote collaborations and partnerships with other scientific institutions.
“This strategy seeks an holistic approach,” explained Roshni Mooneeram, head of EMBL’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion office. “That means embedding EDI values and practices across all key functions of EMBL. Ideally, this culture of inclusivity becomes apparent in everything we do.”
