With a new year upon us, I’m looking forward to what the upcoming academic semesters will hold, and to the many exciting partnerships, discoveries and advancements that are sure to come from our research and innovation community. As we advance this crucial work, it is with great excitement that I share a new resource to support the integration of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) in research.
Laying the Groundwork for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Research
Following calls to action in the University of Alberta’s Strategic Plan for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity and commitments in both the Dimensions Charter and the Scarborough Charter, we are proud to launch Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Research: An Action Plan. This how-to guide offers actions, questions, tools and reading to support researchers, staff and students in centering EDI as an integral element of transformative research.
Through this resource, we provide both foundational information about EDI in research as well as a set of concrete actions you can take to begin — or continue — integrating EDI in support of your own work. More and more, granting bodies and other funders are assessing applications through the lens of EDI. They are looking to understand how teams are thinking about systemic barriers and what specific actions are being committed to reduce or remove these barriers. This resource will become an essential tool in your toolkit as you strengthen your research program and build this core strength into your research and funding proposals.
More broadly, an EDI lens is essential to our ongoing success as an institution. To achieve our goals, every member of the university community must have the supportive resources they need in order to weave EDI into the fabric of our research and innovation culture. The integration of EDI into our research projects and programs will strengthen all aspects of our work — from the questions we seek to answer and the teams we assemble to the partnerships we nurture and the advancement and dissemination of research.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Research is a key step toward enabling teams to take deliberate action informed by the best available evidence and institutional knowledge.
Thank you to those individuals who developed this resource. From researchers and campus community to the creative team, our colleagues truly led with purpose. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Laura Beard, Associate Vice-President (Research Development and Services) who stewarded this initiative with enthusiasm alongside Dr. Lisa Tink (Postdoctoral Fellow), Danielle Lorenz (Graduate Research Assistant) and Dr. Hector Rendon (Program Officer).
I encourage you to download the resource on this page and share it with your research team. If you are interested in learning more, we will be hosting an EDI in Research: An Action Plan workshop on February 13, 2023 at 3:00 P.M. I hope you will join us for a deeper dive into the resource and how EDI can become an integral strength of your research program.
Aminah Robinson Fayek
Vice-president (Research and Innovation)