Faraday Institution is committed to creating a collaborative, diverse and inclusive environment as we build a world-class energy storage research community and deliver our mission. By celebrating the contribution of people from a multitude of backgrounds, research disciplines and career stages, with the range of ideas, opinions, life experiences and knowledge they bring, we know that research excellence will flourish.
I am writing to reaffirm our strong commitment to these core challenges and am pleased to publish our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) charter that outlines the EDI responsibilities we all share as members of our community. As inequalities are deeply embedded throughout society, broad engagement with equality, diversity and inclusion issues is necessary for us to make significant progress as a community.
Please read the charter which highlights the types of everyday actions that contribute to building the welcoming, supportive, diverse and productive UK battery research community we seek to create:
- Actively promoting inclusion
- Advocating for others
- Adopting practices that support fairness and equal opportunities for all
- Embracing and championing diversity in all its forms
- Following best practice charters and initiatives within your own institution
- Challenging non-professional and inappropriate behaviour
Our EDI processes and practices will be one of the things that set us apart as a research organisation.
Through interdisciplinary collaboration & by celebrating a diversity of people, ideas & knowledge, research excellence will flourish.”
Prof. Pam Thomas, CEO, Faraday Institution
In just a few short years, our community has taken important steps to address matters of EDI and we have offered a number of programmes to complement the initiatives of our university partners. For example, our commitment to best practice requirements for PhD recruitment and early career researcher career development has led to the diversification and professional growth of our community.
Much of this work has involved the engagement of members of our research community and will hope that involvement will continue to grow and deepen. Over 130 people participated in the 2020 Faraday Masterclass on EDI led by Kevin Coutinho, Athena Swan manager at UCL. A third of the participants in the EMPOWER positive action career development programme for women (delivered by partners Skills4) have since taken on a new role or were promoted in the four months since starting the programme. We’re building on the success of EMPOWER with the THRIVE programme to support career progression for Black, Asian and ethnic minority individuals. A Faraday Masterclass and follow-on series on wellbeing and mental health is also planned for this year. These programmes are examples of our efforts to date and we hope to hear more from you on what we might do going forward.
As a community, we must recognise the importance of the work of the many individuals directly involved in these efforts. EDI champions from each research project have recently been appointed and are there for you to engage with to help build an inclusive community.
While a great deal has been accomplished, much work still lies ahead. Each of us has a stake in this work, as individuals and as members of our research community, to ensure that people with diverse outlooks, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can thrive and contribute to their full potential. We all benefit in return.
Thank you for your dedication to continuing to strengthen the Faraday Institution community.
Professor Pam Thomas
CEO, Faraday Institution
EDI Charter published June 2021.
