Newcastle University EDI Toolkit

EDI Toolkit for Researchers 

A group of colleagues at Newcastle University have been coordinating a Wellcome-funded project to produce an online EDI Toolkit for Researchers. The toolkit project aims to empower researchers (including those who deliver research as well as those who enable research) to visibly engage with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and help promote an inclusive research culture.  

The project was initiated by Candy Rowe (Dean for Research Culture and Strategy) and Chris Petkov (Professor of Comparative Neuropsychology) and supported by Farhana Chowdhury (PhD Student). Farhana completed various research activities, including a literature review, surveys, and interviews, looking at the barriers to EDI engagement. Kimberly O’Brien (EDI Project Coordinator) joined the project to bring the toolkit to life. Kimberly consulted with communities across Newcastle who deliver and who enable research, including postgraduate researchers, to gain invaluable feedback whilst building the toolkit. The toolkit launched on Newcastle University’s Research Culture external website on 12th June. Researchers at Newcastle, and beyond, can access the toolkit.  

This EDI toolkit is a set of practical resources, designed to help researchers and those who enable research, to engage with and understand EDI. It aims to empower people, particularly those who supervise students and manage research teams, to really value diversity and promote inclusivity within their teams. We hope that this can help improve colleague and student experience, as well as the quality of research itself. Engaging with the toolkit can help users increase their awareness of EDI topics and issues, write EDI statements for research funding bids, host inclusive and accessible events and so much more. 

We have been promoting the toolkit via a range of internal and external communications. The toolkit has featured in WonkHE Daily and the Newcastle FROM blog, as well as being shared on Twitter and LinkedIn. The response to the toolkit so far has been excellent, which colleagues sharing their thoughts and appreciation for the tool. Dr Sarah Whalley commented on Twitter that it is a ‘brilliant resource for research culture change’.  

You can find out more about the project and the toolkit within our toolkit’s Project Overview page.