Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in your university-policy engagement
Use this resource, based on three years of research across the sector, to support EDI practice in your knowledge mobilisation practice.
EDI practice cannot be simply borrowed across contexts, and we know they need to be intentional. This resource supports you to think through these practices, based on peer research.
How to use this resource
This resource will not give you the answers, because there is no one size fits all practice. Instead, we have put together a framework of guiding and reflexive questions designed to support you to think through what you need, what you’re able to do, and for what purpose. (something here about shared academic-policy context)
Use the bubbles with guiding questions below to consider your practice.
You can use this at any stage of your journey, whether you’re building an EDI action plan, starting a new project and wanting to ensure its inclusive, or reflecting on past activities.
What does EDI mean in this context?
We know EDI can sometimes feel like a catch-all or token phrase to mean everything without meaning anything. Be specific about what you are actually looking at. Is it inclusion, diversity, accessibility, equity, equality, belonging, justice, or any other value?
What does diversity mean to you in this context?
Not depending on visual representation, size of workforce, different kinds of diversity, intersectionality, doesn’t mean you cant make smaller acts on engaging with policy system. Diversity of knowledge and discipline as much as people etc.
What are your realities? resource and institutional constraints
EDI can fall down the ladder of priorities – how to embed EDI without having to make it super explicit. Talking helps reflect back EDI into projects. Make time to think about it e.g use equality impact assessments.
Reflecting on power, mental load
intersectionality of marginalisation and power, using your power well, not defaulting to marginalised people, doesn’t need to be grand actions and gestures (perfect over progress), being aware of mental load (of yourself and other people). Micro acts take you on a journey to think and act more consciously. Joining forces and collaborative working.
Considering ethical boundaries
Institutional boundaries and personal boundaries – kmb isn’t purely neutral and objective
Using AI for reflection
Suggested prompts, things to consider,
What are our ethical boundaries and duties as knowledge mobilisers?
Our research told us that knowledge mobilisation is not a neutral, objective practice. We also learned what other knowledge mobilisers were doing, and what worked. This section outlines some of these practices for you to consider, as well as three case studies from the interviews.
EDI Practices and approaches
| Practices | Considerations |
|---|---|
| Specific funding calls and initiatives directed at increasing number of academics with x characteristic(s) | |
| Addressing underrepresentation of marginalised groups (including beyond those outlined in the Equality Act 2010, e.g class) in positions of power as mechanism for diversification | |
| Mentorship | |
| Building and maintaining genuine long lasting professional relationships not for diversity’s sake, and being aware of the ‘default’ relationships | |
| Intentional collaboration and rejection of competitive, hostile environments both inside and outside institutions | |
| Not defaulting to representation and identity, noting that they do not automatically bring forward equality or act as a voice for wider communities | |
| Providing mechanisms of support and solidarity for those with marginalisation including compensation, equitable funding (e.g childcare) and ethical, value led relationships | |
| Challenging/disrupting the belief that evidence is ever objective or neutral, and embracing the plurality of knowledges that are political and value-laden (e.g, decolonising understanding of science and knowledges) | |
| Open and intentional dialogue that reflects on what is taken for granted, i.e are knowledge brokers simply empty vessels? |
Case studies
Case studies – different positions coming from
What would you like to see here?
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