As we are nearing the end of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands (ARC WM), we are reflecting on our accomplishments relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Our journey started in July, 2022, the year the NIHR published their own Research Inclusion Strategy. At this point, as we saw shifts in the wider research ecosystem towards strategically integrating EDI into research, we felt it was important for ARC WM to do take the opportunity to do so. Since then, we instated an EDI lead, formed an EDI committee that was embedded in the ARC WM internal structures, and developed and delivered our own EDI strategy.
The strategy was developed through extensive consultation within the committee, research themes and programme management, with an emphasis on actionable initiatives that would build capacity for future research programmes while being feasible within the current ARC WM. The strategy covers six domains: research projects, research participants, patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and reporting. Taking each of these in turn, we have considered what we have accomplished:
- For the research community, we have worked to make the inclusive structures in Universities of Birmingham, Keele and Warwick available to ARC WM members. We have also provided a programme of training about socio-economic status and research participation to all ARC WM members.
- For research projects, we have worked closely with the ARC WM communications lead to create a methodological resource library on the ARC WM EDI page. We have also undertaken an audit of all the projects on the ARC WM portfolio to assess the extent to which EDI was considered in their planning and delivery. With ARC WM support, we have co-produced the Birmingham Inclusive Research guide.
- For research participants, with support from ARC and the Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, our EDI lead developed the REP-EQUITY toolkit. Since its publication, we have worked directly with ARC WM colleagues to integrate the REP-EQUITY toolkit into research practice and it is being used in several research programmes, including in osteoporosis, cancer, and stroke.
- In PPIE, all our activities have been jointly developed with the ARC WM PPIE lead and the Public Advisory Group, including through public contributors’ involvement in the ARC WM EDI committee.
- For stakeholder engagement, we have worked closely with our colleagues in other NIHR infrastructure, nationally and regionally. This has resulted in successful outputs including events, research focused on EDI strategy, and strategic sandpits.
- In our monitoring and reporting, we have co-developed and operationalised a diversity data strategy, in close collaboration with the ARC WM Public Advisory Group.
We thank ARC WM for its invaluable support for EDI activities. We are now working to ensure that we can share our learnings and outputs to benefit other research programmes.
— Dr Ameeta Retzer, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham