Projects address equality and diversity issues in engineering and physical sciences

Oxford Brookes is leading a national project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.

Eleven projects with total funding of £5.5m were announced in August 2018 as part of UK Research and Innovation’s new Inclusion Matters initiative.

The project being led by Oxford Brookes will focus on University spinout companies. Spinouts are formed following research or activities conducted at a university and in which the higher education institution retains involvement.

Directing the programme is Professor Simonetta Manfredi, Professor in Equality and Diversity Management at Oxford Brookes Business School and founder of the University’s Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice.

Simonetta commented: “Too few women researchers are leading spinout companies. This project’s vision is to achieve a step change in institutional capabilities to increase the participation of women researchers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines in university spinouts and in driving innovation.”

Oxford Brookes is also collaborating on another of the projects announced by the EPSRC. The Advanced Strategic Platform for Inclusive Research Environments - or ASPIRE - offers an innovative, evidence-based approach to deepen efforts in improving equality, diversity and inclusion.

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