Equality, diversity and inclusion

Purpose: our research has the potential to improve the health of our local communities and advance the treatment and care for the millions of patients treated in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire every year. We can only realise this potential through the inclusion of ideas, talents and experiences of people from every community.

Our plans aim to address the challenges and implement a co-ordinated programme of interventions that will ensure equality; ensure our research reflects the communities that we serve; and that our research is open to everyone.

We are committed to improving health and saving lives through high quality research which results in better treatments, effective therapies and new technologies.

As innovators we will be open to and inclusive of the things which make us different. We will encourage a diversity of approach and ideas in order to find solutions to long-standing health challenges based on the experiences of all.

We will only be successful when the values of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are fully embedded across our research infrastructure; when our people reflect the communities that we serve; and when we have removed the barriers to participation in our research for those who are not included today.

To do this we will:

• focus our research on reducing the health gap between those who experience good quality of life and those who experience the greatest burden of ill health
• build greater connectivity between our research and our citizens/communities by reducing barriers which prevent engagement, involvement and participation in research they have identified
• increase local prosperity through our roles as employers, through attracting inward investment and through research outputs that contribute to economically active communities
• contribute to better understanding of and trust in research through the quality our science
• improve our understanding through education and training of the issues that affect all citizens/communities.

Our plans are part of a wider commitment to inclusion by our organisations. It supports the aims and objectives set out in the following local plans which guide our research here in Nottingham:

-        NUH People First Plan 2023

-        Research & Innovation Enabling Strategy 2023-2026

-        NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre Delivery Plan 2022-27

-        NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility Delivery Plan 2022-27