SFI’s External Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy 2023-2028 was launched on Wednesday, November 15th.

The successor to the SFI Gender Strategy, the SFI External EDI Strategy 2023-2028 sets out the agency’s vision towards attaining an inclusive research and innovation system. This vision is underpinned by ambitious, but realistic, goals and objectives.

This new Strategy reflects the outcomes of an extensive review of best practice, a detailed analysis of SFI data and broad consultation with stakeholders, including representatives of Historically Underserved Communities.

With intersectionality as a central tenet of its goals and objectives, the new Strategy includes initiatives to further increase the representation of women in, and create opportunities for members of Historically Underserved Communities to be part of, SFI’s portfolio of grant holders and their respective teams.  

The Strategy represents a step change, reflecting our acceptance that there are significant challenges in tackling systemic inequities in pursuit of optimising our Research and Innovation system. It sets the direction of travel for the organisation and has been designed with in-built flexibility. This flexibility ensures that an agile approach can be adopted, enabling the organisation to pivot towards emerging needs which arise through ongoing internal and external consultation.

Group picture of SFI staff holding a booklet of SFI's external Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
SFI staff pictured l-r: Dr Laura Quinn, Dr Siobhan Roche, Dr Yalini Brhanavan, Professor Philip Nolan, Dr Marion Boland, Dr Suz Garrard, Rebecca Wilson, Dr Anne-Louise Holloway, Dr Stephen O'Driscoll, Dr Sakshi Lamba, Dr Aisling McEvoy, Dr Neetu and Carl Gibney.