Equity In Research Communities – Resisting The Backlash
Soo Lincoln. UoL Research Culture Advisor (EDI lead)
Last month, while preparing a talk for the International Research Culture Conference (IRCC) at Warwick, I found myself stuck. Each draft felt incomplete - honestly, a bit pointless. The brief was to reflect on our Research Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Fund at Leeds, and while I’m immensely proud of what we’ve built, the usual “what we did and why it helped” framework felt inadequate. Not because the fund isn’t impactful - it is - but because the scale of injustice we’re up against feels overwhelming. It’s hard to celebrate small wins when the wider landscape is shifting backwards.
It’s not quite an elephant in the room. It’s more like a herd of elephants trampling through every hopeful thought.
We launched the REDI Fund to accelerate progress for underrepresented researchers - a much-needed intervention. But the data, and the political climate, make it painfully clear: targeted grants alone cannot repair systemic exclusion. And while we try to build something better, the backlash is growing. Anti-EDI rhetoric is gaining traction. Positive action is being misrepresented as unfair. Is the space to speak openly about equity shrinking?
What’s at stake
Representation in UK research is alarmingly low - and in some cases, falling. Black principal investigator (P.I) applications to major funders have declined dramaticall(yi). Disabled researchers remain underrepresented in biosciences(ii). Women make up only around 30% of the STEM workforce, and far less in fields like engineering and computer science(iii) For UKRI funded P.Is, award amounts and award rates for male applicants was higher than female applicants for all years since 2017/18(iv).
These gaps aren’t accidental. They’re the result of years of structural barriers, biased processes, and unequal access. They produce attrition, discouragement, and the loss of talent.
And this isn’t just a moral issue - it’s a research quality issue. When talent is excluded, research loses the diverse perspectives needed to ask relevant questions, design robust methods, and translate findings into fairer, more innovative practice.
‘Equity isn't a favour. It’s a correction’ (Sunny Kanwar, 2025)
What we tried at Leeds
The REDI Fund was designed to support career development for marginalised researchers. We focused on flexibility, simplicity, and fairness:
- Applicants defined their own use of funds, addressing personal barriers rather than fitting into a pre-set pathway.
- Pre-application workshops helped demystify the process.
- Applications were anonymised to reduce bias.
- Assessment focused on viability and career impact.
- Allocation was partially randomised, with intersectional weighting to account for compound marginalisation.
- Awardees were offered tailored networking and development support.
The evaluation showed real impact. Nearly half the funding was used to buy time for research - through teaching buyouts or research assistants - because time is the most frequent barrier to progression. Some funded childcare to enable conference attendance, exposing how institutional assumptions penalise carers. A few applicants even requested alternative sign-off, fearing they wouldn’t be supported to take up the opportunity.
REDI made a material difference for 36 individuals. But it was never meant to dismantle the structures that produce inequity. It’s a start - not a solution.
The wider threat
Globally and locally, the political climate is shifting. In the US, executive orders have labelled DEI initiatives as “dangerous” and “immoral.”(vi). In the UK, financial pressures, geopolitical instability, and cultural backlash are creating a scarcity mindset. In such environments, progressive initiatives are easier to cut.
This is a threat to research excellence. A shrinking, less diverse research base weakens our ability to address complex global challenges. If we lose equity, we lose insight.
What now?
We need to act - individually, institutionally, and across the sector.
Individually, we must speak up. Advocate for the evidence that equity improves research quality. Reclaim the narrative: positive action is corrective, proportionate, and essential - not a threat to impactful progressive research, but its foundation.
Institutionally, we must embed structural change. Make targeted funding permanent, not exceptional. Build equity into recruitment, promotion, and workload systems. Use data to track progress and identify choke points. Protect inclusive language and policy from erosion. Scale interventions that reduce barriers to time and mobility.
Sector-wide, we must push funders to require equitable practices. Build coalitions to defend positive action and share best practice. Insist that national research assessment systems reward inclusive practices as part of quality.
A principled stand
Positive action funds like REDI matter because they change individual trajectories and expose the barriers baked into our systems. But they are not substitutes for structural reform. We must be bolder: combine targeted interventions with permanent changes to HR processes and funding systems; protect inclusive policy from political and cultural backlash; and make the case relentlessly, that equity strengthens research. It’s easy to feel disillusioned, but we cannot afford to give in. Holding firm to our principles now is not just about fairness - it’s about safeguarding the future of research itself. Accelerating change now protects both social justice and the intellectual vitality of our research base.
References:
[i] https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/black-academics-give-ukri-research-funding
[ii]https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/diversity_data_in_research_funding_2023.pdf(p23)
[iii]https://www.stemwomen.com/women-in-stem-statistics-progress-and-challenges
[iv] https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/supporting-healthy-research-and-innovation-culture/equality-diversi…
[v]https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnymoore/recent-activity/all
[vi]https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring…https://pen.org/banned-words-list/