The “REPAIR” project is an initiative aimed at addressing systemic inequities in the way academic research funding is awarded, with a particular focus on improving fairness for marginalised early career researchers (ECRs). By partnering with key academic and research communities, including the Faculty of Brain Sciences and the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at University College London (UCL), REPAIR leverages diverse perspectives to reshape the (pre) selection and nomination processes.
At the core of REPAIR is a commitment to mapping out and understanding the current funding system to identify where biases might occur. This involves using diagrams to visualize decision flows and analysing academic networks to spot patterns of unfairness, ensuring that the areas most in need of change are targeted effectively. ECRs and other underrepresented groups are central to this process. Through interviews and direct engagement, REPAIR will gather personal experiences and insights, making certain that the proposed changes address real-world challenges and lead to genuine improvements.
Collaborative efforts with partners like Voices of Colour, ALBA, the British Neuroscience Association ECR networks, and the UCL Research Culture Team will help develop new strategies to reduce bias. This includes creating workshops and innovative tools to make selection criteria fairer and using software to monitor the diversity and inclusiveness of the applicant pool. REPAIR will rigorously test these strategies in settings like the annual preselection process for UKRI fellowships, using both quantitative data and qualitative feedback to measure their effectiveness.
How can internal (pre)selection processes for research funding and key career decisions (e.g., prize nominations, industry knowledge exchange) be redesigned to minimize bias and better support marginalized early career researchers?
Objectives
- Existing System Mapping: Review prior studies and collaborate with stakeholders to identify disparities in information, resource access, and support, and map potential biases in social promotion (using social network analysis for internal research prizes and grants).
- Amplifying Silent Voices: Use qualitative methods like focus groups and interviews with
marginalized ECRs and other key stakeholders, including those who have left academia. - Co-design and Implementation: Utilize findings from (1) and (2), along with existing
literature and partnerships with research, culture, and EDI networks, to co-design,
implement, and evaluate interventions to reduce these biases and disparities
Funding
The project is funded by ESRC via the https://edicaucus.ac.uk/.
People
This project team consists of:
- Dr Christin Henein (PI), Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL
- Prof Aikaterina Fotopoulou, Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, UCL
- Prof Anna Cox, UCL Interaction Centre, UCL
- Dr Simona Aimar, Dept of Philosophy, UCL
- Dr Naaheed Mukadam, Division of Psychiatry, UCL
- Dr Natalie Marchant, Division of Psychiatry, UCL
With partners:
- ALBA Network;
- the British Neuroscience Association;
- The European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience;
- the British Academy’s Early Career Researcher Network;
- Voices of Colour;
- UCL’s Institute of Advanced Studies and Early Career Network in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences;
- UCL’s Research Culture team;
- Centre for Equity Research, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL;
- Research Coordination Office for Life and Medical Sciences, UCL; and
- the UCL Neuroscience Careers Network (NCN).
