The Future of EDIS: Working with The Equal Group

EDIS is collaborating with strategic consultants The Equal Group to decide what our future development looks like. As part of this project, we are consulting EDIS members for their opinions on our business and governance models to support our transition into an independent membership organisation.

Our Journey So Far

Since EDIS was established in 2016 as a collaboration between Wellcome, The Francis Crick Institute and GlaxoSmithKline, our goal has been to facilitate cooperation between institutions to drive sector-wide change in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices. We have made some great progress: we now stand at twenty-nine member organisations and we have facilitated three symposiums, a range of training sessions, produced an open access library of EDI resources and presented oral evidence to the parliamentary inquiry on diversity in STEM [article].

EDIS’ work in the science and health sector is systemic – our vision is for everyone to have equal opportunities and access to a career within science and health, its research and its outcomes. This vision stretches across the entire health and research system, including research, academia, industry, innovation, and health equity. We believe that diversity within the research system leads to a diversity of research questions and, ultimately, outcomes that benefit the whole of society. To achieve this vision, we have become an ambitious and member-led coalition that has already made a significant impact across the science and health sector.

However, we know that we have a long way to go. Our progress towards maturing EDIS into its own organisation has been slow, in part due to the pandemic altering how we work with members and slowing the recruitment of EDIS staff. In addition to this, we consciously delayed establishing permanent decision-making structures. One of the reasons we have slowed these areas is because we recognise the limited diversity of professional and lived experience in our Development Board and the impact this has on our ability to determine permanent structural changes in an inclusive and informed way.

The Equal Group

To support our knowledge and team, we have contracted The Equal Group to collaborate with us on our new development phase as we look to spin out from Wellcome into an independent member organisation. The Equal Group specialise in consultancy through an EDI lens, enabling us to find the best models for us to expand and continue our work while remaining reflexive and member-led. We are working towards a structure that reflects our EDI commitment and once this is in place, we will recruit for our remaining Development Board positions.

We want to answer a number of business and governance questions through our project with The Equal Group, including what it means to be a member of EDIS and the expectations we have of member organisations. We will also ask how we hold member organisations accountable to their commitments and how we can best support members in developing EDI knowledge.

We also want to explore how our organisational structure can enable more diverse people and organisations to engage with EDIS, including shaping our mission, vision, and direction. We believe that our structure must reflect our anti-racist, anti-ableist, and trans-inclusive values, and must actively include identities and groups who have been historically marginalised. As EDIS understands EDI in science and health as a social justice issue, our structure must allow us to drive sustainable sector-wide change while retaining our values.

The Future of EDIS

We want to include both members and non-members in our project with The Equal Group. EDIS’ mission is to facilitate organisations collaborating on EDI issues across health and science, so our development must also be collaborative to reflect our growing member-led voice. To complement this, we are also seeking input from non-members on barriers to engaging with EDIS.

Member organisations have received an initial survey to complete from The Equal Group and over the next month The Equal Group will be meeting with the Development Board, the Wellcome working group and select member and non-member organisations. They will also be running a series of four workshops with a cross-section of stakeholders to explore potential business, membership, and governance options. They will then combine this research with their expertise in strategic consulting to present a final report containing a proposed business plan, shortlist of business models and suggested governance structure with EDI considerations for each.

Once we have enacted our new business, governance, and legal structures, there will be increasing scope for non-member individuals and organisations to engage with EDIS and influence our work. We want EDIS to act as a vehicle for change, including working with those who do not have access to member organisations such as community groups and independent healthcare advocates.

Our vision for EDIS is a coalition of organisations and individuals working together to drive sector-wide change – it is vital that our members have a voice in this process. If you would like to send any thoughts or feedback about EDIS to The Equal Group, email Kate Taiwo at edis@theequalgroup.com.

If you would like to be kept up to date with EDIS as we enter our new phase of development, you can follow us on our LinkedIn or subscribe to our monthly EDI roundup newsletter. If you have any questions about EDIS, email Robin Craig at r.craig@wellcome.org.