Update: What’s next for EDIS?

An update from the EDIS staff on what we’ve been up to, the spin out process, and our plans for the future.

There have been some changes happening here at EDIS and we’re pleased to bring you an update on what we’ve been up to and our next steps.

Over the last 6 months, the EDIS team have been impacted by significant illness that has resulted in fewer communications and engagement with our member organisations. We’re grateful to everyone who was understanding during this time of reduced capacity, and we’re happy to say that all EDIS staff members are now recovering. The EDIS Lead Lilian Hunt remains on a phased return with reduced working hours, and we appreciate your patience while we get back into the swing of things.

There have also been some changes to our plans to spin out of Wellcome and become an independent member organisation in 2024. For the time being, EDIS will continue to be incubated within Wellcome with access to resources and support as part of the wider Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team. In light of Jimmy Volmink’s appointment as Chief EDI Officer and Wellcome’s commitment to refreshing its EDI strategy, it has been decided that EDIS will be better situated as part of the Wellcome EDI team for a longer period.

We are extremely grateful for all the work, time, and energy the EDIS membership, Development Board and The Equal Group have given to the spin out and this work will still be used when we revisit the spin out in the future. We’ll be working with our Development Board to think through how this impacts the proposed Transition Board.

While remaining within Wellcome for a longer period is a change to our original plans, it also means that we will have increased capacity to engage with our members and our strategic goals. We’re looking forward to re-engaging with the EDIS membership over the coming months, particularly through an all-member meeting in June and on a one-to-one basis. We’re also conducting an overhaul of the EDIS member Slack space to create a thriving online community where members can post updates, ask questions, and share learnings.

We’re looking forward to updating you as we move forward – you can also keep up to date with EDIS via our monthly newsletter, our X (previously Twitter), and our LinkedIn.