Alliance Advantage
Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan
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Context
This guide provides information specific to sub-criterion 3.2 Consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan. In complement, the NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research provides extensive guidance on considering and integrating principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in both your research process and your research team. While developing your proposal, you are encouraged to consult both the NSERC guide and the information below.
Guidance
Your training plan should be project specific. It should support an inclusive training environment that includes equitable access to training opportunities and the development of skills necessary to conduct future world-class research. You are encouraged to allocate approximately one page of your proposal to address considerations of EDI in your project’s training plan. Any description of your training environment, proposed strategies or monitoring mechanisms must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all trainees.Footnote 1
Once submitted, your Alliance proposal will be assessed on sub-criterion 3.2 Consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan.Footnote 2 NSERC staff will use the established Alliance grants merit indicators to assign a rating of either “Does not Satisfy”, “Meets”, “Exceeds” or “Exceptional” (Table 1). If your proposal receives a rating of ‘Meets’ or higher from NSERC staff on sub-criterion 3.2, the remaining sub-criteria will be evaluated through internal or external review according to the published merit assessment mechanisms.
Table 1: Summary of merit indicators for sub-criterion 3.2, Consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan.
| Merit Indicator | Exceptional | Exceeds | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Describes at least one proposed specific and concrete action or practice to support EDI in the training plan. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Describes proposed actions or practices in multiple aspects of the training plan (recruitment, mentorship, training, partner interaction, recognition, etc.). | Yes | Yes | |
| Links proposed actions or practices to existing systemic or localized barriers (field-specific underrepresentation, local social-economic challenges, accessibility of facilities and equipment, etc.). | Yes | Yes | |
| Links proposed actions or practices to empirical or scholastic evidence supporting their effectiveness. | Yes | ||
| Describes a strategy to monitor progress and adapt plan as necessary. | Yes |
Meets
To achieve a rating of “Meets”, you must present at least one concrete and specific action or practice you will undertake during your project to support EDI in the training plan. Providing only vague or generic statements such as those regarding your personal or institutional-level commitment to EDI will not be sufficient and will result in your proposal being returned or rejected. The following resources provide guiding questions and best practices that you may consider and adapt when developing your project-specific training plan.
- NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research - Section 2: Equity, diversity and inclusion consideration for research teams
- Canada Research Chairs' Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention
- Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research (sshrc-crsh.gc.ca)
Exceeds
To achieve a rating of “Exceeds”, you must meet the requirements for a rating of “Meets” and link your proposed actions or practices to an issue you are attempting to address in the context of your project-specific training environment. Issues can be systemic or localized and can include EDI-related barriers in your research field, institution, geographic location or other aspects of your project’s training environment. Additionally, you must address EDI-related barriers in more than one aspect of your training plan (e.g., recruitment, mentorship, training, partner interaction, recognition, etc.). The following resources provide examples of systemic barriers to EDI in the research ecosystem and practices that you may consider and adapt when developing your project’s training plan:
- Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research (sshrc-crsh.gc.ca)
- Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams
Exceptional
To achieve a rating of “Exceptional”, you must meet the requirements for an “Exceeds” and link your proposed actions to empirical evidence supporting their effectiveness. Additionally, you must describe your strategy to monitor progress and adapt your plan as necessary over the duration of your project. Indicators and methods to evaluate success might include the following examples that should be adapted to your specific training environment:
- An annual audit of proposed EDI-related actions in your research environment
- Systems to track equitable trainee access to equipment, mentorship and training opportunities
- Use of anonymous trainee feedback surveys to measure sense of inclusion and/or identify persistent barriers
- Tracking of trainee retention rates relative to an established baseline
The use of aggregated departmental or institutional datasets to monitor trends over time is acceptable, provided that the privacy of every individual is protected.Footnote 3
Reporting
In your Alliance grants final report, you will be asked to explain how your project’s training plan advanced practices that supported EDI (using a maximum of 2,000 characters). As previously emphasized, any description of your training environment must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all trainees.
