Inclusion as a Norm at King’s – Leadership, Understanding the issues, Developing individuals, Enacting change (INKLUDE) is a Wellcome funded 2 year project which seeks to implement and evaluate innovative approaches to the inclusion of individuals from under-represented groups in research careers, initially focusing on women and those from minoritised ethnic groups. 

 

The project is funded through the Wellcome Trust Institutional Funding for Research Culture grant scheme. The project is currently half way through its delivery, with an end date anticipated in October 2026.  

 

The project is led by Vice-Chancellor & President of King’s College London, Professor Shitij Kapur, with co-applicants drawn from across the university on the basis of their knowledge, experience and skills in the area.

 

The INKLUDE project is underpinned by three core values:

 

Cultural Humility: The process of self-reflection and understanding one’s own implicit and explicit biases and how these biases may influence service provision and delivery.

 

Cultural Safety: Creating a safe environment where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. Establishing shared respect, meaning, knowledge, living and working together with dignity and truly listening.

 

Cultural Competency/Culturally Adapted: Taking account of people’s cultural beliefs, needs and behaviours in service provision and in staff interactions.

 

The programme of work comprises 5 Work Packages (WP):

 

WP1:  Exploring the current systemic barriers to this goal. This work package involves working with the team to explore ways in which the findings from an independent review of KCL promotion and retention processes can contribute to the development of a Five Year Strategy for KCL, as well as the wider dissemination of findings and recommendations to the HE sector.

 

WP2: This work package seeks to provide leaders of research at all levels with the skills to create a positive and supportive research culture through optimising inclusive practices, supported by appropriate toolkits and resources. The resources have been developed and the next stage of this work package will involve the roll out of the training across KCL and evaluating its impact.

 

WP3: While we await systemic change, the INKLUDE team recognises the need to develop individuals in order to mitigate current barriers to inclusion. We seek to achieve this through the delivery of both a course of individual development and sponsorship to women and people from minoritised ethnic groups (INKLUDE to THRIVE), and a course for those who will act as allies for to women and people from minoritised ethnic groups (ALLIANCE THRIVE). Continued work will ensure programmes are delivered and evaluated.

 

WP4: This work package seeks to enact change through a range of institutional commitments including improved data capture on the characteristics of staff, a Five Year Strategy to continue work towards our goal, and the allocation of academic and professional services staff in support of the mission.

 

WP5: This work focuses on the following; Co-production of resources and interventions; Evaluation of the programme; Dissemination of learning from the programme.

 

Each Work Package is overseen by one of the Co-Investigators for the project together with a Co-Lead drawn from the KCL community. The overall project management is undertaken by Jasdeep Singh,

 

All our programmes, findings and recommendations are shared with our Partnership and Advisory Group who work with us to ensure that our understanding is optimal and our dissemination approaches effective, as well as informing any new initiatives.