RCSI has joined eleven leading European institutions, all winners of the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions, in signing a joint declaration confirming their commitment to gender equality across their institutions.

The awards, presented by the European Commission every March since 2022, acknowledge research and innovation institutions that have developed the most innovative and inclusive gender equality plans addressing social categories such as ethnicity, social origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

By reaffirming their commitment to gender equality, these institutions hope to achieve three key objectives. These include reinforcing gender equality at an institutional level, ensuring the sustainability of inclusive policies at a European level and continuing to promote equal opportunity in international cooperation.

The joint declaration states: "Attracting more women to academic careers and ensuring the highest standards of research quality are essential to enhancing science’s role in addressing societal and economic challenges. To achieve this, it is vital that we continue to mainstream gender equality in European and international cooperation.”

Liz Hughes, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in RCSI, said “We are delighted to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and inclusion across institutional, European and international levels. This important declaration is hugely significant for the RCSI community and indeed our fellow signatories as we work to instill a culture of equality and inclusion across our campus communities. We look forward to continued collaboration with these impactful institutions in effecting positive change”.

Professor Cathal Kelly, Vice-Chancellor of RCSI, said “I am hugely proud to acknowledge the work of our EDI team in championing gender equality at RCSI. This declaration further highlights our institutions commitment to ensure that equal opportunity, inclusion and acceptance form the foundation of RCSI campus culture.”

The 11 signatories include Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientifÍcas; Karolinska Institutet; National University of Ireland, Maynooth; Instruct-ERIC; South East Technological University; Trinity College Dublin; Technological University of the Shannon; Uniwersytet Gdánski; and Rovira i Virgili Universitat.

This EU Award for Gender Equality lies among a number of achievements that RCSI holds in the area of EDI. In August 2023 RCSI’s Institutional Athena Bronze Award was successfully renewed. The application was described by the panel as “an exemplar of good practice”. In February 2024, RCSI was named Company of the Year at the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards.

The RCSI EDI Strategy 2024-2027 was launched in February 2024, and RCSI’s commitment to EDI was later reaffirmed in the RCSI strategy for 2023-2027, Innovating for a Healthier Future.

Download the Joint Declaration on Gender Equality in Higher Education, Research and Innovation here.