NHMRC Gender Equity Strategy 2022-2025

A gender diverse and inclusive health and medical research workforce to take advantage of the full range of talent needed to build a healthy Australia

NHMRC-led action and funding promote gender equity in Australia’s health and medical research workforce.

• Gender equity strengthens the health and medical research workforce.
• Diversity in the health and medical research workforce will lead to better health outcomes for the Australian community.
• Everyone benefits from research environments that are safe, respectful and inclusive.

• Evaluate and adapt NHMRC policies and activities to achieve gender equity and measure our performance against set goals.
• Increase transparency of NHMRC processes and funding outcomes.
• Build commitment to gender equity as a common goal across the health and medical research sector.
• Collaborate with government, research institutions, industry, business and the community to achieve gender equity.

Goal: NHMRC grants support a gender inclusive health and medical research workforce

Actions:

• Consult on and implement actions to address gender disparities in funding outcomes
• Maintain or strengthen funding policies and processes that address gender inequities
• Strengthen guidance and training for peer reviewers to consider career context fairly
• Continue to allocate structural priority funding to address gender disparities where needed

KPIs: Gender inequities in NHMRC funding outcomes are reduced. Support is available for non-binary health and medical researchers.

Goal: NHMRC actions and interventions are based on transparent evidence

Actions:

• Increase transparency in reporting on NHMRC grant applications and outcomes by gender
• Collect and use data to understand structural disadvantages experienced by non-binary researchers and the impact of intersectionality
• Evaluate peer review scoring to identify disparities
• Pilot and evaluate new initiatives to strengthen the evidence base on effective interventions

KPI: Transparent data are available to the sector and used by NHMRC to design interventions that foster gender equity in research as needed.

Goal: Health and medical research environments are safe, respectful and inclusive, and gender equity is recognised as a common goal

Actions:

• Engage with others to encourage the advancement of gender equity and inclusion
• Consider international initiatives that are achieving gender equity and inclusion
• Maintain NHMRC requirements for Administering Institutions’ gender policies and report on their effectiveness
• Raise the profile of gender positive role models
• Develop a statement on sex and gender inclusivity in research design

KPI: NHMRC policies promote gender equity and inclusion in the health and medical research sector.