@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity We have published the membership of the decision making panels for the COVID-19 ethnicity call here: mrc.ukri.org/documents/pdf/…. We actively sought diversity in the panel members, and we are conscious that Black people are underrepresented throughout academia in the UK. 1/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity Black researchers have been funded by this call as part of Investigators’ leadership teams. As this was a rapid response off-system call, and reflecting the need for the research to begin immediately, applicants had to submit a shorter than normal application form. 2/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity We therefore did not collect information from applicants on their protected characteristics and cannot provide the same data as we do for our standard schemes: ukri.org/about-us/equal…. 3/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity Patient and public involvement (PPI) was a requirement for all projects funded through this call, and PPI representatives were part of the assessment panel for every project. 4/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity The projects will see researchers engage directly with local, regional and national Black, Asian and other ethnic community groups. This includes engagement with professional associations, community and faith leaders, and health workers. 5/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity UKRI, NIHR and DHSC issued this research call to directly encourage research on the disproportionate deaths in the BAME community because we had not received sufficient applications to address this critical issue. 6/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity There was no ceiling on the funding we allocated to this call. Every project rated by the panel as internationally competitive was funded and all projects had to demonstrate how they would have public health impact within 12 months. 7/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity To enable the research to start as quickly as possible, every application was assigned to three panel members and a PPI reviewer who scored it independently. The highest scoring applications were then discussed by the panel who took the funding decisions. 8/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity If you would like any further information about our COVID-19 funding calls please email CV19researchinnovation@ukri.org 9/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity We are committed to increasing the representation of Black and other communities throughout our work, including in our funding. We are undertaking more detailed ethnicity analysis and developing actions to tackle inequalities and under-representation. 10/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity We want to go beyond this to bring people closer to policymaking, creating a truly inclusive research and innovation system of which we are all a part of, and proud of. 11/12
@AddyAdelaine @NIHRcommunity We would welcome the chance to discuss our work in this area with you further, through equality@ukri.org 12/12
