The Athena SWAN Charter

The ICR is proud to be a member of the Athena SWAN Charter and achieved a Bronze Athena SWAN Award in August 2009 which recognised the progress we have made in supporting the careers of women scientists.

The Athena Swan Charter is a scheme to promote the careers of women in science, engineering and technology through recognising excellence in employment practice in higher education. The charter was launched in June 2005. All UK universities that can demonstrate commitment to working towards the achievement of Athena's aim are invited to become Charter signatories.

Over half of our staff and students are women and like many universities, we recognise that many factors contribute to the fact that far fewer women than men are represented at senior levels in the organisation. Some of the reasons for this are beyond the control of the institution but we know that we can play our part in promoting change by establishing clearly what the challenges are and taking responsibility for those issues that are within our control.

Our award submission shows the issues that we have identified so far, and the action plan we have devised to help us make progress.

Download the Bronze award application submitted November 2012 here.

Visit the Athena SWAN website