Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Quadram Institute Bioscience we are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. As part of that commitment we have signed up to the Athena Swan Charter and were awarded Athena Swan Bronze status in March 2022. Athena Swan was originally established to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine (STEMM). The Charter now includes addressing gender equality more broadly, not just the barriers to progression that affect women.

We value the diversity of our staff and are committed to creating a positive environment, one that is fair, welcoming and inclusive, and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects all employees to share and display these values.  To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

Our Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Committee is dedicated to ensuring that the working environment at Quadram is one where everyone can achieve their true potential.

Additionally, the Norwich Bioscience Institutes’ LGBTQ+ group and ResNet fairness and gender equality network meets regularly and organise events for staff and students throughout the year.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for our vacancies.

Support for parents and carers

We are committed to supporting staff who maintain responsibilities as a carer alongside their job. Whether these responsibilities include caring for a child or caring for another dependent, we aim to work with our employees to facilitate a good work/life balance.

We have a range of policies to help our staff build their careers whilst caring for their family. Our initiatives include funding to cover a period of maternity and/or shared parental leave; an extension to the five-year review period for Career Track Group Leaders in compelling personal circumstances; financial support for colleagues whose responsibilities to provide care for children or dependents has an impact on their freedom to attend conferences, workshops or networking and professional development events and a flexible working policy.

Additionally, the Parents and Carers Group (PACG) provides information and support to parents across the Norwich Bioscience Institutes.

Chestnut Nursery School offers quality education in a stimulating environment on the Norwich Research Park, with places offered preferentially to staff and students at the Quadram Institute and the Norwich Bioscience Institutes.