Complex Projects - Diverse Solutions? Theoretical Reflection, Practical Experiences, and Recommendations on Enhancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Research Projects

Research, development, and innovation (RDI) are often carried out in public funded, multidisciplinary projects, which can be defined as complex. RDI projects depend on and involve various stakeholders that shape the framework conditions or are part of the project consortia. Unsurprisingly, the perceptions of stakeholders regarding, for example, the relevance of team diversity, and to which extent and how leaders should be made accountable for collaborative practices will differ.

In this paper we provide a novel framework applying complexity research to identify challenges in RDI projects that impact the implementation of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We thereby refer to equality in line with the European strategy towards gender equality and to inclusion as the attempt of actively involving and welcoming individuals and groups who may have been traditionally excluded or marginalised. We conclude with suggestions for three different types of involved organisations: research funding organisations (RFOs), research performing organisations (RPOs) and project consortia (PC). Framework and recommendations are reflected in the context of practical experiences made within the Human Brain Project (HBP) and are opened for further contributions by colleagues who are interested to share their experiences (guiding questions have been added as appendix).

Additionally, The EDI Toolkit (www.EDI-toolkit.org) supports projects in integrating EDI in their research content and as guiding principles for team collaboration.

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