In 2020, the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub along with the Supergen Energy Networks, Solar Network Plus, Bioenergy Hub and Storage Network Plus collaborated to develop a survey to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our networks and stakeholders, to further support our equality, diversity and inclusion activities.
The questions in this report were designed so we could have a better understanding of our community’s view of best practice for inclusive events, for diversity in applications to Supergen funds, and in supporting researchers through a global pandemic.
A summary of some of the key findings are:
- 44% of respondents have caring responsibilities, and therefore Hubs should consider caring responsibilities and their impact on the community with which we engage
- In person events are preferred, however female respondents felt they had attended more events as a result of the move online.
- Funding schemes should have at least a six week notice period
- Proposal writing is more likely to be impacted by caring responsibilities, and given 28% of carers indicated caring for parents or partners, proposal timescales should be about more than avoiding school holidays
- As a result of COVID, childcare and family caring responsibilities increased for a third (childcare) and a fifth (family care) of respondents with more impact for Asian/Asian British and Male respondents - most saw an increase of 1 to 10 hour.
- Around half of respondents felt they could not undertake all of their normal work duties during COVID, and research activities were affected
- About a fifth struggled with a suitable workspace during lockdowns
The full report can be found here.
The Supergen ORE Hub is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture. This report is part of a set of activities the Supergen ORE Hub are undertaking to support equality, diversity and inclusion. Find out more about our work in this area here.
