A team of iCRAG members have initiated a pilot funding scheme aimed at reducing barriers to conference participation for individuals with caring responsibilities. Led by Shonny Lehane iCRAG Operations Manager, and team members Dr Aoife Brady, Dr Claire Harnett and Dr Jennifer Keenahan, the Carers Conference Support Fund initiative seeks to increase attendance and participation at professional and technical conferences for those with caring giving duties, providing research staff with additional opportunities for public presentations and professional growth.
A major factor in academic career advancement is the ability to attend and present at professional and technical conferences. Researchers identify a notable gap in gender representation at academic conferences and carers responsibilities contribute to this gap. This initiative aims to address that imbalance by offering support to those who might otherwise face difficulties
Speaking on the announcement of the award, project lead and iCRAG Operations Manager Shonny Lehane commented: “This initiative will reduce barriers to professional development for carers, increase equity, position UCD as an EDI leader, and contribute to Athena Swan accreditation. Having the backing of the Heads of School for both Earth Science and Civil Engineering, as well as being awarded this funding gives us great encouragement, and we hope to show that schemes like these can make a measurable difference. ”
Dr Jennifer Keenahan, iCRAG Funded Investigator and Associate Professor in the UCD School of Civil Engineering, added: “As a mother and a researcher, I understand firsthand the challenges that come with balancing professional development and caring responsibilities. This initiative is a critical step towards ensuring that all researchers, regardless of their personal circumstances, have equal opportunities to contribute to and benefit from academic and professional conferences. It's about breaking down barriers and fostering a more inclusive research community.”
As part of the recognition for their efforts, Shonny Lehane, Dr. Jennifer Keenahan, Dr. Claire Harnett, and Dr. Aoife Brady attended the UCD Research Culture Local Actions, Initiatives, and Measures (ReCLAIM) award ceremony on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, at the Kevin Barry Gallery in the Charles Institute. The president of UCD, Prof. Orla Feely, opened the event and VPRII Professor Kate Robson Brown presented the awards. The team was honoured with a certification for their initiative, which was presented by President Orla Feely. The ceremony celebrated the successful applicants of the ReCLAIM scheme, which supports new ideas aimed at fostering a positive and supportive research culture across UCD.
Prof. Aoife Ahern, Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, University College Dublin commented "As Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UCD, I am delighted that this initiative is in place in UCD. UCD aims to be a university that enables all our researchers to reach their potential, and supportive EDI policies and projects such as this one play a very important role in doing that. That this is the first programme of its type in Ireland further demonstrates UCD's ability to lead in the area of EDI, and of creating an inclusive work place."
While similar initiatives have been successfully implemented in other Silver Athena Swan Award holding institutions in the UK and USA, this marks the first of its kind in Ireland. Unlike many programmes that primarily focus on childcare support, this pilot will address a wide range of caring responsibilities. It is designed to benefit a broad spectrum of individuals, including all genders and all career stages—academic, technical, professional, managerial, and support staff—whether the need is for childcare, professional care for disabilities, or temporary respite care.
Currently, the pilot scheme is available to anyone employed in the UCD School of Civil Engineering and the UCD School of Earth Science. The organising team hopes that this initiative will be expanded both within UCD and adopted by other higher education institutions in the future.
For more information on how to apply visit Workvivo • Carers Conference Support Fund Space/ or contact Shonny Lehane (shonny.lehane@ucd.ie)
The Carers Conference Support Fund initiative is funded through two UCD initiatives; ReCLAIM and the UCD EDI Accerlerator Fund.
UCD Research Culture Local Actions, Initiatives and Measures (ReCLAIM) is an internal funding opportunity funded by the Wellcome Institutional Fund for Research Culture to support initiatives which foster a positive and supportive research culture locally with potential for wider impact across the university.
UCD Gender Equality and Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) Accelerator Fund has been established to support UCD Schools which have successfully achieved an Athena SWAN accreditation to pilot innovative actions from their respective gender equality action plans in partnership with other UCD Schools. The Accelerator Fund is a matched funding initiative with contributions from the relevant Colleges.
