Who we are
We are the first EDI Network comprising all HEI Chemical Sciences Departments on the island of Ireland. The network originated from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen's University Belfast, which hosted the inaugural All-Ireland Workshop on Advancing Gender Equality in the Chemical Sciences in May 2023, funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
Following the overwhelming success of this groundbreaking workshop, the 40 participants from 12 institutions made the collective decision to establish a formal network. What began as a single collaborative meeting has evolved into a thriving community of practice that spans the entire island of Ireland.
The network was able to flourish and become comprehensively established through strategic funding from the Higher Education Authority's Gender Equality Enhancement Fund, secured in 2024. This transformative grant application was led by the School of Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin, providing the resources needed for professional development, collaborative infrastructure, and the creation of this comprehensive best practices repository.
Our mission is to empower a culture of gender equality across the Chemical Sciences on the island of Ireland and enable us to become a beacon within and beyond our institutions. We achieve this by leveraging sectoral experience, building a productive community of practice, and collating relevant shared data. Through systematic knowledge sharing, evidence-based best practices, and collective advocacy, we are transforming the landscape of gender equality in chemistry education and research across the island of Ireland.
