Equality and social groups
The Institute of Cancer Research is committed to attracting, developing and retaining leading cancer researchers from around the world, resulting in a diverse workforce. The ICR offers an open and fully inclusive environment for staff and students to achieve their organisational and personal goals.
Equality at the ICR
The ICR welcomes applications from people with disabilities and aims to offer appropriate assistance to accommodate individual needs, taking all reasonable steps to ensure that both the application procedure and the employment responsibilities are organised and delivered to offer all employees the opportunity to participate fully.
Applicants are encouraged to disclose any specific disability at the time of application (via the ‘equal opportunities’ forms), and inform HR if anything further can be done to make the application and selection process as accessible as possible.
This helps the ICR to ensure that applicants’ specialist needs can be understood, and any obstacles minimised, throughout the application and admission process.
See facts and figures about how the ICR is structured into 8 research divisions, the different corporate services and the diversity of our staff and students
ICR equality initiatives
Our progress on equality issues reflects our pursuit of excellence in all that we do and means going beyond minimum expectations in a range of initiatives. This includes:
- Charter membership of the Athena SWAN Charter for Women in Science:
- Achievement of an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of the impact of our work to address the under-representation of women in science and academic medicine.
- Women in leadership group for faculty and career development faculty.
- Equality and Diversity activities supported and monitored through the Equality Steering Committee.
- Support and adjustments for disabled students and staff.
- As Stonewall Diversity Champions, we are working with our joint ICR and Royal Marsden Hospital LGBT staff network to review our policies and practices and ensure a fully inclusive workplace. In 2017, the ICR submitted to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, and feedback will be used to continue to shape our policies and activities.
- Network of trained wellbeing advisers.
These activities are taken forward through our equality excellence programme, which combines our equality initiatives and highlights how they support the scientific work of the ICR.
Our 2021 equality report outlines in detail the steps we are taking to promote equality, and eliminate any discriminatory practice within the ICR.
Our equal opportunities policy statement provides a platform for initiatives directed towards supporting the work of the ICR.
Committees and societies
The Institute of Cancer Research is committed to creating opportunities for networking and personal growth for its employees, researchers and students.
The ICR aims to encourage careers in science through promotion of networking, and professional and personal development for postdoctoral fellows.
The PostDoc Association (PDA) is dedicated to supporting postdocs both professionally and pastorally throughout their time at the ICR. The PDA focuses on the provision of networking opportunities, personal and professional training, and encouraging both scientific discussion and interaction within and outside the ICR via the Postdoc Programme.
The PDA works with the ICR to embed the principles of The Researcher Concordat and has representatives on several boards and committees, ensuring postdocs have a voice in decisions that could affect their career progression, personal development or simply their life at the ICR. The PDA Committee meets monthly in order to discuss activities, events and any other relevant business. These meetings are open to all postdocs.
The PDA organises a range of events including away days, careers conferences, a Postdoc seminar series, quarterly social events, and monthly coffee afternoons, where you can have the opportunity to informally meet fellow postdocs, have a chat, network and raise issues with members of the PDA.
Follow the PostDoc Association on X: @Postdocs_ICR
The Scientific Officers Association (SOA) was established to support the professional and personal development of all Scientific Officers at the ICR.
The aims of the SOA are to offer support and representation to all SOs, to raise their profile within the ICR and highlight the contribution they make to the Institute to provide courses specifically tailored for their needs.
The SOA also offers the opportunity for SOs to socialise, encouraging their communication and creating networking opportunities inside and outside the ICR.
Follow the Scientific Officers Association on X: @ICR_SOA
We also have three equality networks run in collaboration with The Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH): The Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH) Forum, The LGBT+ Network, and The Access for All Network for staff and students with disabilities and health conditions.
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