Athena SWAN silver award - medical funding
In August 2011 Dame Sally Davies, director general of research and development and chief scientific adviser for the Department of Health/NHS, has announced that the National Institute for Health Research will no longer shortlist any NHS/university partnership for Biomedical Research Centre and Biomedical Research Unit funding unless the academic institution holds at least a silver award from the Athena SWAN Charter for Women in Science.
Latest figures from the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET (UKRC) show that in 2007-08 women accounted for 33.2 per cent of undergraduates and 34 per cent of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. However, these numbers fell to 26.1 per cent for full-time lecturers, and to only 9.3 per cent for full-time professors..
The Department of Health announcement will undoubtedly be seen by many as a positive step towards gender equality for researchers in science.
Please see the Equality Challenge Unit web information about this issue: Chief Medical Officer links gender equality to future funding
