UK SBS Understanding the status of under-represented groups in the Information and Communication Technologies

Tender description

Aims and Objectives of the Project The partners in this study: EPSRC, British Computer Society (BCS), UK Computing Research Committee (UKCRC) and National Microelectronics Institute (NMI), as well as the community want to see an increased representation of under-represented groups in ICT and to see a community where everyone has equal and fair opportunities. The aim of this study is thus to: • identify the challenges and barriers faced by under-represented groups pursuing careers in academic research in the Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) and • document the nature of these challenges and barriers so that the academic community are better informed and thus better able to remove them with the result that more people from under-represented groups are attracted to and remain in the discipline. The objectives of the study are to: • identify and describe the nature of the barriers and challenges facing under-represented groups in pursuing academic careers; • identify the features of the environment and culture of ICT as practised in academia that make it more or less attractive to under-represented groups; • investigate the nature of the cohort of researchers in ICT across the career stages as the numbers are similar but the composition is unclear: o do women have long careers or are they constantly being replaced? o are there differences in the domiciles of women at different career stages? (For example, are UK-domiciled women leaving academia to be replaced by women domiciled overseas?) o do overseas-domiciled women have different expectations? • present the report detailing the findings and to make recommendations, backed with evidence including examples, that can be used by the community and/or EPSRC as appropriate, to effect change. To register on our e-sourcing portal (Emptoris) please click on https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk and follow the link ‘Register for CCS eSourcing Please note this can take up to 24 hours’. Once you have received your Emptoris log in details you will need to express your interest in this opportunity by emailing ExpressionOfInterest@ccs.gsi.gov.uk (upto 24 hour)