Our EDI Data Surveys

The 2022 survey received a total of 384 responses from members of the community. Respondents suggested several areas of focus for future Society activities, including:

• Representation within and across the Group
• Specific support for, and representation of, women
• Improving access for/representation of/prospects for those from minority ethnic and LGBTQ backgrounds
• Improving access for/representation of/prospects for those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds
• Improving access for those with disabilities

This feedback led to a complete refresh of our nominations process, (the process by which we appoint to our boards and committees), to work towards more diverse and representative decision makers across the organization. 

We also introduced guidance notes for our governance committees, including the use of accessible communications and the adoption of more inclusive meeting practices, such as timing meetings to avoid school and religious holidays.

When asked about the development of the survey itself respondents asked for more concrete examples of actions taken by the Society and wider scope in the disability questions to better recognize neurodivergence. This feedback led to a complete restructure of the way in which we asked about disability in the 2023 survey, introducing a new question that asked about whether barriers and limitations were experienced in everyday life, to which 20% of respondents answered yes. We also introduced a more detailed introduction to the survey to better share how we were taking actions forward across the organization.

Our 2023 survey received a total of 457 responses from members of the community. Respondents suggested several areas of focus for future Society activities, including:

• Neurodivergence in the workplace and improving access for those with disabilities
• Supporting women in biochemistry and those with caring responsibilities
• Communicating EDI data metrics for the biochemical community
• Better representation at conferences, events and on editorial boards
• Recognition and promotion of the visibility of minority scientists

This feedback led us to focus on improving our communications and resources to increase accessibility, particularly for those who are neurodivergent. Examples of this include the introduction of a ‘fuzzy search’ option on our website and staff training on the formatting and presentation of accessible documents.

We continued to operate a fully hybrid governance meetings calendar and refreshed our Care & Assistance Grant to better support those with caring responsibilities, changing the name of the grant to emphasize the range of support available and updating the applicant information to include clear examples of what could be funded. A video guide was also created to further assist in the application process.

When asked about the survey itself respondents asked for consideration of socio-economic background and biological sex; as a result questions on both of these areas have been introduced in the 2024 survey. 

Our 2024 survey received a total of 426 responses from members of the community. Respondents suggested several areas of focus for future Society activities, including:

• Engagement with young people from underrepresented groups and promotion of access to STEM

• Support for women and underrepresented groups in accessing more senior roles

• Ensuring diversity amongst our Trustees and leaders

• Improve support and accessibility for people with disabilities

• Support for mid-career professionals

The feedback led us to develop collaborative partnerships with external organisations working in this space including the Afro-Caribbean Commercial Science Network (ACCSN) and BioSci Toolkit. We continue to work with In2Science to fund summer placements, event attendees can donate to this organisation at the point of registration. The Society is also continuing to work with City, University of London to host a Micro-placement student over the summer.

We have also initiated a new collaborative partnership with the Daphne Jackson Trust to cross-promote resources and opportunities, including for those who have taken a career break and over the summer months of 2025 we will be conducting interviews to develop engaging content that highlights women in science, including non-traditional career paths and careers for those with caring responsibilities.

In 2024 we developed an EDI in Society events statement, which clearly defines what this means to us and how we deliver this for our community and we have brought together a project group to consider website accessibility, with on-going streams to make improvements to our current processes.

Our commitment to EDI does not stop here, and we will continue to make improvements in this area into 2025 and beyond.

Our 2025 survey received a total of 227 responses from members of the community, Society staff and committee and panel members. This was a 50% reduction in the number of survey respondents from 2024;  while this was disappointing we recognise that our community are facing a number of competing priorities at present, and we will reflect on improvements that can be made to the survey design ahead of 2026. The responses received remain valuable but we acknowledge that the low response rate means they will not necessarily be representative of our full community.

When comparing 2025 results with those of the 2024 survey, the number of respondents who confirmed they had primary/joint primary caring responsibilities for a child under 18 increased by 40%, and those identifying as being in ‘any other ethnic group’ increased by 24%. We saw a significant increase in the number of respondents who agreed or strongly agreed that EDI concerns were embedded within the Group’s ethos; 71% of all respondents in 2025, (up from 56% in 2024).

Respondents suggested three main areas of focus for future Society activities, including:

• Support for carers in STEM
• Addressing attitudinal barriers towards LGBTQ+ groups
• Ensuring diverse representation on panels and public platforms

Over the next twelve months (until the launch of the next survey in May 2026), we will be working to look at activities and initiatives that can be introduced and/or improved across the organisation to deliver meaningful change in these areas.