The Athena Swan charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.‌‌

In 2015 the Higher Education Authority supported a major national initiative to launch the Athena Swan charter in Ireland to promote the Athena Swan charter in Ireland. Across Irish Universities only 19% of professors are women. In Institutes of Technology, although women make up 45% of academic staff, only 29% of women are among the senior academic staff. The charter has expanded beyond its original STEMM focus to recognise work undertaken in the arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL). It has also broadened its scope to address gender equality generally, rather than focus exclusively on barriers to progression that affect women. The Charter is based on ten principles which commit to addressing inequalities such as career progression, gender pay gap and discriminatory treatment. You can view it at (opens in a new window)https://www.ecu.ac.uk/equality-charters/athena-swan/about-athena-swan/

UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science (SBBS) were proud to be awarded the Athena Swan Bronze award in April 2019. This acknowledges our commitment to promoting equality and inclusivity among the entire SBBS community. Our SBBS Athena SWAN action plan outlines the strategies, supports and policies currently in progress to improve gender equality and promote an supportive and inclusive environment for our undergraduate and postgraduate students, academic staff, research staff, professional and support staff. Details of our action plan can be found (opens in a new window)here. Please check back here for updates on our progress as we work towards achieving our equality goals.