OU Athena SWAN Awards

The Open University holds Institutional Athena SWAN Bronze. The Institution is proud of its features of good practice, such as:

• Equality & Diversity training
• Consideration of part-time staff in promotion
• Mixed recruitment and selection panels
• Range of support for students
• Agile working opportunities for all staff
• Flexibility upon return of maternity leave

As detailed in our Action Plan, we are currently working on developing and improving in the following areas:

• Increasing efforts to ensure best practice in recruitment to increase the number of female applicants for senior posts
• Extending specialist career advice to early/mid researchers on fixed term contracts
• Developing specific support for re-starting research activity following maternity leave
• Providing networking activities that specifically support women's career development in Science and Maths, Computing and Technology

Currently four STEM department have Bronze status and one department holds a Silver award. The University successfully renewed its Bronze status in April 2016.

Institutional Bronze

• Bronze
• Bronze Renewal

Departmental Bronze

• Computing and Communications
• Engineering and Innovation
• Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
• Maths and Statistics
• Knowledge Media Institute

Departmental Silver

• Physical Sciences