SAGE has embarked on a five-year project to co-design a new MRI Awards Pathway with the MRI sector, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

The goal: to create an awards pathway that reflects the realities of medical research and supports meaningful, sustained change.

Medical Research Institutes (MRIs) operate in fast-moving, high-stakes environments shaped by competitive funding, specialist expertise, and complex organisational relationships.

These conditions fundamentally influence how gender equity, diversity and inclusion challenges are experienced and what effective action can look like.

A Dedicated Pathway for MRIs

Through ongoing engagement with subscribers and an independent SAGE evaluation, SAGE has identified challenges and barriers uniquely faced by medical research institutes (MRIs) that are not currently well-served by existing equity frameworks.

SAGE is uniquely positioned to deliver this framework with its experience delivering the Athena Swan model in Australia, trusted sector partnerships, and deep expertise in equity accreditation.

The new framework builds on this foundation, while thoughtfully creating something unique for the medical research context.

The awards pathway will be co-designed with sector leaders and practitioners from 2025 to 2029, to ensure that it’s grounded, flexible, and genuinely valuable to the sector.

From Discovery to Design

Now in its second year, the project is structured across five phases, each building on the last:

Discovery: Understanding the medical research landscape by exploring sector contexts, mapping stakeholders, and identifying key needs and challenges.

Concept Design and Consultations: Developing preliminary options for the framework and testing ideas through targeted consultations with MRIs and relevant stakeholders.

Co-Design: Working in partnership with the sector to design the framework, award criteria, and implementation approach.

Pilot: Testing and evaluating the framework across participating institutes to ensure its fit for purpose.

Launch: Releasing the final framework and platform for supporting adoption across the medical research sector.

Throughout 2025, we completed the Discovery Phase of the project and are now entering the Concept Design & Consultations phase. This transition marks a shift from listening to shaping ideas with the sector.

During the Discovery Phase, we focused on building a clear picture of the MRI landscape. This included:

  • Conducting a landscape analysis of ~70 MRIs across Australia to understand size, structure, and operating models.
  • Completing desktop research on DEI activity, reporting practices, and resourcing constraints, research ethics, and equity considerations specific to MRI environments.
  • Engaging in many discussions with MRIs across institution types to surface shared challenges and divergent needs.
  • Establishing collaborations with key stakeholders, including peak bodies, research centres, and funders, to ensure the framework aligns with broader sector priorities.

Design Principles Shaped by the Sector

Insights from the Discovery Phase are shaping a practical framework guided by the following design principles:

Be realistic about funding and resourcing constraints to ensure the framework is resource-sensitive and scalable in proportion to the institute’s size and capacity, with low-cost, low-burden engagement pathways.

Align strategically with existing regulatory, reporting and funding requirements, as well as external frameworks and national strategies. This approach reduces duplication and reinforces sector-wide consistency in DEI standards, using compliance data as a baseline to dive deeper.

Strike a balance between structure and flexibility, with clear standards and expectations that still allow institutes with different capacities to participate meaningfully.

Embed capacity-building and practical support to expand GEDI competencies in MRIs and enable systems-level change.

Adopt a whole-of-institute approach that addresses workforce equity, inclusive research practice, intersectionality, and culturally safe work environments.

Support and accommodation of the diverse MRI models, including those embedded in or affiliated with universities and hospitals, as well as independent institutes. Design features should enable institutes to demonstrate GEDI leadership and accountability even where key policies and reporting functions sit with a parent organisation.

Have Your Say

The design principles are now helping us to shape a draft design of the new MRI accreditation framework.

Between July and October 2026, we will seek feedback on the draft design through a comprehensive, sector-wide consultation process. All MRIs and relevant stakeholders will be invited to take part and share their views.

The time commitment will be approximately 1-2 hours with the option of participating via an online survey or in-person/virtual roundtable.

If you are interested in finding out more about the MRI project or participating in the consultation process, please email us: sage@sciencegenderequity.org.au

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