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Athena SWAN

Athena Swan Silver logo

NTU is proud to hold an Athena SWAN Institutional Silver Award. Athena SWAN is a charter managed by AdvanceHE which recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all.

The Athena SWAN Charter is based on ten key principles. By being part of Athena SWAN, NTU is committing to a progressive charter by adopting these principles within our policies, practices, action plans and culture.

Our action plans

Download the University's award submissions and action plans:

About the Athena SWAN Charter

The Athena SWAN Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

In May 2015 the charter was expanded to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL), and in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

Advance HE’s Athena SWAN Charter covers women (and men where appropriate) in:

  • academic roles in STEMM and AHSSBL
  • professional and support staff
  • trans staff and students.

This is all in relation to their:

  • representation
  • progression of students into academia
  • journey through career milestones
  • working environment for all staff.

Athena SWAN Awards updates

Department of Psychology Athena Swan Committee

Congratulations to the Department of Psychology in the School of Social Sciences on their successful application for a Silver Athena SWAN award, conferred by Advance HE under the new charter in July 2024.

In particular, the department were commended for the progress made in the proportion of women in senior roles within the department, as well as the broader developments in environment and processes to improve a range of equality-related factors.

The department have now prepared a new action plan organised around five key priority areas:

  1. To further embed EDI accountability within all departmental activity
  2. To improve equity and inclusion within our diverse student community
  3. To strengthen and communicate measures that reduce bullying and harassment
  4. To continue progress towards equity in career development
  5. To improve the sense of belonging within the departmental community.

As part of this process, they are implementing a new structure of EDI governance for the current academic year onwards, constituting a departmental EDI committee to be supported by their School EDI Partner.

Department of Psychology's Athena SWAN submission

Students walking outside Brackenhurst Library

Congratulations to the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences at Brackenhurst on their successful application for a Bronze Athena SWAN award, conferred by Advance HE under the new charter in July 2024.

In particular the reviewers appreciated the honest approach and evaluation of the data and thought that the action plan put in place moving forwards was strong and will encourage further examples of gender equality in the areas necessary.

School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences Athena SWAN submission

Student working on the Bloomberg terminals in the Nottingham Business School Business Lab on the City Campus at Nottingham Trent University

Congratulations to Nottingham Business School on their successful application for a Bronze Athena SWAN award, conferred by Advance HE under the new charter in January 2025.

In particular, the reviewers highlighted two areas of good practice: the quick response to issues around bullying and harassment through the creation of NBS Well Being Champions and the School's approach to policy review and update. Our priorities going forward include improving female representation in our professoriate and across our UG and PGT programmes. Our action plan also includes ideas for increasing engagement in the strategic decision making in the School.

Nottingham Business School's Athena SWAN submission

man on an exercise bike

Congratulations to the Department of Sport Science on their successful Athena Swan Bronze renewal submission, which builds upon the action plan from their initial award conferred in October 2020 - the second department within NTU to receive the Bronze Award.

The new action plan is organised around the following priority areas:

  1. Improving inclusionary student recruitment, student experience and support.
  2. More inclusive staff recruitment and retention.
  3. Supporting career development, progression and promotion of academic staff, particularly women and other underrepresented members of staff.
  4. Deepen embedding and mainstreaming of Athena SWAN principles within Department culture and practice.

Department of Sport Science's Athena SWAN submission

biosciences student with microscope

Congratulations to the Department of Biology on their successful application for a Bronze Athena SWAN award.

The Department data was commended for being clear, easier to follow and user-friendly. They were also praised for being transparent about some of the interpretations of our data and providing a coherent link between the evidence and the identification of key issues.

The action plan for Biosciences identified to key priorities, which include:

  • Increased transparency and embedment of EDI and Athena Swan SAT into departmental structures
  • To improve data collection and plug the gaps in the Athena Swan mandatory data
  • To address the PDR-to-Senior Lecturer pipeline gap for women
  • Maintenance of women representation at Senior Lecturer level; perceptions of promotion fairness
  • To improve the framework around wellbeing, core hours and caring responsibilities as structural barriers
  • To address and manage the decline in female PGR enrolment; student belonging and withdrawal patterns.

As part of this process, Biosciences intend to integrate more holistically central EDI process and governance from this year onwards by integrating the departmental EDI representative and the school EDI partner into the Athena SWAN SAT committee and meetings.

Department of Biosciences's Athena SWAN submission

To find out more about Athena SWAN at NTU please contact edi@ntu.ac.uk.