APH is offering 6 APH Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Booster Grants with a value of maximum € 5,000 to APH researchers. The APH DEI Booster Grant 2023 aims to encourage educational or research projects and creative endeavors that promote APH’s and its DEI committee’s goals on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in our research and academic work environment.

Submit an eligible booster plan, attend the Annual Meeting and you will compete for this valuable grant. At the end of the meeting, 6 winners will be selected during the award ceremony based on random selection.

Scope

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are three inter-linked terms. Individuals have different traits and social identities based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, neurobiology and age. These identities shape their experiences, and can therefore influence their health outcomes.

Definitions vary and are expansive, depending on the context in which DEI is discussed, but speaking succinctly:

  • Diversity refers to a quantitative aspect (e.g., how many individuals of different groups are present in a given setting);
  • Inclusion refers to the qualitative aspects (e.g., the extent to which these different groups are and feel included in a given setting) and;
  • Equity has similarities to equality, but it is different as it refers to aspects of fairness and justice for all individuals to ensure that identity is not a predictor of outcomes.

As Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is a broad topic, a wide range of ideas can be submitted for the application of the Booster Grant. We encourage you to think out of the box! Booster plan activities can include organizing or facilitating events, projects and workshops that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our research and within APH, such as panel discussions or social gatherings with experts, relevant stakeholders and/or other APH researchers. The booster plan can also include activities relating your own research project such as enriching your project with inclusive data or (co-)developing protocols and guidelines for inclusive research.

Concrete examples

  • Develop protocols and/or guidelines for inclusive research and research processes within your department or research group.
  • Organize a training in your department or research group that raises awareness and facilitates discussions about a DEI topic, under the guidance of a researcher or expert active within the DEI (research) field.
  • Organize a research meeting where specific DEI topics that have a link with your own research project are discussed.
  • Organize journal clubs or discussion groups relevant to your research project, where the work and perspectives of diverse individuals are included.
  • Conduct a survey to gather insight on actionable DEI issues within your department or research group (for example: are facilities accessible enough for differently abled researchers? Are there ‘safe spaces’ for neuro-diverse researchers?)
  • Develop a buddy system in your department for international PhD students.
  • Develop/expand on outreach program plans relating to your research project.
  • Organize a panel discussion with partners relevant to your research program/research project to discuss DEI topics.
  • Organize a creative/social gathering to foster conversation.

A booster plan consists of a description of your motivation, a detailed activity plan and budget plan. Before submitting, consult your supervisor(s) or other relevant colleagues about the feasibility of your plan. Download your booster plan application form here, and submit it via aph@amsterdamumc.nl before Tuesday October 24th, 13:00 hrs. (extended deadline).

All proposals will be judged on eligibility by members of the APH DEI committee based on the conditions below. You will be informed, at the latest, in the week of November 6th whether your plan will participate in the random selection lottery during the plenary closing ceremony at the Annual Meeting, November 21st.

Conditions

  • Your booster plan fits within the scope and is feasible.
  • Your booster plan should be executed and the budget must be spent before December 1st 2024.
  • Only actual costs made as laid out in the budget plan will be paid/reimbursed.
  • You are affiliated with APH (checked in PURE, see affiliation instructions here).
  • Your supervisor approves your booster plan (submit your plan with supervisor in cc), only applicable to PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
  • You are present at the Annual Meeting in the morning to submit a printout of your booster plan.
  • You are present at the Annual Meeting’s closing ceremony during the plenary afternoon session to receive the grant if you are randomly selected. If you are not present, another booster plan will be selected.
  • An APH researcher (junior, medior, senior) can submit only one proposal.
  • A proposal should be unique, the exact same proposal cannot be submitted multiple times by different applicants.