Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026 - 2028
Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
DCU EDI Strategy 2026 - 2028
This strategic plan outlines our university's unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We believe that a diverse and inclusive community is fundamental to achieving excellence in research, teaching, and learning. This plan is a living document that will guide our actions and decisions, ensuring that EDI is embedded in every aspect of university life. It is complemented by several implementation/action plans that aim to support us in achieving the objectives and goals of this strategy.
Dublin City University (DCU) places students, staff, and the wider community at the heart of its mission to Transform Lives and Societies. This EDI strategy is the practical application of a ‘people-first’ approach. It moves beyond rhetoric to build a community where every individual, regardless of their background, ‘has a voice, can flourish and feels that they belong.’
A successful EDI strategy unlocks the potential of the entire university community. When people from all backgrounds are included, valued, and supported, they are empowered to contribute fully.
Further to our obligations and commitments - under Irish equality legislation and the public sector duty, as well as our commitments to the Higher Education Authority's (HEA) compliance frameworks, including the Athena Swan Charter, National HEI Anti-Racism Principles, the National HEI Consent Framework, and the National Access Plan - the DCU Strategic Plan 2023-2028: Transformation for an Unscripted Future explicitly identifies Inclusive as a core value. This EDI strategy outlines the focused approach to deliver on this, ensuring resources are allocated to initiatives that embed inclusion across the university.
Strategic Pillar 1: Pioneer a Transformative Student Experience
EDI is the mechanism that ensures a transformative experience is accessible to all students, not just some. It moves beyond the traditional focus on access, to focusing on full participation and belonging. By increasing our understanding of, and actively overcoming and dismantling barriers, an EDI strategy pioneers new pathways for a greater diversity of learners to thrive. It fosters an inclusive campus culture and curriculum where diverse perspectives are valued and encouraged, ensuring every student feels respected, supported, and empowered to succeed.
Strategic Pillar 2: Value and Develop our Staff and Community
This pillar is explicitly linked to the successful delivery of EDI priorities. An EDI strategy is the practical application of valuing our community. It ensures that everyone has a voice, can flourish, and feels they belong. It underpins a positive and respectful workplace culture by embedding the principles of fairness and equity into all processes, from recruitment to promotion. This commitment allows DCU to attract and retain diverse talent, creating a vibrant and innovative community where all staff are supported to be themselves and reach their full potential.
While DCU has held a long-term commitment to EDI, this is the first university-wide EDI Strategy. The purpose of this strategy is to build a community where everyone can develop their own potential and can flourish.
This strategy is the first effort to bring strands of our equality, diversity and inclusion work together and complements existing action plans for Athena Swan, Dignity, Respect and Consent, and Race Equality. It also covers broader equality grounds, as set out under international and Irish human rights law.
Our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion is rooted in an intersectional approach. We recognise that individuals' identities are multifaceted and that experiences of inequality are not based on single characteristics. Our strategy goes further than addressing single-dimensional issues. We are committed to challenging the interwoven nature of systemic barriers, ensuring our efforts result in a truly inclusive community where every individual is seen, valued, and supported.
This Strategy is set against ten equality grounds, nine informed by legal protections and the tenth because DCU also recognises the significance of socioeconomic disadvantage and the impact of intersecting forms of inequality.
Age: a person’s age (this does not apply to a person aged under 16).
Civil Status: a person’s civil status, be it single, married, separated, divorced, widowed, civil partnered or formerly civil partnered.
Disability: includes people with physical, intellectual, learning, cognitive, emotional or sensory disabilities and a range of medical conditions.
Family Status: being a parent of a person under 18 years or the resident primary carer or the parent of a person with a disability.
Gender: A person’s gender, gender identity and gender expression, including but not limited to male, female, transgender and/or non-binary.
Membership of the Traveller Community: Irish Travellers were officially recognised as an ethnic minority group in 2017.
Race/Ethnicity: Includes race, skin colour, nationality or ethnic origin.
Religion: A person’s religious or non-religious belief, background or worldview.
Sexual Orientation: A person’s sexual orientation, including but not limited to gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual.
Socio-Economic Status: A combined economic and sociological measure of economic and social position in relation to others, based on the income, education, and occupation of an
individual and their family.
Our EDI Vision: Our vision is to be a university of inclusion; recognised for a truly inclusive culture where diversity is celebrated as a cornerstone of our identity and success. We strive to be a community where every member feels a sense of belonging, is treated with dignity and respect, and is empowered to contribute to a more just and equitable world.
Our EDI Mission: To transform lives and societies through dismantling barriers, challenging discrimination, and fostering a community where every individual has the opportunity to participate fully, feel valued, and achieve their full potential.
EDI Strategic Priorities
Delivering our EDI Strategy
Delivery of the EDI Strategy will be underpinned by Implementation/Action Plans at the institutional level, including:
Athena Swan Action Plan 2024 - 2029: This action plan embeds Athena Swan principles university-wide to combat gender inequality. Key goals include fostering inclusive leadership, ensuring fair succession planning, achieving gender balance, and increasing transparency in career paths. The plan will also support work-life balance, improve data collection, and embed inclusivity in all university policies.
Race Equality Action Plan 2025 - 2028: This action plan seeks to embed the HEA’s anti-racism principles into DCU’s operations, and focuses on areas such as leadership, equity in careers and progression, student success and belonging, building awareness and inclusive practices, and fostering a diverse campus experience.
Dignity, Respect and Ending Sexual Violence Action Plan 2026 - 2028: This action plan aims to implement the Framework for Consent in Higher Education Institutions at DCU and to drive actions that support a positive, supportive university culture for staff and students. This plan includes a particular focus on policy, training and awareness as well as report and support pathways.
Public Sector Duty Annual Assessments & Plans: Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 obliges public bodies such as DCU to eliminate discrimination, promote equality, and protect the human rights of staff and service users. This Act requires DCU to conduct an annual assessment of its functions and policies to identify and address any human rights or equality gaps. This assessment covers core university areas, including employment, teaching and learning, corporate governance, research and innovation, access and community outreach, placement, support for student wellbeing, and recreational and visitor services.
Other action plans specific to protected grounds will be developed as required. This EDI Strategy will also be supported by component strategies in DCU, including:
DCU Equity of Access Strategy (Admissions Priorities) 2025: This strategy supports our goals in relation to equity of access for undergraduate admissions, and commits to maintaining and supporting target groups, such as socioeconomically disadvantaged students and those with disabilities, accessing education in DCU. Additionally, this strategy seeks to grow Further Education and Training (FET) entrants and provide clear routes for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Mature applicants.
DCU Teaching and Learning Strategy: DCU’s ambition through objective 2 of this strategy ‘Flexibility’ is to address the diversity of learner needs through models of provision, pathways, and curriculum design. This objective underpins plans for universal design of learning and de-colonising and diversifying the curriculum.
The implementation of several university policies and protocols also brings this strategy to life, including the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy, Disability Policy for Employees, Dignity and Respect at Work and Study Policy, Sexual Misconduct Policy, Staff Gender Identity Policy, Student Gender Identity and Expression Policy, Student Experience Strategy and the initiatives under DCU Healthy.
To make our University truly inclusive, everyone has a part to play. This means adopting a bottom-up approach, with staff and students fostering inclusive practices through daily behaviours and actions that champion positive change. This effort is led from the top, with university and student leadership embedding our commitment to EDI into the fabric of our decision-making and our journey towards excellence.
The implementation of this strategic plan will be led by the University’s key EDI Working Groups: Gender Equality Working Group, Race Equality Working Group, Dignity, Respect and Ending Sexual Violence Working Group and Disability Equality Working Group. These groups are tasked with conducting analyses, formulating recommendations, and overseeing the implementation of initiatives and action plans. They report directly to the EDI Steering Committee, ensuring that their work aligns with the University's overarching EDI goals.
The implementation will be in partnership with several relevant departments, including DCU People, Student Support & Development, the Teaching Enhancement Unit, the Office of Student Life, and the DCU Students’ Union, and other key stakeholders, including Faculty EDI Leads and School/Department EDI Champions.
While self-governed, staff networks often work in partnership with the EDI Unit and relevant Working Groups, contributing to the successful execution of strategies and ensuring the effective realisation of diversity and inclusion objectives.
See here for the University’s EDI Governance and Operational Structure Chart.
Implementation of our EDI Strategy and Action Plans are overseen by the University EDI Steering Committee. The Committee is led by the Vice-President for People, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, with membership drawn from across the University.
This senior committee provides oversight and leadership to ensure that DCU fosters an inclusive campus culture, advances institutional commitments to equality, and complies with relevant legislation and best practices. It works collaboratively with university stakeholders to embed EDI principles into policies, practices, and strategic planning, and monitors progress toward EDI-related goals.
The Committee reports to the University Executive and delivers an annual report on progress against the EDI strategy objectives. The EDI Steering Committee also provides key updates quarterly to the People, Culture and Sustainability sub-Committee of the Governing Authority.
We have developed our actions based on comprehensive data from and related to our staff and students. Confidentiality and establishing and maintaining trust are fundamental to this work. We will continue to collect and analyse EDI data to inform our decision-making, as well as to track our progress and measure the impacts of key interventions. We will publish an annual EDI report to communicate our progress to the university community and to the wider public.
This strategic plan will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure it remains relevant and effective in advancing our EDI goals. We are committed to a process of continuous improvement and to creating a university where everyone can thrive.
Key Terms
Belonging: fostering a sense that everyone is valued, accepted, and connected within the DCU community.
Discrimination: Discrimination is defined as less favourable treatment. A person has been discriminated against if they are treated less favourably than another is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation on any of the nine grounds of prohibited discrimination.
Diversity: Diversity is what makes each of us unique and includes our background, personality traits, life experiences, along with the things that shape our identity, for example our race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, cultural background. It is all-inclusive and recognises everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be respected and valued.
Equality: Equality is the concept of being equal, in regard to status, rights and opportunities. Rather than treating everyone identically, true equality uses equitable practices to achieve equity of experience, ensuring that every individual's interaction with a system or opportunity is fair, just, and free from discrimination.
Equality of Opportunity: is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents, regardless of their social category.
Equality Impact Assessment (EIA): Equality impact assessment (EIA) is a tool to help universities assess strategy, decisions, policies and practices for staff and students, actively promote equality and avoid inadvertent discrimination for any protected group.
Equitable Practice: the application of fair and impartial principles to ensure that everyone has the specific support they need to achieve similar outcomes, recognising that different individuals and groups require different resources.
Inclusion: Inclusion is the act of creating cultures and environments in which every individual or group feels safe and are welcomed, respected, supported, and empowered to fully participate and achieve their full potential.
Intersectionality: the understanding that social inequalities are not just summative, they are mutually constituting. It is recognising that different characteristics can combine and create additional barriers to equality.
Positive Action: are measures maintained or adopted with a view to ensuring full equality in practice to prevent or level the impact of disadvantages linked to any of the nine equality grounds under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. In particular, employers can take positive action measures in relation to the gender ground, people over 50, people with disabilities and members of the Traveller community.
Social Category: A social category is a group of people who share common traits or characteristics but do not interact with one another. Commonalities can range from age, gender, race, income level, education level, leisure activities, religion. Sharing interests or features puts people in the same social category.