The requirement for institutions to hold departmental silver or gold awards before applying for an institutional silver or gold award is abolished
While beginning the developmental work to deliver a holistically transformed Charter by early 2021, since the publication of the independent review of Athena Swan, Advance HE has identified specific, short-term changes which can be made immediately; for example, the immediate extension of all future awards to five years, and an automatic one-year extension for all existing award-holders.
Advance HE can now confirm the adoption of another of the review recommendations, such that applicants seeking to apply for a Silver or Gold university-level award are no longer required to hold departmental Silver or Gold awards in order to be eligible.
This change will be fully articulated in the guidance and documentation produced in the coming months to support ‘Athena Swan 4.0’; in the meantime, applicants should be aware that this change supersedes the guidance on prerequisites for university applicants presented on page 11 of the existing Athena SWAN Charter Awards Handbook and the online Gold university award guidance.
We understand that this change may impact an applicant’s approach to their next submission, and we encourage key contacts to get in touch with the Charters Team at Advance HE for support and guidance on adjusting to this change.