Can we apply as a faculty?
Yes. Faculty applicants should use the same application materials as academic departments. Faculty applicants will be assessed using the same criteria as departments but should note the additional considerations for faculties in the departmental guidance. The following definitions apply:
Advance HE uses the term ‘department’ refer to academic sub-units eligible to apply for an Athena Swan award. Institutions may use other terms to describe these units, such as 'school'. It normally aligns with a particular academic discipline or professional area. Institutions may use other terms to describe these units, such as 'school'.
Advance HE uses the term ‘faculty’ to describe a group of sub-units, often called departments, in related academic fields that are managed through an over-arching decision-making body or governance structure. Institutions may use other terms to describe these groupings, for example 'College'.
How do we decide whether to submit as a department or faculty?
There are precedents for a wide range of successful submissions from very small departments to large faculties. Advance HE’s Athena Swan Ireland team is happy to advise on which organisational unit should be put forward for an award, but ultimately this is a decision that must be taken within the institution. This should be done as early as possible in the application process to assist you to prepare your application.
Factors you should consider when deciding whether to apply as a faculty are:
- The applying unit needs to hold adequate decision-making power to make changes to policy, practice, and culture – this usually means that the head of the applying unit has responsibility for resource allocation, budgets, academic strategy and policy in the submitting unit – so as to be able to effect the changes set out in the action plan.
- Communication of, and commitment, to the charter principles needs to be apparent across the submitting unit – responsibility and ownership should not be driven by an individual sub-unit.
- The application needs to demonstrate clearly that the self-assessment is representative of the whole unit and that issues specific to different disciplines and/or subunits have been identified and actioned.
- Data should be disaggregated by sub-unit across the application. If this is not possible for some data sets, an explanation should be provided.
- When applying for Silver and Gold awards, applicants need to demonstrate that progress and success are evident across the faculty and not driven by an individual sub-unit.
Note: A departmental award will be invalidated if the department is subsequently included in a successful faculty submission. Similarly, should departments included in a successful faculty submission wish to apply individually, the faculty award would be invalidated.
Can a joint application be made by academic departments?
Joint applications from two academic sub-units may be made via the department application framework. A joint application may be appropriate where departments are small (e.g. fewer than 20 staff) and/or are of a closely-related discipline. The following factors should be considered when deciding whether or not to make a joint department application:
- The links between both sub-units/departments should be evident and the rationale for a joint application needs to be provided in the application.
- Communication of the charter principles needs to be apparent across both departments/sub-units and should not be driven by one single unit.
- The application needs to demonstrate clearly that the self-assessment is representative of both sub-units/departments and that issues specific to different disciplines and/or sub-units have been identified and actioned.
- Data from both departments/sub-units should be presented in the application. If this is not possible for some data sets, an explanation should be provided.
- When applying for Silver and Gold awards, applicants will need to demonstrate that progress and success are evident across both sub-units and not driven by an individual sub-unit.
Note: A departmental award will be invalidated if the department is subsequently included in a successful joint submission. Similarly, should departments included in a successful joint submission wish to apply individually, the joint award would be invalidated.
Should professional units apply independently or can they participate in amalgamated applications?
Advance HE recognises that institutions operate using a range of structures. The term ‘professional unit’ is used to refer to sub-units of institutions that provide professional services or strategic or operational support to institutional functions (e.g. Library, HR, Finance, IT, Estates, EDI). Institutions may use other terms to describe these units.
An applying professional unit needs to hold adequate decision-making power to make changes to policy, practice, and culture – this usually means that the head of the applying unit has responsibility for resource allocation, budgets, strategy and policy in the submitting unit – so as to be able to effect the changes set out in the action plan.
Amalgamated applications from several professional units may be made via the professional unit application framework. Professional units considering an amalgamated application should get in touch with the Athena Swan Ireland team to discuss their proposed configuration.
An amalgamated application may be appropriate where units are small (e.g. fewer than 20 staff) and/or are of closely-related functions. The following factors should be considered when deciding whether or not to make an amalgamated professional unit application:
- The links between units should be evident and the rationale for an amalgamated application needs to be provided in the application.
- Communication of the charter principles needs to be apparent across all units and should not be driven by one single unit.
- The application needs to demonstrate clearly that the self-assessment is representative of all units and that issues specific to different functions and/or units have been identified and actioned.
- Data from all units should be presented in the application. If this is not possible for some data sets, an explanation should be provided.
- When applying for Silver and Gold awards, applicants will need to demonstrate that progress and success are evident across all units and not driven by an individual unit.
What happens if two departments/professional units merge?
Departments, faculties or professional units that hold awards and undergo a significant merger or restructure should contact the Ireland team (athenaswanireland@advance-he.ac.uk) to discuss their specific circumstances and award validity. Depending on the nature of the changes, a sub-units may be required to participate in the Department Restructure and Athena Swan Awards: Award Validity Process.
How do we include professional, managerial and support staff (PMSS) in sub-unit applications if staff are managed centrally or at Faculty-level?
The Athena Swan process requires sub-units (professional units; academic departments) to reflect on the experience of those staff who, for their day-to-day work, are based in the applying unit. This is because these staff will be exposed to, and are active part of, the sub-unit’s culture (for example, they may be physically located in the unit or be part of and experience unit processes like staff development review). Sub-unit applications should include PMSS that are based in, assigned to, or embedded within the unit, regardless of where these staff are line managed.
Advance HE recognises that in many instances this will not be clear cut, and data may be difficult to disaggregate. However, efforts should be made to do this wherever possible and supplement any quantitative data with consultation data (e.g. through focus groups, surveys or interviews). It is helpful for panellists if applicants clearly articulate any complexities in structures or line management responsibilities for PMSS staff within the submission. Where data is requested, sub-units can supplement the data relating to staff line managed by the sub-unit with data for the faculty/college/directorate as a whole.
Can Physics departments convert Juno awards to Athena Swan Ireland awards under the 2021 charter?
There is a reciprocal agreement between Advance HE and the Institute of Physics that allows Project Juno Champion and Practitioner awards to be converted to Athena Swan Ireland Silver and Bronze awards respectively, and vice versa.
To be eligible to convert a Juno award to an Athena Swan Ireland award, departments must belong to an institution that holds a valid Athena Swan Ireland award.
Successful Juno award holders can request an Athena Swan Ireland award as soon as your Juno award is conferred. To request a conversion to Athena Swan Ireland, your head of department should write to Advance HE with:
- A commitment to the Athena Swan principles (you can find a template letter here)
- A copy of your Juno result letter from the Institute of Physics
Please send requests for Athena Swan Ireland conversions to athenaswanireland@advance-he.ie. You can do this as soon as you receive your Juno result letter and no longer need to submit an intention to submit the form. Please ensure you request your conversion within one year of your Juno result.
We will write to you (usually within six weeks) confirming your Athena Swan Ireland award. Your Athena Swan Ireland award will be valid until the end date of your Juno award.
For more information on Project Juno and how to convert an Athena Swan award into a Juno award, please see the Institute of Physics’ website.