Gender

Athena SWAN charter

The Athena project was established in 1999 by the UK higher education funding councils, UniversitiesUK, the Office of Science and Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry. The aims of the project are the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in science, engineering and technology. Athena is currently taking forward its Alliances project, which will facilitate the sharing of information between academic and industrial organisations, and will continue to build and share a picture of best practice across SET employment.

The Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) Charter for Women was launched on22 June 2005 at the Institute of Physics (Athena SWAN ), and was attended by over 60 delegates representing a range of universities, organisations and professional societies. The charter is a scheme that recognises excellence in SET employment in higher education. All UK universities who are committed to the charter are invited to become signatories: the Institute will be working closely with the Athena SWAN group on this aspect of the programme.

The Athena SWAN Charter is a recognition scheme for UK universities and their science, engineering and technology (SET) departments. It aims to assist the recruitment, retention and progression of women in SET.

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