# DEI BoF: INCF Assembly

- Date/Time: September 13, 2022. 1700--1830 CEST
- Format: short presentations + panel discussion
- Points of contact:
- Malin Sandstrom (malin DOT sandstrom AT incf DOT org)
- Ankur Sinha (ankur DOT sinha AT ucl DOT ac DOT uk)
- Shailesh Appukuttan (appukuttan DOT shailesh AT gmail DOT com)

## Goals

Initial goals are just to bring people together to discuss the state of the neuro-community, and what is being done already, what challenges people have faced when trying to improve D&I.

So, we expect people to talk about their experiences, metrics, initiatives, challenges, future plans and so on.

We expect a few BoF sessions will be needed before more concrete actions like the formation of a SIG may materialise.

## People/organizations we could invite/involve

This is a list of people we can request to be involved, or ask for recommendations from.

- [Outreachy](https://www.outreachy.org/) organisers: Ankur e-mailed on 11 July.
- [OCNS](https://www.cnsorg.org): Sharon Crook, Fleur Zeldenrust, Volker Steuber: Ankur e-mailed on Aug 5
- [OHBM: Diversity and Inclusion Committee](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921000197): Ankur e-mailed on Aug 5: **confirmed**
- [The ALBA network](https://www.alba.network/) (they have people in the FENS office): Ankur e-mailed `[e-mail]` on Aug 2: Received response, tentatively will attend/speak.
- [BiasWatchNeuro](https://biaswatchneuro.com/): Ankur e-mailed on Aug 3: **confirmed**
- Other Neuro organizations that have D&I related initiatives
- [SfN](https://neuronline.sfn.org/diversity): contact info?
- [EBRAINS](https://ebrains.eu/gender-and-equality/): in contact
- [BRAINS](https://brains.uw.edu/): Ankur e-mailed on Aug 5
- [IBRO Diversity grants](https://ibro.org/diversity-grants/)
- [NASEM action collaborative](https://oge.harvard.edu/nasem): could not find contact info
- [Women in Neuroscience (WINRepo)](https://www.winrepo.org/about/) repository of female researchers in neuroscience (read their [Comment](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejn.14397) in EJN about the reactions when they started): **Confirmed**
- [Black in Neuro](https://blackinneuro.com/contact): Ankur e-mailed on Aug 5
- Neuromatch community
### Possible discussion points
* Citation practices in neuroscience, some good reading and statistics in "The extent and drivers of gender imbalance in neuroscience reference lists" (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32561883/), and a related comment by Adrienne Fairhall and Eve Marder: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0667-x
* Possible actions (summary from the [EJN paper](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejn.14397) on WINRepo)
* 

### Funding bodies?

There does seem to be a tweak in grant requirements that also puts stress on D&I for projects now.

- [Wellcome](https://wellcome.org/what-we-do/our-work/diversity-and-inclusion): Ankur e-mailed on 5 Aug
- [UKRI](https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/guidance-for-applicants/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-support/): Ankur e-mailed on 5 Aug
- [NIH](https://www.edi.nih.gov/): Ankur e-mailed on 5 Aug
- [IBRO](https://ibro.org/secretariat/)
- [ALBA FKNE YIBRO Diversity Grants](https://www.alba.network/ALBAFKNEYIBROdiversitygrants)
A collaboration between FENS Kavli Network of Excellence (FKNE), Young IBRO (YIBRO), FENS, IBRO, the Federación Latinoamericana de Neurociencias y el Caribe (FALAN), the Federation of Asian-Oceanian Neuroscience Societies (FAONS), and the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA).