The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has today, 16 July 2026, announced its institutional commitment to the Women in Research Charter as a founding signatory, alongside 50 leading universities and research organisations, to address systematic barriers within the UK’s research and innovation sector. This new initiative, announced by Rt Hon Liz Kendall Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, aligns with the school’s mission to attract and retain world-class talent by dismantling structural obstacles which hold women back from pursuing or developing their careers in research and academia.
“The Glasgow School of Art is honoured to be a founding signatory of the Women in Research Charter, because its ambitions speak directly to our own: creating fairer pathways, widening access, and ensuring women are able to thrive at every stage of their research careers.” Says Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, Deputy Director and Vice principal Research and Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art.
“At the GSA, gender parity is not a side issue; it is central to how we build a stronger, more imaginative and more equitable institution. Through initiatives such as The Golden Thread and our Rural Lab at our Highlands & Islands campus, we are investing in opportunities that support women’s ideas, leadership and enterprise, while also addressing regional and sectoral underrepresentation. This is about backing talent wherever it is found, and about making sure the future of research is more inclusive, more creative and more representative of the communities it serves.”
While women account for the majority of undergraduates in art and design, those numbers fall sharply as careers progress, with men nearly 3 times more likely than women to work in R&D and hold senior professorship positions. The GSA’s participation in the charter aims to address this gap through six core commitments:
By joining this voluntary framework, the GSA commits to a series of tangible actions to support our staff and student researchers:
- Enhanced Support for Parents and Carers: Meeting or exceeding the UKRI doctoral family leave standard by providing 52 weeks of maternity leave—including 26 weeks at a full stipend—and ensuring commensurate funded extensions for doctoral candidates.
- Data Transparency: Publishing annual, standardised datasets detailing research staff composition, recruitment success, and promotion rates by sex and grade to enable transparent scrutiny of our progress.
- Flexible Working: Embedding flexibility into research grant usage and working patterns, ensuring that staff can manage caring responsibilities without detriment to their career progression or access to opportunities.
- Eliminating Bias: Moving beyond “uninterrupted productivity” metrics to assess research excellence within the context of individual career paths, specifically accounting for non-linear trajectories and career breaks.
- Inclusive Culture: Maintaining a safe environment with zero tolerance for bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct, supported by trusted, transparent reporting mechanisms.
The GSA will appoint a member of its Senior Leadership Team to be accountable for these outcomes, ensuring the institution remains a space where women can progress, lead, and thrive at every stage of their research careers.
For more detailed guidance around the Women in Research Charter, its aims and implementation, please visit www.gov.uk
The image used here references GSA PhD research graduate Marly Muudeni Samuel. Further details of her work in Ocean Heritage and Collaborative Research can be found on the GSA’s 2025 digital Postgraduate Degree Showcase HERE.
For any further information, contact press@gsa.ac.uk.
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines – ranking 8th in the world and 5th in Europe in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff across architecture, design, digital, fine art and innovation in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1,500 students annually.
