Abstract:
The recent resistance towards reconciliation and inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) initiatives threatens to erode any gains made in making society more inclusive and equitable. In fact, society stands the risk of replicating the long-standing, pervasive and entrenched inequality unless it renews its commitment and provides guidelines that build the capacity of the scientific community to advance inclusive science. The proposed panel introduces policy makers and science employees to the newly developed Science-Based Departments and Agencies (SBDAs) Inclusive Science Guidelines. The guideline was developed by federal SBDAs to build institutional capacity towards reconciliation and embedding IDEA, GBA Plus, and Indigenous knowledge principles into scientific activities.

Summary of Conversations

For research to be relevant, impactful, and trusted, it must be inclusive in the way it is designed, practiced, and reported. 

The Government of Canada, through the Speech from the Throne, Mandate Letters, and the Clerk of the Privy Council’s Call to Action, has demonstrated its commitment to building Canada strong, a nation that honours its relationship with Indigenous Peoples and recognizes and celebrates its rich diversity.

In response to the Government’s broader commitments, 17 Federal Science-based Departments and Agencies (SBDAs) came together in 2024 to create the Interdepartmental Inclusive Science Initiative (IISI). The initiative has developed Inclusive Science Guidelines and organized a National Inclusive Science dialogue in June 2025, to transform the scientific enterprise, ensure it reflects the nation’s diversity, leading to better outcomes and strengthened global competitiveness.

The fundamental principle is that effective science cannot be done without being inclusive, which requires rethinking who is served and how impact is delivered. This approach directly addresses the need to remove historic barriers for Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups, while delivering on government-wide objectives for integrating Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) and weaving of Indigenous Knowledge to assist in solving complex social challenges.

These Guidelines are a call to action and a roadmap for reshaping the culture of science by opening the door for broader perspectives, fostering richer collaborations and developing more innovative solutions.  They empower senior leaders, scientists, science employees, and policymakers to create inclusive teams, co-develop research and regulatory science objectives, and respectfully engage Indigenous partners.

The inclusive Science Guidelines are strategically structured around four key areas:

o Inclusive Science Activity Design: offers tailored recommendations to guide the planning and implementation of science initiatives.

o Inclusive Science Activities Practice: outlines measures for inclusive recruitment, retention, capacity building, and mentoring opportunities for persons working on any scientific project.

o Inclusive Reporting and Knowledge Mobilization in Science: outlines inclusive methods for accessible knowledge mobilization and reporting, including capacity building for scientists to foster inclusivity while disseminating findings in an accessible and transparent way.

o  Guidelines unique for the Weaving of Indigenous Knowledge System in science:  provides specific recommendations, protocols, and ethical considerations for respectfully weaving Indigenous methodologies and perspectives with science projects.

A key theme from the conference is the shift of research findings from being confined to high-impact academic journals to being available, accessible, and useful for every citizen. Furthermore, ensuring that the research workforce and grant recipients reflect the Canadian population is critical to achieving true excellence and preventing harm to specific communities.

Take Away Messages

• A Guideline to address the exclusion of Diverse Knowledge Systems: The Inclusive Science Guidelines, developed by 17 Federal Science-Based Departments and Agencies (SBDAs), addresses decades of exclusion of the voices and experiences of historically marginalized groups in the scientific enterprise, which impacted public trust and the perceived integrity of scientific outputs and the policies they inform..
• Insufficient Data for Accountability: The successful implementation of inclusive science is hampered by the absence of disaggregated data by default, which is essential for rigorous performance measurement and establishing a necessary evidence base.
• Inaccessible knowledge mobilization: A current challenge is that scientific findings are frequently confined to high-impact academic journals, limiting their availability and usefulness for the average citizen, who should be the primary beneficiary of government science.
• Lack of Embedded Practices:  Efforts to integrate GBA Plus, IDEA and weave Indigenous Knowledge Systems  in science are too often treated as isolated action plans or add-ons rather than being fully woven into the organizational values and the day-to-day core of the scientific process.
• Gap Between Intent and Implementation: Despite strong leadership and a genuine desire among scientists to work inclusively, many science activity  teams lack the specific, tangible tools and practical knowledge required to translate high-level guidelines into daily research design and practice.
• Trust-Building with Indigenous Nations: A key insight from the Guidelines is the critical and continuous need to build and maintain trust with Indigenous partners and diverse community stakeholders to ensure science activities are  relevant and effectively utilized.

Next Steps

• Implementation of the Inclusive Science Guidelines: Federal SBDAs are encouraged to adapt the Inclusive Science Guidelines to meet the specific needs of their respective departments and agencies and ensure accountability in their response to the Government’s commitments on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service.
• Sustain Interdepartmental Collaboration: Maintain the “whole of government” approach through the interdepartmental Inclusive Science initiative to ensure consistent standards, leverage collective learning, and maintain a high profile for inclusive science across all departments. Departments are encouraged to move beyond siloed initiatives by weaving the inclusive principles into the core values, organizational culture, and internal governance structures to make them a permanent part of the institution’s operations..
• Require Design-Phase Inclusion: Implement policies that require science teams to embed inclusive principles directly at the design phase of science activity proposals, demonstrating how the four pillars will be practiced and results disseminated inclusively.
• Prioritize Accessible Knowledge Mobilization: Adopt a new standard for reporting that ensures scientific solutions and innovations are made readily available, accessible, and useful for all citizens, moving away from a primary focus on high-impact academic journals..
• Establish Measurable Accountability: Implement a framework for “consequential accountability” by making inclusion and equity a measurable outcome and establishing a system for rigorous performance measurement based on disaggregated data.
• Ensure Evergreen Evolution: Commit to an annual National Inclusive Science Dialogue among departments and the scientific community to review the guidelines, incorporate learned practices, and modify them to ensure they remain relevant and continuously improved.

Strengthen National Alignment: Explicitly ensure the Inclusive Science Guidelines continue to align with and help operationalize broader national commitments, particularly reconciliation efforts like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.