Beating cancer for everyone: our refreshed EDI strategy

We're working for a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. And when we say everybody, we really do mean everybody. For us, success means no one is left behind.

That's why we're so committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). It's how we make sure everyone can connect with, benefit from and participate in our work

Today we're launching our updated EDI strategy for the next five years, building on everything we've learned since we first brought our EDI efforts together in a single charity-wide strategy in 2021.

"I'm proud of the substantial progress we've made since 2021," said Michelle Mitchell, our chief executive. "We're making a significant impact on the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones. But we're not complacent. We're refreshing our ambitions for the next five years so we can have an even bigger impact."

The new strategy lays out a comprehensive programme for making further progress in our five priority areas. These are: (1) reducing cancer and health inequalities, (2) developing a more inclusive and diverse research community, and embedding EDI across (3) our people and culture, (4) our governance and leadership, and (5) our engagement practices.

"We need to ensure that the research we fund, and the impact of that research, is felt equally by everyone affected by cancer, a Smokefree UK is realised, our expert information is accessible to all, and our culture is inclusive," continued Mitchell. "Achieving our goals means by the end of 2030, we will be an even more inclusive and diverse charity."

Our successes so far

Over the past year, we've undertaken a thorough review of the progress we made under our first EDI strategy.

In one sense, that's been a chance to look back on some important highlights.

For example, in 2023 alone, we reached over 50,000 people through our Cancer Awareness Roadshows, which go out to communities where improving cancer awareness can make the biggest difference. We've also worked with interpreters, advocates and local partners to deliver Talk Cancertraining workshops in different languages, including British Sign Language.

On the other side, to help develop our research community, we've partnered on 10 schemes to remove barriers and boost participation for underrepresented groups at all stages of the research career pathway. The examples here include our Women of Influence initiativeand our Black Leaders in Cancer PhD Scholarship Programme.

As part of our work to push back against cancer inequalities, we've also demonstrated that the HPV vaccine isn't just slashing cancer rates across society: it's also preventing the highest number of cervical cancer cases in the most deprived groups. Our focus on campaigning for a Smokefree UK is also making a big difference, as smoking places a higher health burden on more disadvantaged communities. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently before Parliament, could create the UK's first smokefree generation, as well as helping thousands more people quit.

And, earlier this year, Cancer Grand Challenges, the funding initiative we set up with the National Cancer Institute in the US, awarded team SAMBAIup to £20m to take on the cancer inequitieschallenge. SAMBAI are closely studying how genetics, the environment and social factors combine and interact to influence cancer outcomes in populations of African descent in Africa, the UK and the US. Ultimately, they aspire to develop specific strategies for preventing and treating cancer in these underserved communities.

That's all worth celebrating, but the review process has also been about making sure these steps are just some of the first ones in an ongoing journey. We know we have much more to do, and that we have plenty of opportunities to improve.

The goals we're aiming for

As part of the review, we partnered with an expert consultancy to benchmark progress against our peers and define what best practice looks like across each of our priority areas. We also consulted people directly impacted by the strategy, including staff, volunteers and people affected by cancer.

That work helped us update our goals and approach to ensure we can keep making improvements over a longer timeframe. It also put us in position to develop more in-depth and detailed strategies for our first two priorities: cancer and health inequalities (also launching today) and EDI in research (expected May 2025).

Overall, the strategic refresh sets us up to ensure that, by the end of 2030, we will be a more diverse and inclusive charity, with a more inclusive approach to engaging and communicating. The people contributing to our research, from the lab to the clinic, will also be from more diverse backgrounds. They'll bring a wider range of lived experiences, and they'll help us make sure our work benefits a wider range of people.

In five years time, we'll also be funding more research into cancer and health inequalities, steadily building up our ability to take on this 'grand challenge'. As our understanding of those inequalities grows, we'll be able to keep adapting and focusing the rest of our work to make the biggest difference to cancer outcomes across the whole of UK society.

And, of course, we'll also keep reflecting and learning. We will continue to publish regular updates on our progress and performance, and we will carry out another strategic review of our work in 2028.

Read the full strategy here

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