NEOLAiA

How can diversity and inclusion be promoted and practised at universities and in the workplace? Dr Amelie Labusch, Chelsea Wahner and Silvia Burkhardt from Workpackage 3 Diversity and Inclusion, led by Professor Dr Michaela Vogt, presented answers to these questions at the first Bielefeld Innovation Festival and discussed them with the festival community.

With the active support of the auxiliary staff, the team presented the NEO Best database: the first 45 examples of promoting diversity and inclusion at the nine NEOLAiA universities. From personal stories to digital slideshows - the interactive gallery "Diversity in Action" visualises how diversity and inclusion are lived within NEOLAiA. The festival setting also offered visitors the opportunity to present best practices and engage in dialogue.

The team also offered the workshop "Diversity and inclusion as drivers of innovation" at the Innovation Festival. After a keynote speech by Amelie Labusch on the connection between diversity and inclusion as drivers of innovation, Jörg Westphal from BST GmbH and Thanh Thuy Ta Thi, a student at Bielefeld University, discussed diversity as a strategic advantage in the world of work and how young talents want diversity in the workplace. The workshop participants then developed creative solutions for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and presented their ideas.

Dr Amelie Labusch (right) was delighted with the high level of interest in the NEO Best database. Photo: Julia Bömer /Bielefeld University