The 9th DiGENet Network Meeting focused on the tensions between institutional diversity discourse and the lived realities of exclusion, structural violence, and epistemic marginalization in academia. In a powerful keynote, Prof. Zintombizethu Matebeni (University of Fort Hare, South Africa) unpacked the concept of “nothingness” as a site of both exclusion and radical potential, critiquing the symbolic nature of inclusion policies at historically white institutions. Her personal experiences of systemic neglect, institutional racism, and the burden placed on Black queer scholars prompted urgent reflection among participants on the cost of diversity work, especially in internationalization contexts. A key takeaway: “fixing the institution, not the excluded” must become the guiding principle of future strategies. In the second portion of the event, the DiGENet’s Junior Research Groups presented empirical projects tackling academic inequality. Dr. Aline Oloff (TU Berlin) called for collaborative, data-informed diversity policies rooted in institutional accountability, not individualized responsibility, while Prof. Dr. Mirjam Fischer (HU/Frankfurt) addressed multiple barriers to academic excellence. Dr. Pichit Buspavanich (Charité) introduced interventions for improving supervisory relations in medical research contexts. A best-practice panel showcased diversity strategies at NeuroCure, SCRIPTS, and Charité, emphasizing structural and cultural transformation across the Alliance.