Addressing inequality and barriers for BAME students in higher education

An image of a woman holding a test tube - Credit: In2science - UCL aims to address inequality across the post-graduate research student lifecycle and barriers that exist for students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups through a new programme funded by Research England and the Office for Students. The programme, In2research, is receiving a £790,000 grant as one of 13 projects announced today by UKRI as part of an £8m funding call to improve access and participation for BAME students in postgraduate research study. Co-led by UCL and social mobility charity In2scienceUK, the project has a particular focus on supporting UK-domiciled students from Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, who are most acutely under-represented in postgraduate research study and academic careers. It aims to strengthen students' applications to postgraduate programmes, build confidence, increase networking opportunities, and extend support through an alumni community. Professor Sasha Roseneil, UCL Pro Provost (Equity & Inclusion), said: "Whilst UCL's UK undergraduate students have become increasingly ethnically and racially diverse over recent years, our PhD candidate community, and, even more so, our academic staff are far less representative of the UK population. "We urgently need to address the social processes and cultures that maintain the academy as a white, majority ethnic space. The In2research programme offers a really exciting opportunity to take forward evidence-based interventions that will open up postgraduate research and academic careers to Black, Asian and minority ethnic students." The programme is led at UCL by UCL's Doctoral School and the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging.