£8m project to improve BAME students’ access to research
THIRTEEN new projects will be launched in a bid to combat inequalities and barriers for black, Asian and ethnic minority students taking part in research.
The projects, worth nearly £8 million, will be delivered over the next four years.
They aim to improve access into research for non-white students and help them pursue a range of careers.
The investment, by Research England – part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – and the Office for Students (OfS), targets English higher education providers and their partners.
The panel’s co-chairs, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE and Maisha Islam, said: “Over the course of 2020-21, the longstanding urgency for racial equality was incredibly obvious. We are confident this competition will be a significant step of tangible action, investment and commitment.”
They added that the 13 projects will work collectively to review admissions processes and tackle offer rate gaps. They also plan to extend routes into doctoral study via professional doctorates and partnering with the NHS.
Steven Hill, the Research England director, said: “Persistent inequalities occur throughout higher education for black, Asian and minority ethnic students. Some of these –such as the current gap in degree outcomes between white students and black students of 22.1 percentage points – are reflected in the under-representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic
students in postgraduate research (PGR) students.”
Chris Millward, the director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students, added, “Black, Asian and minority ethnic students have high levels of participation in undergraduate education, but they are less likely to secure the top degree grades and go on to postgraduate research. This then affects their representation among academic staff, particularly at senior levels.
“The projects will ambitiously tackle the issues causing under-representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic students in postgraduate research. This is vital, so that postgraduate research in this country can benefit from the talents of people from all backgrounds.”
According to the co-chairs, “This is only one of many first steps, as systemic inequalities will not disappear overnight.
“We are acutely aware of how much further the sector needs to travel to be in a position to allow people of all backgrounds to flourish, and establish the most outstanding research and innovation sector with a formidable research culture to match.”