Event Details

‘Improving equity in research funding for PhD students and early career researchers’

ARMA’s study tour in collaboration with the UK national academies and Leverhulme Trust

Thursday 6^th October 2022, 10.00-12.30

Background information

In 2020, the Royal Society commissioned Jisc to carry out detailed analysis of Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) data over an 11-year time period, in order to understand how the proportion of ethnic minority students and staff within STEM in the UK has changed over time (‘the Jisc report’).

The Jisc report highlighted significant variation in rates of progression and outcomes across ethnic minority groups, though Black staff and students showed consistently poorer outcomes than white and Asian students.  The proportion of Black students entering undergraduate and postgraduate education has increased over the past decade, as it has for other minority ethnic groups, but they are leaving STEM in greater numbers at all stages of the career pipeline.

Study tour

The national academies and the Leverhulme Trust are working together to improve equity and diversity in research, recognising that we all have a part to play in making the research sector more inclusive and that more tangible actions are needed to support those starting out on their research careers. An ARMA’s study tour is convened to bring together representatives of the funding and research management environments to

• Share updates on current EDI activities undertaken by the national academies and the Leverhulme Trust
• Discuss current challenges faced by PhD students and early career researchers
• Identify key areas of work that can be taken collectively by the sector to deliver meaningful changes in removing disparities in academic career progression and build a research environment open to all.

The event will include two sessions:

1. Information sharing. Short presentation on the ethnicity profile of STEM students and academic staff in higher education followed by spotlight updates by the national academies and Leverhulme Trust on current EDI activities.

2. Roundtable discussion. Attendees will be invited to discuss the following topics:

•  How can funders and Institutions work together to widen the representation of the applicant pool to fellowships and grant programmes?
• What are the barriers that students and early career researchers are still facing in pursuing a career in research?
• How can funders and Institutions work together to create a more inclusive research culture for instance ensuring a more equitable distribution of research funding?