External resources

For 6th-form/college students

- Thinking about Oxford... for Caribbean Students (deadline 01/05/2021)

University of Oxford are running, for the first year, a university access programme for Caribbean students currently studying at state schools in the UK. The programme is completely free, and will be delivered virtually by colleagues and students at the University of Oxford. The programme will take the form of a series of events (4pm – 6pm) with staff members and students from the University of Oxford. As well as covering all aspects of the application process and university life, we will also take the opportunity to think carefully about the long history of Caribbean students at Oxford University.

The events will cover the following topics:

  • 17th May - Choosing a University

  • 7th June – Caribbean students at Oxford

  • 28th June - Choosing a Subject

  • 12th July – Making a Competitive Application

  • End of July - visit to Oxford (depending on COVID-19 restrictions)

  • 23rd August – Application Workshop

The form will close at 5pm on the 1st May, so please make sure that you have filled in all of the fields before then.

For undergraduates

- Opportunity Bristol 2021 (deadline 31/05/2021)

The University of Bristol have launched Opportunity Bristol - a funding scheme to support students from Black or mixed Black heritage backgrounds to pursue a career in research (through Master’s degree funding).  

They will be funding around five studentships, covering: 

  • Home tuition fees (see relevant programme pages for details of fee)  

  • A student stipend (at the level defined by UKRI – £15,609 in 2021/22) 

  • Contribution to research, travel and conference costs (£1,000). 

Funding is available for all MRes, MPhil, and MScR programmes and a selection of our MSc programmes. 

The deadline for applications for 2021 entry is 31 May.  

- City University of London SASS Black British PhD Studentships (deadline 25/06/2021)

The School of Arts and Social Sciences is offering one PhD Studentship for Black British students, for entry in September 2021. A doctoral studentship will provide the following:

  • An annual bursary (£17,609 for 2021/2022)

  • A full tuition-fee waiver for UK students.

The studentships will be awarded on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and the potential to produce cutting-edge research.

  • Applicants must be Black British UK-permanent residents (i.e. UK fee-paying students) from the following ethnic groups: Black or Black British African, Black or Black British Caribbean, Black or Black British other or Mixed Black or Black British.

  • Applicants must hold at least a 2.1 Honours degree and a Merit-level Masters degree in a relevant subject (or international equivalent) or offer equivalent qualifications or experience evidencing their preparedness for PhD study.

  • Applicants whose first language is not English must have achieved at least 7.0 in IELTS or a recognised equivalent

  • Applicants must not be currently registered as a doctoral student at City, University of London or any other academic institution

For PhD researchers and early-career academics

- MRC Max Perutz Science Writing Award 2021 (deadline 21/06/2021)

Students are eligible to submit one article if they are:

  • MRC-funded PhD students in universities

  • PhD students in MRC units, centres, and institutes, regardless of source of funding

  • students currently enrolled on the masters’ segment of an MRC-funded integrated masters or PhD.

The writing competition

Why does my research matter? We want you to tell us in 1,100 words about the research within your PhD and why it matters.

Even if you have not started your research yet, or are at early stages of it, you can still write about the research you are planning to do and why it is important.

You must do this in a way that will interest a non-scientific reader – the hundreds of thousands of people who read The Observer. The article you write must also be timely, so readers get the sense they are reading about an area of research that is important now.

- BLACK IN ACADEMIA: The careers series (last seminar on 14/07/2021)

Leading Routes are putting on a series of 4 seminars online between May & July 2021 to support Black PhDs & early-career academics in partnership with @SAGE_Publishing, @WileyGlobal & @wellcometrust. Seminars will be focused on publishing, jobs & grant writing.

Seminar One - Wed, 19 May 2021 @ 13:00 BST Getting Published: A roadmap to journals & academic book publishing.

Seminar Two - Wed, 16 Jun 2021 @ 17:00 BST Rethinking Post-PhD Careers: Alternative paths in academia and research

Seminar Three - Wed, 7 Jul 2021 17:00 Writing Winning Grants (STEM)

Seminar Four - Wed, 14 Jul 2021 17:00 Writing Winning Grants - (arts, humanities & social sciences)

For early career researchers with a PhD

- ESRC-ADR UK No.10 data science fellowships 2021 (deadline 02/06/2021)

Apply for funding to spend a year collaborating with 10 Downing Street’s data science team (10DS) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Maximum award: £135,000

You will:

  • co-design research and produce analysis using new and existing linked administrative datasets to inform policy in priority policy areas

  • champion data science across central government and support wider knowledge exchange with researchers on effective policy collaboration and data analysis.

You must:

  • have a PhD or equivalent experience

  • be a social science-focused researcher based at an eligible UKRI research organisation

  • have relevant quantitative analytical experience.

We will fund 80% of the full economic cost of the fellowship. Funding will last up to 18 months to cover:

  • inception phase for project set up, three months

  • placement with 10DS, 12 months

  • impact phase, up to three months.

This fellowship is available on either a full-time or part-time basis. Closing date: 2 June 2021 16:00 UK time