Leverhulme Trust Announces Three Centenary Partnerships to Support the Future of UK Research

Leverhulme Trust Announces Three Centenary Partnerships to Support the Future of UK Research

(IN BRIEF) The Leverhulme Trust Board has announced three new Leverhulme Centenary Partnerships to support underrepresented groups at key early stages of research careers in the UK. The partnerships are funded through the Trust’s £100 million centenary commitment, launched to mark its 100th anniversary in 2025. A total of £4 million is being invested in the three partnerships, which will directly support more than 1,100 underrepresented scholars across the sciences, humanities and social sciences. The three programmes include Research Ready, delivered by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society; expanded postgraduate scholarships with the Martingale Foundation; and the Inclusive Academic Futures Programme with the British Academy. The initiatives target key transition points from undergraduate to postgraduate study, doctoral research and early-career academic progression, with a focus on reducing barriers linked to socioeconomic background, ethnicity, disability and other forms of underrepresentation.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 30-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The Leverhulme Trust Board has announced three new partnerships designed to widen access to research careers and provide targeted support for underrepresented groups at the earliest stages of the UK academic pipeline.

The Leverhulme Centenary Partnerships are being funded through the Trust’s £100 million centenary commitment, launched to mark its 100th anniversary in 2025.

The commitment is intended to increase support for outstanding academic talent and encourage groundbreaking interdisciplinary research that strengthens the United Kingdom’s research base.

Professor Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust, said the Trust has long recognised the need to support academics throughout their careers in order to maintain a vibrant research sector.

She said it is equally important to ensure that outstanding people from underrepresented backgrounds have opportunities to enter the research pipeline in the first place.

Vignoles said this is the central goal behind the launch of the new partnerships.

The Leverhulme Trust has invested £4 million to establish the three Centenary Partnerships.

The Trust said meaningful and measurable change requires long-term, system-wide interventions.

The partnerships are designed to accelerate learning, broaden impact and provide direct support to more than 1,100 underrepresented scholars across the sciences, humanities and social sciences.

The initiatives will focus on critical transition points in academic careers, from undergraduate study to postgraduate education, doctoral training and early-career research.

The aim is to strengthen progression into research careers and reduce barriers that prevent talented people from entering or remaining in academia.

The three partnerships will be administered by the Royal Academy of Engineering in collaboration with the Royal Society, the Martingale Foundation, and the British Academy.

Together, they cover STEM and SHAPE disciplines and address several forms of disadvantage, including socioeconomic background, ethnicity and disability.

The first initiative, Research Ready, will target the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society will collaborate to offer undergraduate research placements at universities across the UK.

Building on the existing Research Ready scheme, the partners plan to expand the programme across a wider range of STEM disciplines.

Working with universities, the programme will support summer placements for students from underrepresented groups.

These include women, students from Black and other minority ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities.

Each placement will last eight weeks and will be supported at Real Living Wage levels, helping reduce financial barriers to participation.

Applications are expected to open in September.

The second initiative will be delivered through the Martingale Foundation, a scholarship provider focused on helping talented students overcome financial and systemic barriers to postgraduate study.

In collaboration with Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship programmes, the Martingale Foundation will expand its reach across STEM and create additional opportunities for talented researchers to pursue PhD research.

The foundation offers master’s and PhD scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds.

Its support model includes financial assistance, guidance from application through to doctoral completion, and structured academic and professional development through the Martingale Development Programme.

The third initiative, the Inclusive Academic Futures Programme, will be led by the British Academy.

The programme builds on the Academy’s work in equality, diversity and inclusion and is designed to improve representation, inclusion and progression among underrepresented early-career academics in the SHAPE disciplines.

It will support disabled researchers and researchers from underrepresented ethnic groups.

The programme will operate within the British Academy’s established Early Career Researcher Network.

It will focus on the postdoctoral stage of an academic career and provide pre-application training, funding to strengthen capacity and broader career development support through the Network’s mentorship scheme.

Dr Andrew Clark, Deputy CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said the Academy is pleased to work with the Leverhulme Trust and the Royal Society to expand the Research Ready scheme into new multidisciplinary areas.

He said emerging areas of research should be able to attract the strongest talent, regardless of background.

Clark added that early research experiences can encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers at the frontiers of research.

He also said that hosting groups of such students can help institutions improve how they recruit, develop and retain research students.

Cassandra Hugill, Chief Executive of the Martingale Foundation, said the organisation is pleased to work with the Leverhulme Trust to expand STEM postgraduate scholarships and widen access to the Trust’s Doctoral Programmes.

She said Martingale is committed to helping talented researchers overcome financial and institutional barriers that prevent too many students from pursuing postgraduate STEM research.

Hugill added that scholars will benefit from the Leverhulme Doctoral Programmes alongside Martingale’s own tailored support through its Development Programme.

She said family income should never be a barrier to excellence and that the partnership will allow more researchers with strong potential to advance in their fields.

Professor Margot Finn, Vice President for Research and Higher Education Policy at the British Academy, said the Academy is excited to partner with the Leverhulme Trust on the Centenary Partnerships through the new pilot programme.

She said the programme will strengthen support for underrepresented early-career researchers across the humanities and social sciences.

Finn added that the initiative will reinforce the British Academy’s existing efforts to reduce barriers to research careers, including its Additional Needs Funding and the partial randomisation of its Small Research Grants.

She said the investment will build on the success of the Early Career Researcher Network by providing practical training, mentoring and tailored career development at an important stage in researchers’ careers.

Finn said helping talented researchers thrive will strengthen the future of UK research by ensuring that excellence can flourish wherever it is found, especially during a period of significant pressure on the higher education sector.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is a charity, fellowship and national academy that brings together experts and innovators to advance engineering and technology for public benefit.

It provides leadership, independent expert advice and convening power across engineering, technology, business, entrepreneurship, academia and policymaking.

The Martingale Foundation works with leading UK universities to provide fully funded STEM master’s and PhD scholarships to talented students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

The foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures, a non-profit organisation focused on building a fairer society in which young people can thrive.

Applications for Martingale postgraduate scholarships in mathematics and AI are expected to open on 12 August 2026 for courses beginning at partner universities in autumn 2027.

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences.

It supports researchers and projects in the UK and internationally, engages the public in research and debate, and brings together academia, government, business and civil society to inform policy for public benefit.

Through the three Leverhulme Centenary Partnerships, the Trust aims to strengthen the future of UK research by widening access at the earliest and most decisive stages of academic careers, ensuring that more talented scholars from underrepresented backgrounds can progress into research across STEM, humanities and social sciences.

For more information contact:

Dr Vicky Marlow, Assistant Director, Leverhulme Trust
Bahia Dawlatly, Senior Communications Officer, Leverhulme Trust

Notes

The Royal Academy of Engineering creates and leads a community of outstanding experts and innovators to engineer better lives. As a charity and a Fellowship, we deliver public benefit from excellence in engineering and technology and convene leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics across engineering and technology. As a National Academy, we provide leadership for engineering and technology, and independent, expert advice to policymakers in the UK and beyond. Our work is enabled by funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, corporate and university partners, charitable trusts and foundations, and individual donors. raeng.org.uk

Martingale Foundation was founded with the belief that family income should never be a barrier to academic excellence, and partners with leading UK universities to provide fully-funded STEM masters and PhD Scholarships to talented students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures, a non-profit organisation working towards a fairer society where all young people thrive. Applications will open on 12 August 2026 for maths and AI postgraduate scholarships for courses starting at partner universities in Autumn 2027. Martingale Foundation

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk @britishacademy.bsky.social

SOURCE:  Leverhulme Trust