New £2.5m scheme to support BAME scholars in North East region

Teesside University is part of a new £2.5m project to support more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and staff to widen access and participation in postgraduate research.

Teesside University is part of a new £2.5m project to support more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and staff to widen access and participation in postgraduate research.

The Pro:NE project – led by Durham University and involving Teesside, Sunderland, Newcastle and Northumbria Universities – aims to tackle inequalities in higher education by building community and inclusion through mutually hosted events, training and workshops.

The project will provide opportunities, activities and events including training, e-conferences, peer mentoring and PhD studentships for staff and students of colour over a period of four years.

The project has received over £2.5 million in funding, including from the Office for Students (£798,972) and partner universities, to strengthen the pathway for prospective and current students of colour across North East England into academic employment through focusing on four key areas: mental health, development, mentoring and admissions. Each year one institution will host an online postgraduate research conference for students of colour, providing networking and development opportunities whilst sharing learning and best practice.

The reciprocal mentoring programme will bring together students of colour with academic staff, providing mutually beneficial learning and development whilst building relationships and community. Early career researchers of colour will be paired with senior leaders to support mutual learning, which will complement peer mentoring across the North East England network.

The project is also ambitious in relation to admissions and will build on the findings of prior research on name-blinding, unconscious bias prevention and contextualised admissions to pilot innovative approaches to admissions, alongside policy and practice reviews.

All five universities have a strong track record and experience in delivering inclusion interventions that support, drive and sustain greater equality for all, including traditionally underrepresented groups.

Teesside University was recently awarded University of the Year for Social Inclusion in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide for its work to embrace social mobility and encourage participation from underrepresented groups.

Professor Sarah Aiston, Professor of Public Policy in Teesside University’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities, & Law, said: ‘We are delighted to be part of the Pro:NE project which will be instrumental in supporting more Black, Asian and Minority students and staff to benefit from a range of postgraduate research opportunities.

‘Our mission at Teesside University is about using education to transform lives and economies.

‘The Pro:NE project is a perfect reflection of that mission and we look forward to working with our partner universities to make a real difference to students, staff and the communities we serve.’

Project lead Professor Jason Arday, Visiting Professor at Durham University, said: ‘Pro:NE has emerged as a means of dismantling racism and creating more opportunities for academics of colour to enter the Academy particularly in the North East of England. This project will create a legacy within the region which will nurture, support and develop academic pathways and communities of practice for students and staff of colour, in addition to creating spaces of belonging.’

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