To address historical inequalities and foster a more inclusive culture within the NETGAIN network and its partner institutions, we have established a widening participation recruitment pathway for underrepresented groups of Home-award-eligible applicants1. This pathway is designed to reduce barriers that typically affect competitiveness due to a lack of opportunity rather than differences in ability.
The widening participation scheme is an open call for expressions of interest from both potential students and their potential supervisors. We will support applicants in developing NETGAIN-related PhD projects within our broader network, for example, by facilitating collaborations with partner universities and external organisations. While all projects must demonstrate the scientific rigour, interdisciplinarity, and co-creation that characterise a NETGAIN PhD, this scheme will operate independently of the standard competitive recruitment process, with candidates assessed through a separate pathway. Our target is for 30% of NETGAIN students to be recruited via this scheme.
To further support applicants, eligible students will be invited to an interview preparation webinar designed to help them prepare effectively for the assessment process.
If you are interested in this scheme, please fill in this short form so we can get to know you better, and one of our team members will reach out to discuss.
- Eligibility is restricted to individuals who identify as BAME and/or who have a UK childhood postcode (under 18 years) or school postcode classified in Quintile 1 or 2 of the POLAR4 category. The POLAR4 Postcode Lookup Tool is available via the Office for National Statistics. You must also meet the academic requirements for PhD entry (normally holding at least an undergraduate degree, with a master’s degree desirable). Please note that this scheme is not open to International applicants. ↩︎