This scheme aims to help develop the next generation of Black leaders in cancer research.
Applications are reviewed once per year.
4 years
N/A; this is a PhD programme run through our centres
This programme was developed in consultation with our research community and in close collaboration with our expert partners, Black in Cancer and the Windsor Fellowship. It’s open to people who self-identify as being from a Black heritage background and has support, mentoring and career development embedded at every stage.
You will be able to access:
a fully funded four-year PhD studentship - including stipend and research costs
pastoral support – delivered by a mentor trained by our partner the Windsor Fellowship
leadership programme – a series of seminar workshops focussed on developing key skills and competencies such as resilience, presentations, team working, goal setting and navigating the workplace
Black in Cancer career development workshops – a series of seminars focused on developing your career as a researcher in the cancer field
academic mentorship – delivered by an academic mentor within your host centre
training and support resources – including core skills training, career development support and networking events.
We will also support you throughout the application process including interpreting application guidelines and how to put together a competitive application.
Hear from one of our first participants
Diversity is integral to excellence. A diverse and inclusive research community ensures equality and equity for all and will help beat cancer sooner. We are committed to creating equal, diverse and inclusive research environments that enable all researchers to realise their full potential to beat cancer.
As part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Research action plan published in 2021, we are committed to working with our training centres to understand and implement initiatives to increase diversity of students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.
This programme builds on the various initiatives we are supporting to improve diversity in our research careers pipeline. We’ve partnered with organisations like In2scienceUK and Black in Cancer to mentor school children and undergraduates from low socio-economic backgrounds and of Black heritage to offer opportunities to build a career in cancer research.
We hope this programme will create an immediate and tangible impact on the diversity of our researcher community. In tandem, we are working with our centres and institutes to embed EDI principles throughout the PhD recruitment process and to ensure positive and inclusive research environments across our network.
Read our interview with the programme leads to find out how programmes like this can help create a more diverse and inclusive research community.
Read our EDI in research action plan
This programme was developed in close consultation with our research community including our expert partner organisations Black in Cancer and Windsor Fellowship who helped with the design of this scheme.
Throughout the development, we engaged with various other organisations such as our centres and institutes and other research funders. We also sought feedback from research organisations with experience of establishing positive action schemes including the Sanger Excellence Fellowship programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, as well as from other organisations that have extensive experience of the barriers faced by underrepresented students accessing STEM careers such as In2ScienceUK.
Our internal Race Equality and Equity staff network also provided valuable insights to shape our plans.
Find out about Black in Cancer
Find out about the Windsor Fellowship
For each round of the programme, we run an insight session. This is an interactive webinar where you can find out about what it is like to be a PhD student, get tips and advice about how to successfully apply to a PhD programme, and ask questions about careers in academic research.
The insight session for this upcoming round of applications will be held on 7 October. Registration details will be available soon.
Our core eligibility criteria are outlined below. If you have any questions about the application process, read the guidance below or contact us for an informal discussion.
This scheme is open to people who self-identify as being from a Black heritage background, including a mixed background, for example: Black African, Black Caribbean, Black Other, Mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black backgrounds).
You must also meet the general entry requirements for the PhD programme at our centres, which typically include:
hold or expect to graduate with a first or upper-second class undergraduate honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject (or equivalent from a non-UK university)
have appropriate research experience as part of, or outside of, an undergraduate or masters degree course in a relevant subject
meet English language requirements as set by host institution
be a con-clinical PhD candidate
Data consistently show that Black researchers are one of the most underrepresented groups in Higher Education, especially in science departments across universities in the UK.
This effect intensifies across the academic pipeline. We see a dramatic fall in numbers of people from Black backgrounds from undergraduate level to professorial level, where only 0.5% of professors in Science, Technology and Engineering subjects in the UK are from Black backgrounds (source: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2020).
This pattern is also reflected in our own diversity data of researchers that apply and receive our funding. Our 2023 Diversity Data in our Research Funding Report shows that less than 1% of all applications received were from Black/African/Caribbean/Black British researchers (lower than the Biosciences academic staff population for this group at 2%).
We've developed this programme to bring in excellence that may otherwise be lost to science, to drive change along the academic pipeline and to empower the next generation of Black Leaders in cancer.
We also know from listening to our own research community and other expert organisations, such as Leading Routes, that persistent racial inequalities have disadvantaged people from Black backgrounds, including in academia, and that positive action initiatives, such as this one, are essential to drive the change that is needed.
Read our 2023 diversity data in our research funding report
We hope to expand this programme over time, potentially to other underrepresented groups.
Currently our programme is only open to non-clinical PhD candidates.
These scholarships are intended to support students through the full duration of their PhD, rather than partway through existing training.
You don’t have to be a UK national to apply, however we only support fees at our set home/UK fees rate outlined in our Costs Guidance. Any shortfall between our standard fee allowance and the international fee rate must be covered by another source of funding by the institution and cannot be covered by the student themselves.
Note that from 1 Jan 2021, students paying international fees also includes EU and EEA nationals.
Across all our studentships, we only offer fully funded studentships and do not fund partial studentships.
Your application will be supported by us and the Windsor Fellowship. Once you are approved to apply to one of our centres, you will undergo their formal PhD application process.
We run one round per year of applications for this PhD programme. This is the timeline for the upcoming round:
Applications via Windsor Fellowship open. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.
It must be submitted before the application deadline of the centre you are submitting your application to.
Online insight session held for you to learn more about the programme and how to apply from our partners and host institutions.
Registration details will be available soon.
Each centre has its own application open dates and deadlines. Please submit your application before the deadline of the centre you are submitting your course application to.
Applicants who are short-listed for interview by any of the centres will be offered a 1-2-1 online pre-interview conversation with Windsor Fellowship.
If successful, each centre will have its own start dates for PhD programmes.
Centre | Applications open | Applications close | Interviews |
City of London | w/c 29 September 2025 | 5 November 2025 (interview invite sent by 22 December) | w/c 12 Jan 2026 (pre-interview info session 5 January) |
Cambridge | 7 October 2025 | 14 November (interview invite sent mid-late December) | w/c 5 January 2026 |
Oxford | 2 September 2025 | 2 December 2025 | w/c 19 January 2026 |
Convergence | Early January 2026 | February 2026 | Early March 2026 |
Manchester | 6 October 2025 | 17 November 2025 | 16 January 2026 |
Newscastle | 15 October 2025 | 15 November 2025 | w/c 19 or 26 January 2026 |
Scotland | TBC | TBC | TBC |
This programme fully funds a four-year PhD studentship, including stipend and research costs in line with our standard costs guidance.
To apply, we ask you to submit a formal application to the Windsor Fellowship ( applications open 2 September).
You’ll then be invited to apply for your PhD studentship by submitting a PhD application to one of our seven locations:
If you're shortlisted, you'll be invited to attend an interview at one of these centres.
We recommend you also read additional guidance such as our costs guidance, grant conditions, and other policies to understand any additional requirements before applying.
Please contact us if you have questions about your eligibility, application or active award.
Reasonable adjustments can be made throughout the grant application process. We do not require a formal diagnosis to access support.
Find out about our disability and accessibility support
Our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research action plan lays out how we’re creating an inclusive and diverse community and tackling systemic issues like underrepresentation and racial bias through the research we fund.
Learn how we’re supporting EDI in research
We develop outstanding cancer researchers through funding, mentoring and coaching, training and networking opportunities.
