GenerationResearch provides authentic paid studentship positions in a range of technical and research projects across disciplines, widening access to all university students in order to be inclusive and diverse in answering the question: who will our next generation of scientists be?

GenerationResearch was founded by staff in the Department of Biology at the University of York in 2020 to provide 8-10 week fully-paid research or technical studentships that allowed students to gain first-hand experience of working in a laboratory or technical setting.

It has since grown from 8 to 35 summer studentships annually, and 3 fully-funded postgraduate research studentships. The fund's ambitions to shape the next generation continue to grow across educational levels, and this will be possible through the support of people like you.

The process for increasing diversity and inclusivity in the application process is fully embedded, leading to the selection of at least 50% of students from underrepresented backgrounds for GenerationResearch studentships.

This was one of the key reasons for founding GenerationResearch, as previously many students were working voluntarily over the summer. This meant that there were students who would have liked to access opportunities to gain industry experience but faced barriers as they needed to work over the summer to earn money to cover their living costs.

Additionally, the selection of students for summer voluntary positions was not uniform or transparent. Often, a supervisor with some funding would pick a student that they already knew, or a student who was very confident would go to a supervisor and ask for the opportunity. None of these situations made access to these opportunities equally accessible or fair.

“GenerationResearch allowed me to work part time doing something that I enjoy and also something that's benefited me in the long term. I know some students that were able to volunteer in labs during their summer holidays and do a similar type of thing because they had the financial support from their parents, whereas I didn’t.”

Jadie, GenerationResearch student 2022.

In addition to the advantage to the students of valuable career experience by helping them make informed decisions about their future while also enhancing their CV, these projects often involve real-life research that will advance science and could lead to future benefits for wider populations.

“I don't see why there should be barriers to our amazing undergraduates and postgraduates going into science today. It is such a fantastic career and you can get a lot out of it.”

Jillian, GenerationResearch Coordinator

Supporting this fund is more important than ever, with the impacts of Covid and the cost of living still being felt. For example, the living wage has increased since GenerationResearch initially set their living wage levels for these studentships, creating a financial challenge that requires a quick response.

Current students are also feeling longer term effects of Covid lockdowns, and not always just academically. A lot of this time in a student's life should have been about building confidence, resilience and about feeling part of a community in a network. There is a generation of students over the last few years who have really lost that sense of connection to each other and to their future goals.

You can help support students to advance research and build their careers by making a donation to GenerationResearch today. Thank you for supporting GenerationResersearch on their first ever Giving Day.