| Dear Voornaam,
Welcome to your weekly Cancer Research UK Research Update email.
The Black community is underrepresented in academia – less than 2% of UK bioscience postgraduate researchers are Black and there are only 65 Black professors in the science, engineering and technology field across the whole of the UK. Only 1% of applications for Cancer Research UK funding come from Black researchers.
This needs to change. We need the best scientific minds from all backgrounds working with us to beat cancer. That’s why we’re launching a new initiative – the Black Leaders in Cancer PhD Scholarship Programme – to tackle the barriers at PhD level to attract and retain Black undergraduates in research.
At the start of the week we published data for diversity characteristics of funding applicants and recipients for the past five years. Our report shows we’ve made some progress towards equality but there’s still more to do. Read on below for more about the report and what we’re doing to create a more equal research community.
And finally, this week, we published our annual report and accounts for 2021/22. We know that the impact of the pandemic will continue to be felt for years to come, but we hope that the coming year will be the first year since 2020 that we won’t have to plan for significant disruption from COVID-19. So, the next 12 months will be a critical time for us to build momentum with our new strategy and put cancer back at the top of the political agenda.
Kind regards
Dan
Dan Burkwood
Director of Research Operations & Communications
Cancer Research UK
Iain Foulkes will be back next week
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FUNDING AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES |
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| | | Applications accepted all-year round |
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 NEW PHD SCHOLARSHIP FOR BLACK STUDENTS In partnership with Black in Cancer and the Windsor Fellowship, we’ve introduced a prestigious new PhD programme for Black students.
The programme offers comprehensive personal and professional development alongside a 4-year fully funded PhD placement.
Follow the link below to find out more and please share the programme across your networks. |
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|  OPPORTUNITY AND MENTORSHIP: OUR NEW PHD PROGRAMME AIMING TO OPEN-UP ACADEMIA FOR BLACK STUDENTS To coincide with the launch of our Black Leaders in Cancer PhD Scholarship Programme, we spoke to Black in Cancer co-founder Sigourney Bell, Kevin Coutinho from the Windsor Fellowship and Silvia Panico from our careers team.
“The guidance they will receive on how to communicate their science and career options beyond their PhD is second to none. This programme is all I wish I’d had when I started my own PhD, but I’m excited to be able to help provide that space for others.” |
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 OUR ANNUAL RESEARCH ACTIVITY In 2021/22, we spent £388m on new and ongoing research. This includes £62m on basic research, £79m on research relevant to all types of cancer, and £193m on specific cancer types.
We had a better year than anticipated last year and we’re committed to spending at least £1.5bn over the next 5 years – in in line with our research strategy. |
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|  PROGRESS BUT MORE TO DO TO IMPROVE EQUALITY IN OUR GRANT FUNDING We now have an equal balance of men and women across all our funding committees and success rates across all awards for men and women are equal, although men apply for and are awarded more grants.
In the last year, we’ve seen an increase in applications from researchers from ethnic minority backgrounds, but Black researchers are underrepresented among lead applicants and we must recruit more people from Black backgrounds to our funding committees.
We’ve reduced the difference in success rates between fellowship applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds and White researchers, however the difference is still significant. |
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CALLING ALL RESEARCHERS: HELP SHAPE OUR CANCER INEQUALITIES STRATEGY We need your help to understand what the biggest challenges are in both designing and undertaking research addressing cancer inequalities, and how we can help tackle them.
Take this 15-minute survey by 8 August to share your experiences and shape our new research strategy on cancer inequalities. Please share with your networks to help us reach a broad community of cancer researchers. |
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“MAKE IT SNAPPY. MAKE IT EXCITING…” Are you getting ready to submit a poster abstract? Maybe you’re wondering what the scientific committee is looking for?
With abstract deadlines for many of this autumn’s cancer conferences approaching, Caroline Dive shares her top tips for writing a conference poster abstract that will make her want to come talk to you about your work.
So, whether you want to join our upcoming lung cancer, early detection, Black in Cancer or MAP conference, watch Caroline’s short video and follow the links below to submit your abstract and register to secure your place. |
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LUNG CANCER CONFERENCE 15–17 NOVEMBER Submit your abstract on any of the conference themes by 29 July and you could be selected to speak alongside leading cancer researchers, including Jason Lewis (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Lauren Byers (MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Mariam Jamal-Hanjani (Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, UCL Cancer Institute). |
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INTRODUCING THE 2022 BLACK IN CANCER CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Black in Cancer co-founders Sigourney Bell and Henry Henderson are joined by Chris Bourne, PhD candidate at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Elshaddai White, Medical Science Liaison and Tanimola Martins, Cancer Research UK-funded postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.
The committee has created an exciting programme with scientific sessions, networking and discussions around what Black in Cancer really means, how patients are co-creators of research, and how to empower the next generation.
Join us for the first Black in Cancer conference this 10–11 October. |
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| | | London, UK 05 September 2022 |
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| | | Cambridge, UK 20 September 2022 |
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| | | London, UK 10 October 2022 |
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| | | Amsterdam, Netherlands 14 October 2022 |
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| | | Portland, Oregon, USA 18 October 2022 |
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| | | Manchester, UK 15 November 2022 |
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| | | East Sussex, UK 04 December 2022 |
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