We are delighted to announce that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Daphne Jackson Trust have renewed their commitment to work together for a further 5 years from 2020. As part of this, the Trust is expanding its remit to include the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UKRI, meaning it will now work with all seven of UKRI’s research councils to return more researchers to their chosen fields.

The research councils have been significant supporters of the Trust over many years, with funding agreements codified via an over-arching Memorandum of Understanding. In particular, the Trust has enjoyed long and successful relationships with BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC and STFC, and has recently begun to work with ESRC.

The Trust’s Chief Executive, Dr Katie Perry, said “I am personally absolutely delighted that we will now be working with AHRC, as well as all the other councils. It is a development that I have been very keen on for a few years now. As the Trust has grown and the success of the Fellowships has been evident, it makes sense to expand our remit to work across all research fields. As an organisation we are committed to equality of opportunity for all researchers and returners, regardless of discipline.”

She continued “In renewing our MoU for a further 5 years, I welcome the commitment from UKRI to returners and to the Trust. It means a great deal to have this support at such a challenging time and we will continue to work to address the perennial problems such as stemming the leaky pipeline, bringing back knowledge and expertise to the research and innovation sector and maximising its contribution to UK plc to the benefit of all.”

UKRI sponsored Daphne Jackson Fellowships will now be offered in all fields of research in universities and research institutions in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Whilst the inclusion of AHRC represents an expansion of the Trust’s previous focus on STEM and social sciences, this development remains true to the original vision of Daphne, who was motivated by a desire to ensure that individuals who would otherwise be lost to UK research are returned to meaningful careers. It reflects the changing priorities of UK research, the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of research, reinforces the relationship between the Trust and UKRI in what are challenging times for UK HE and research, and enhances and widens our existing national profile.

The Trust’s remit has gradually evolved since its inception in 1992 to reflect the changing realities of the UK research landscape; Fellowships were offered to men as well as women from 2003, the numbers of Fellowships in social sciences have been increasing for the last five years and from 2019, Fellowships can be offered in the Republic of Ireland.

UKRI creates knowledge with impact by investing over £8bn a year in research and innovation through the UK’s seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK.

For anyone interested in finding out more about Daphne Jackson Fellowships and our expanded remit, we are hosting a joint Zoom event with AHRC on Monday 27th July 10.30-11.15 am. To register please see here

• Further information about the Daphne Jackson Trust can be found at www.DaphneJackson.org
• Further information about UKRI can be found at www.ukri.org
• Further information about AHRC can be found at www.ahrc.ukri.org

You can find and follow the Daphne Jackson Trust on Twitter @DaphneJacksonTr, Facebook DaphneJacksonTr, LinkedIn, YouTube and now Instagram ‘Daphne Jackson Trust’.

For Media Enquiries please contact:
Dr Katie Perry, Chief Executive, katie.perry@surrey.ac.uk or on 07717 005239