Addressing barriers in the student pipeline to improve access to research careers: A widening participation case study at the University of Salford

There is great inequality between the individuals who are successful in their pursuit of research and academic careers and those who are not. In this article, we explore a recent widening participation (WP) intervention at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom (UK), which was funded by the Research and Knowledge Exchange Directorate. The pilot scheme involved 12 second-year undergraduate students from backgrounds traditionally under-represented in research, who worked on short paid research projects with an academic supervisor for four weeks. This article provides a brief account of the scheme as a whole and shows how it positively impacted participants’ perceptions of undertaking research. Key to the success of the scheme was the focus on building student confidence and fostering a sense of belonging within a research community. The scheme is now embedded at the University as an annual programme, with up to 32 students participating each year.