Cross-institutional peer support programme for Global Majority postgraduate researchers 

This year we are delivering the second peer support programme for Global Majority postgraduate researchers as part of the GW4 Connect initiative, a suite of EDI activities developed by GW4 Alliance, which brings together researchers from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. 

Building from the pilot programme in 2023, the programme will offer 25 participants an opportunity to work with their peers and expert coaches to find a clear path to success in their doctorate and beyond.  

Our intention is to create a safe space for honest, free conversations outside institutional structures. We will support Global Majority postgraduate researchers to find and trust their own process for working through their PhD, while naming and acknowledging the racism, discrimination and other structural barriers inside and outside of the research environment which might be impacting on their ability to do so. Our goal is to create an environment where participants can build new partnerships and share or co-create strategies to navigate their research career in a way that feels authentic and fulfilling.  

Importantly, you will not be expected to arrive with the answers or solutions, but through expert facilitation, we will create space where peer conversation can generate innovative ideas, mutual support and awareness. 

About the programme 

We are offering a unique opportunity for peer-learning, developmental training and network building for postgraduate researchers. We invite you to meet, share, support and learn from coaches and peers as you build a network of support that you can take forward beyond the programme. 

Building on valuable feedback from our first cohort, we have evolved the programme structure and content to provide more discussions of solutions to commonly shared research challenges, in addition to enabling community building. A series of masterclass sessions will explore key research skills and concepts, each followed by an ‘in practice’ session to examine how the application of these skills intersects with your lived experience as a Global Majority researcher. 

Whilst the programme also avoids a ‘deficit mindset’, we will discuss the real structural inequalities, racism and discrimination in employment, education and wider society, which participants are not responsible for, but which impact nonetheless. We will encourage participants to explore strategies to navigate these experiences which draw on their lived experiences as strengths, acknowledging the added value their shared history and culture brings to research and education.  

Over the course the 10-month programme (September 2025 – June 2026), you can expect to: 

• Build trusted connections with peers and allies in the GW4 community.
• Discover your own unique, reliable and trustworthy process for focused writing and research.
• Strengthen your inner resources for dealing with challenges and setbacks.
• Refine your skills for self-advocacy, influencing others and raising your profile.
• Be able to articulate and engage your lived experience as strengths.
• Gain support in naming and making sense of any potential experiences of structural racism and discrimination in higher education. 

The programme consists of a set of 3 in-person workshops and 10, 1-hour online sessions. During these workshops and online sessions, you can expect to: 

• Learn tools and techniques for managing your PhD and career.
• Meet allies and sponsors that can help you navigate organisational barriers, and who can influence system change on your behalf.
• Develop a trustworthy support network with other participants.

The programme is co-designed and will be facilitated by Kemi Oladapo and Kate Tapper. Kemi is an ILM certified coach and facilitator with experience coaching diverse people to fulfil their potential in universities and in healthcare. Kate is the Founder of Your Research Matters, an EMCC Global Senior Coaching Practitioner and facilitator with longstanding experience in the Higher Education sector. 

GW4 Connect will create systems of support that advance equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education. We will provide a transformative experience creating strong bonds between participants that will build on the nascent GW4 network for Global Majority postgraduate researchers.  

Time commitment and Eligibility 

Potential participants will need to commit to: 

• Attend 3 in-person workshops 
  • Orientation Day (16 October 2025) 
  • Integration Day (12 March 2026) 
  • Futures Day (4 June 2026) 
• Attend 5 online sessions:
  • Understanding your writing process
    • 4 November 2025, 10am – 11am
    • 7 November 2025, 12pm – 1pm (tentative)
  • Switch off and shut down
    • 9 December 2025, 10am – 11am
    • 12 December 2025, 12pm – 1pm
  • Reclaim your time
    • 3 February 2026, 10am – 11am
    • 6 February 2026, 12pm – 1pm
  • Defend your boundaries
    • 14 April 2026, 10am – 11am
    • 17 April 2026, 12pm – 1pm
  • Raise your profile
    • 12 May 2026, 10am – 11am
    • 15 May 2026, 12pm – 1pm

Reasonable travel and accommodation will be provided to attend the in-person activities for those without institutional funding. We also realise that childcare may impact your availability to join in-person sessions, which we do not want to be a barrier to participation. Please come speak to us about your childcare needs, as we are keen to offer funded options that will suit your situation. 

To be eligible, you will be: 

• A postgraduate researcher (PhD or Professional Doctorate) at a GW4 university past probation, but not in final year.
• Confirm you will be enrolled at a GW4 university until end of June 2026.
• Agree to participate in all elements of the programme.
• Have the approval of your supervisor to engage with the programme in full.

How to apply 

Deadline for applications is 12pm on Wednesday, 9 July 2025, which can be completed here. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of professional service leads from GW4 universities to select participants. 

If you have any questions about either programme, your eligibility, or how to apply, please feel free to contact the Talent and Skills Team (talentandskills@gw4.ac.uk).