About the programme

  • This community has been identified through our diversity monitoring as one of the most under-represented group in health data science, as compared to the wider UK population. We recognise that this group experiences high levels of discrimination and maltreatment, as referred to in our statement on anti-Black discrimination; therefore, we have designed a programme tailored to this group specifically. This is in the context of our wider Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which takes a fully inclusive approach and sets out a balance of activities – including those focussed on other sub-groups of the community – and some that are applicable to all. In developing the Black internship programme, we put together a diverse Health Data Science Black Internship Programme Advisory Group and have discussed this scheme with our Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

    We have considered, in depth, the pros and cons of such a targeted approach and concluded that to effectively address the under-representation of this group, a highly targeted scheme such as this is required.

    • Expressions of interest from potential hosts organisations are welcome until 27 January 2023
    • Intern applications are open from 2 November 2022 – 8 January 2023
    • Intern interviews take place between late January – 28 April 2023
    • Interns and host organisations will be publicly announced in May 2023

    The eight-week internships will take place Monday 3 July – Friday 25 August 2023.

  • Our internships are open to all Black students who:

    • Are currently studying at UK universities or
    • Have recently graduated from a UK university (2021 and 2022).

    The programme is open to Black people of all academic backgrounds, but is ideally suited to individuals with a degree in maths, engineering or computer sciences or biological sciences.

    We are reaching to a range of communities, however, at this stage, the primary focus of this specific programme is around developing a cohort of Black health data scientists rather than addressing other diversity aspects  – universities, disabilities, gender, etc.

  • Yes. Regardless of where the intern or host organisation is based, all interns will be paid the real Living Wage for London as a minimum. Host organisations will meet the costs of the internship.

  • Each internship will be tailored to suit the environmental needs of both the intern and the host organisation – whether this is in-person, online or hybrid.

For Applicants

  • Our 2023 internships are open to all Black students who:

    • Are currently studying at UK universities or
    • Have recently graduated from a UK university (2021 and 2022).

    The programme is open to Black people of all academic backgrounds, but is ideally suited to individuals with a degree in maths, engineering or computer sciences or biological sciences.

    The programme is open to Black people of all academic backgrounds, but is ideally suited to individuals with a degree in maths, computer / data sciences, engineering, medicine and healthcare-allied subjects, engineering or biological sciences.

  • Applications for our 2023 programme are now closed. To find out when we open for 2024, please register your interest here.

  • We understand that circumstances change and for different reasons.

    Please let us know by sending us a short email to blackinternprog@hdruk.ac.uk and we can update your application status. Providing you meet our eligibility requirements, we’d love to welcome you to apply to our programme for summer 2024.

  • No. All applicants need to show their eligibility to work in the UK. HDR UK and all host organisations cannot support a visa application as part of the Black Internship programme.

For Host Organisations

  • We are looking for organisations to host our interns during summer 2023.

    If you’d like to find out more about our programme, please get in touch by emailing us at blackinternprog@hdruk.ac.uk.

    • All interns will need to be paid the Real Living Wage for London (regardless of where host organisations are based) as a minimum
    • Should interns require a laptop, our host organisations will provide a laptop for the duration of the internship

  • No, not only would this be challenging for a relatively short-term placement, but also there is a lot of other data science work that can take place without needing to access individual patient data itself.

  • We encourage host organisations to liaise with selected interns during this period so they can hit the ground running and make the most of their 8-week internship. For example it may be that the loan of a laptop is necessary, which may take a few days to arrange.

If you have any further questions or would like to express your interest in this programme, please contact us below.

Contact us