Read the full review

The power of health data science is transformational. It holds the key to understanding disease, improving care, and creating a healthier, fairer future for everyone. However, if the people shaping the future don’t represent the society it is built to serve, our science will be weaker, our responses narrower, and the benefits of innovation more unevenly distributed.

Black people are heavily under-represented in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) community, as well as within health data and data-driven technology. Five years ago, we chose to act.

The Black Internship Programme (BIP) was our response – a practical, targeted intervention to tackle the systemic under-representation of Black people across STEM and particularly within health data science. Run by HDR UK in partnership with the 10,000 Interns Foundation and the UK Health Data Research Alliance, the programme offers paid, meaningful experience, technical training, mentoring and community for Black students and graduates.

To understand the impact of this work and inform its future direction, we commissioned an independent review of the programme.

An independent review by Advance HE

Front cover of the independent Black Internship Programme review. Two smiling alumni are on the cover.To assess the Black Internship Programme after its first four years (2021 to 2024), HDR UK commissioned Advance HE to undertake an independent evaluation. The purpose of this external review was to provide a transparent, evidence-led appraisal of the programme’s design, delivery and outcomes.

The review was conducted against a clear set of objectives established by HDR UK at the commissioning stage. These were to:

  1. Evaluate the programme’s design and implementation, including engagement with applicants and host organisations;
  2. Determine whether the BIP has delivered its intended outputs and outcomes;
  3. Assess the programme’s value and influence on HDR UK and the wider health data science sector;
  4. Generate recommendations to inform the scope and delivery of future iterations of the programme.

The review was published in November 2025.

Read the full review

Key findings

A multi-stage, mixed-methods approach was adopted for this programme evaluation, consisting of development of a Theory of Change, a desk-based review and stakeholder consultation.

  • 111 alumni survey responses were received (36% of the total number of interns);
  • 29 host organisation staff responses were received (53% of those contacted);
  • Three focus groups with 17 participants were conducted;
  • 11 one-to-one interviews were conducted between December 2024 and January 2025 with a variety of key stakeholders.

As a result, the review found that between 2021 to 2024:

308
interns were placed
98
host organisations participated in the programme
43
43% of alumni survey respondents entered health data science-related careers or further study, after completing the programme
70
Over 70% of alumni reported that the programme had a strong or very strong influence on their confidence to pursue a career in the field.
93
93% of hosts agreed that their interns were ‘job-ready’ on completion of the programme.
67
Around two-thirds of host organisations (67%) said participation had improved their understanding of barriers faced by Black people in health data science.

Reflections from across the programme

"This internship gave me the confidence and direction I needed to pursue a career in health data science."

BIP alumnus (2022 cohort)

"The programme has opened our eyes to the barriers that exist and shown us how we can be part of removing them."

Host organisation representative

"This review should not be seen as a conclusion but as a call to action. Scale what works, sustain what matters and ensure the next generation of health data scientists is as diverse and dynamic as the challenges they will solve."

Professor Martin Levermore, Chair of the BIP Advisory Group, and Professor Andrew Morris, Director of HDR UK

Areas for further consideration

The review highlighted the following key areas for further consideration:

  • Demand in the programme from applicants grew exponentially in 2024. However, turn-over of host organisations is high, with hosts typically only staying in the programme for 1–2 cycles. This has not enabled growth in available internships to meet the rise in demand.
  • At times the team capacity is stretched, and this limits the opportunity to expand the programme beyond its current size.
  • Accessibility of datasets for both the technical challenge and internship projects is challenging.
  • Some interns found management of the group dynamics and skills mix for the technical challenge difficult.
  • Some stakeholders would welcome the programme to support other under-represented groups, not just Black people.

Recommendations

Based on the evidence gathered through this review, Advance HE presented the following four recommendations for shaping the programme’s future:

  1. Co-design the next phase of the programme with key stakeholders.
  2. Whilst remaining lean, expand the delivery team’s capacity and increase the resilience of the host organisation pipeline.
  3. Strengthen external communications to further promote the programme’s impact and clarify the host organisation offer.
  4. Continue to focus on feedback, monitoring and evaluation.

Interested in getting involved?

Host an intern

If you’re interested in hosting an intern during summer 2026, you can:

Apply for an internship

Applications are now open for our summer 2026 internships! Apply by Sunday 4 January 2026 to secure your place.

Celebrate 5 years of the programme

Join us as we celebrate the programme’s first five years, hear more about the review and build momentum for the next five years of inclusive innovation in health data science, during our free online event at 11am on Thursday 4 December 2025.