Activate is open to recipients of the Presidential Scholarships for students of Black heritage and to PhD students of Black heritage.  After the pilot year in 2022-23, Activate will be extended to BAME PhD students. 

The Activate Mentoring Programme seeks to match mentees with mentors who have insight and understanding of the educational experience of students of Black heritage and the challenges they face within education and navigating College life. 

The programme also seeks to improve experiences, increase retention, develop a peer community, support career development and create a deeper sense of belonging for Imperial students of Black heritage.

Background to Activate

As part of the College's  £5 million commitment to scholarships  for minority and underrepresented students from the UK, the Presidential Scholarship will support one Master’s and one undergraduate student of Black Heritage (Home fee status) from each Faculty.  The first recipients of the award will be selected in the academic year 2022. As part of this scholarship, wrap- around support will be provided for the students including mentoring advice and guidance. 

In addition, the College has taken action to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education, through its Race Equality Charter Action Plan.  Through the action plan, the College has committed to establishing a cross-departmental mentoring scheme for PhD students from ethnic minorities, (but with a focus on Black students), with any fee status.

See below for more about the mentoring programme.