Paul Blomfield tells UKRI to ‘step up to the mark’ on PhD support

Chair of APPG for Students calls on funder to extend studentships in light of pandemic

The chair of an influential group of MPs representing the interests of students has called on UK Research and Innovation to “step up to the mark” by increasing its support for PhD students who have been “overlooked” during the pandemic.

Labour MP Paul Blomfield’s comments follow a January report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students calling on UKRI to extend its studentships to “allow research to be finished to its usual high standards, in circumstances where lockdown has affected access to facilities and resources”. The report also called for consideration of support for self-funded students.