Future of the Trust

The Lindemann Trust has ambitious plans to continue its support to finance and showcase the extraordinary work of tomorrow’s top scientists. As well as continuing to offer annual Fellowships, it intends to expand and strengthen both its alumni network and outreach work. The Trust aims to bring its alumni together regularly, both in person and online, giving former Fellows the opportunity to showcase their work to their peers, share their experiences, and find new collaborators.

 

The Trust will continue to inspire and excite children through its outreach work, inviting schools from different areas around the country to a variety of events. The schools invited all have high percentages of pupils on free school meals; the Lindemann events provide opportunities which those children are normally unable to access. Furthermore, the recent pandemic has demonstrated how versatile digital technology can be and the Trust will continue to use this as a way to ensure its work can reach larger and more diverse audiences. By running online events, competitions and exhibitions, the Trust not only showcases the research of the Lindemann Fellows and alumni, but shares the posters and experiments created by the children who take part in our outreach events, highlighting the work of the Lindemann Trust and its beneficiaries to the general public.

 

In awarding its Fellowships, the Trust continues to work hard to ensure that information about the opportunities available reaches as broad a range of potential applicants as possible. The Trust is also especially keen to attract applications from those groups who are under-represented in STEM subjects, and in particular from female candidates. In the UK, although women make up 47% of the UK workforce, they make up only 24% of the UK STEM workforce (STEM Women, 2021). Between 2010 and 2019, there was a 31% increase in entries from women and girls to STEM A-levels (DofE), and the Lindemann Trust is keen to ensure that its Fellowships do not simply reflect the current gender balance within STEM subjects, but is proactive in introducing and supporting initiatives which can achieve greater parity between the genders in STEM education and beyond. It is currently exploring the possibility of creating a mentor scheme by which new Fellows gain the additional support and guidance from their peers over the course of their Fellowship. The Trust is also making adjustments to its eligibility criteria to make sure that there are no hidden obstacles which prevent or deter women from applying. Please click here to read the report of our Women in Science event, which looked at the issues female scientists may face in Higher Education and the workplace, and considered what more can be done to start to break down these barriers.