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Written by:
Trinity Hall
Posted:
16 Nov 2022

The Laidlaw Foundation is partnering with Newnham College, Murray Edwards College, Fitzwilliam College, and Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge to offer 25 of their exceptional undergraduates each year a place on the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.

The programme is open to students from all disciplines and is designed to develop a new generation of leaders who are skilled researchers, embrace data-driven decision making, and believe that good, honest leadership is a moral imperative.

Susanna Kempe, CEO of the Laidlaw Foundation and alumna of Newnham College, said: “Graduates from the University of Cambridge lead organisations in every sector and every part of the world. It therefore gives us enormous pleasure to introduce the Laidlaw Programme here, helping to ensure that the next generation of leaders are both brilliant researchers and committed to leading with integrity.”

Open to all first-year undergraduates at the participating colleges, the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme runs over 18 months during which scholars will receive bespoke leadership training and generous funding to complete two summer projects, the first focusing on a student-led research project supervised by a Cambridge academic, and the second centred on using their leadership training to make a positive impact in a new and challenging environment. Successful applicants will join a growing international community via the Laidlaw Scholars Network where they will network, collaborate, and share their ongoing achievements with current and former Laidlaw Scholars from some of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Alison Rose, Principal of Newnham College, said: “I speak on behalf of Baroness Sally Morgan, Dorothy Byrne and Mary Hockaday in welcoming the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme to Cambridge University and the Colleges of Newnham, Fitzwilliam, Murray Edwards, and Trinity Hall. We are delighted that our students can join with other universities in the Laidlaw network and benefit from this innovative programme which provides real and structured support for students to grow their leadership skills through hands-on research and projects with practical impact.”

Applications will open on 28 November, with the first cohort to be announced in March of 2023.