Together with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Nuffield Foundation are launching a £15.5 million funding programme aimed at promoting a step-change in quantitative methods training for UK social science undergraduates.

The five-year programme will fund a network of up to 15 specialist centres to develop training and other activities designed to create a substantial cohort of quantitatively-trained undergraduates in a range of social science disciplines.

The centres will be within undergraduate departments or groups of departments within Higher Education Institutions. Centres will be able to apply for funding of up to £350,000 a year for five years to develop and deliver a wide range of fundable training activities, including bursaries for students attending holiday courses or in relevant work placements, recruitment of new staff and the development of new courses and pathways to careers requiring skills in quantitative methods.

Two launch events will be held to present the new programme. The first event will be held on Friday 19 October at the British Academy in London, and the second on Thursday 8 November at Manchester University. These are open events, but attendees must register in advance by emailing QMenquiries@nuffieldfoundation.org. Initially, no more than two attendees per Institution may register.