Progress towards UN SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
Our research
Racial diversity research led by Professor Nasar Meer has received Nuffield Foundation funding. ‘Contexts, outcomes and potential for national race equality policies in England, Scotland and Wales’ is one of four racial diversity research projects that have been awarded a total of £1,470,138 to explore real-world challenges facing communities across England, Scotland and Wales.
Growing racial diversity and increasing racial disparities continue to bring both opportunities and challenges in Scotland today. The first grants from the Foundation’s RDUK fund will start building a cohesive portfolio of impactful research on racial diversity across the UK, spanning policy, social experience, and systemic challenges.
Researchers at the University’s UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence have produced influential research highlighting the need for large-scale delivery of social housing to address Scotland’s growing housing and homelessness crisis. Commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the report examines the role of the proposed More Homes Scotland agency and how it can help remove barriers to housing delivery while increasing the supply of affordable homes.
The research identifies a critical policy challenge: whether the agency’s primary purpose should be to increase overall housing supply or specifically reduce unmet affordable housing need. The authors argue that tackling affordable housing shortages must be the central priority if Scotland is to effectively address homelessness and housing insecurity.
Researchers emphasise that achieving meaningful progress will require strong partnerships between government, local authorities and the housing sector, alongside action to address barriers related to land, infrastructure, planning and investment.
New research is highlighting the scale of the social housing challenge, noting that Scotland requires at least 15,693 affordable homes annually to begin reducing housing need. It also draws attention to the social consequences of underinvestment in housing, including rising homelessness and more than 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation.
Learning & teaching
2025 saw the third intake of students onto the pioneering MA/MSc in Reparatory Justice delivered jointly by the University of Glasgow and The University of the West Indies (UWI) through the joint Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research (GCCDR).
It offers students an unparalleled opportunity to work with scholars in reparatory justice at Glasgow’s Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies and The UWI. Students on the programme can pursue their studies at the University of Glasgow or the Mona or Cave Hill campuses of The UWI.
The University of the West Indies continues to be at the forefront of the global movement, leading activism, and academic research underpinning claims for reparations for slavery. The University of Glasgow offers access to primary source materials and material culture holdings. It draws on expertise across the study of slavery, genocide, and human rights violations.
The degree continues the University of Glasgow’s work in its ongoing reparative justice programme which is part of the nine recommendations found within its Slavery, Abolition and the University of Glasgow report, published in September 2018.
The University’s Curriculum for Life Power & Justice theme equips students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand and challenge inequalities in society. Through an interdisciplinary suite of courses, the programme explores how power is distributed, who has access to justice, and how individuals and communities can contribute to creating fairer and more sustainable futures.
Courses such as Leading Change: Policy in Action, Not Just Politics as Usual, Justice and the Restitution of Cultural Heritage, Transforming our Futures, and Does Scotland Need Human Rights? provide students with opportunities to engage with real-world issues including poverty, inequality, human rights, governance, cultural justice and sustainable development. Students work alongside academics, policymakers, civil society organisations and practitioners to explore practical approaches to social change.
The programme emphasises collaboration, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, communication and leadership. Through activities such as policy design, campaigning, cultural heritage case studies, public engagement projects and human rights advocacy, students develop the ability to analyse complex societal challenges from multiple perspectives and propose evidence-based solutions.
The initiative supports the University’s commitment to advancing equality, social responsibility, human rights and sustainable development while empowering students to contribute meaningfully to positive social transformation.
University operations
The University of Glasgow's Top-Up Programme is a pre-entry initiative designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds in their transition to higher education. It helps students develop critical academic skills and introduces them to university life. The programme is aimed at students from approximately 100 secondary schools in the West of Scotland, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those living in areas of higher deprivation (SIMD deciles 1-4), care-experienced individuals, refugees, asylum seekers, estranged students, and young carers.
Completion of the programme with strong performance (a profile of BBB or above) may result in an adjusted offer of entry to the University of Glasgow or other institutions.
Rainbow Office Hours is a low-cost, scalable initiative that creates safe, informal spaces for LGBTQ+ students and staff to connect. Launched in 2019 within one school, the initiative expanded university-wide during 2023/24. It now includes more than 30 staff across all colleges and professional services. The sessions coincide with LGBTQ+ awareness days and offer affirming support, distinct from counselling or academic advising.
Rainbow Office Hours challenge the assumption that personal and professional identities must remain separate. They provide a visible message to LGBTQ+ students that they belong. For many, these are the first encounters with visibly queer adults in leadership roles, helping them to imagine a future for themselves in academia and beyond.
Built on existing resources, the initiative is highly sustainable, cost-effective and transferable to other institutions committed to enhancing diversity, equality and inclusion. Our work not only supports marginalised voices but also fosters a transformative campus culture that empowers everyone.
The James McCune Smith (JMS) PhD Scholarship Programme and annual JMS Conference are initiatives designed to increase opportunities, representation and leadership development for Black scholars in higher education. The programme was launched in 2021 to address barriers to postgraduate research participation and to support Black UK students in pursuing doctoral study and academic careers.
Named after James McCune Smith, the first African American to receive a medical degree, awarded by the University in 1837, the programme honours his legacy as a pioneering physician, intellectual and abolitionist. Through funded PhD opportunities, external mentoring, leadership development, placements and community-building activities, the initiative empowers a new generation of researchers to make impactful contributions across a wide range of disciplines.
The fourth annual JMS Conference, themed ‘Every Story I Create, Creates Me: Learning, Leadership and Legacy,’ celebrates the achievements of Black scholars, researchers, artists and changemakers while creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange and professional development. The event showcases innovative research, amplifies diverse perspectives and fosters inclusive networks that support future leaders.
Civic engagement
Young people from some of the city’s most deprived area have gained skills in creative arts and filmmaking while getting a taste of life at the University of Glasgow.
Around 20 young participants were able to learn about camera operation, filming, editing, graffiti painting, sound, SFX and the wide range of opportunities that exist for diverse individuals across these sectors.
The Create, Make & Innovate Filmmaking Summer School project focused on creative entrepreneurship, widening participation and community engagement, and was run by academics and practitioners at the University’s School of Culture & Creative Arts with the support of key partners GMAC and SWG3.
The programme provided the team with practical evidence and learning about a longer-term project that they hope will make use of spaces and facilities within the School of CCA in support of civic and community partners and Glasgow’s young people.
The University has launched the Dumfries Civic Fund, a community investment initiative designed to remove barriers to participation, improve inclusion and strengthen opportunities for underserved groups across Dumfries and Galloway. In its inaugural year, the fund awarded £25,000 to seven local projects, supporting activities that promote equality, wellbeing, education, community engagement and social inclusion.
The Dumfries Civic Fund projects address a range of inequalities affecting local communities. Initiatives include educational workshops tackling misogyny and gender-based prejudice in schools, a youth-led wellbeing trail co-designed by marginalised young people, free outdoor learning opportunities for children and families, and support for pupils facing financial barriers to educational visits.
The fund also creates opportunities for collaboration between the University, community organisations, schools and local residents. University students are encouraged to engage through volunteering, research projects and knowledge-sharing activities, helping strengthen relationships between higher education and the wider community.
The programme helps ensure that people of all backgrounds can participate, contribute and benefit from social, educational and community life, advancing the goals of a fairer and more equitable society.
