New racial diversity research to improve lives across UK communities
Published: 7 August 2025
Racial diversity research led by Professor Nasar Meer has received Nuffield Foundation funding.
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 the UK today. The Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund will build a cohesive portfolio of impactful research on racial diversity across the UK, spanning policy, social experience, and systemic challenges.
Professor Nasar Meer, of the UofG’s School of Social and Political Sciences, said: “By taking the first truly UK-wide look at how devolution has shaped - and been shaped by - our response to racial inequality, this project shines a light on both the gaps and the possibilities in current policy.”
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.
Liz Gilfillan, RDUK Programme Head, said: “RDUK will help find solutions to end racial injustice by generating better evidence of the actions needed to achieve this. While we have good evidence of racial inequalities, there is not much evidence of what works to end racial disparities, nor of when, how or if policy and programme interventions are effective in achieving this. We also want to enable examination of the wider benefits and opportunities that racial diversity can bring.”
As part of its new strategy, the Nuffield Foundation is continuing to support projects that contribute to a racially just, fair, and inclusive society through both RDUK and our main grants fund, (the Research, Development and Analysis fund), focusing on themes such as racial inequalities, discrimination, and pathways to racial justice.
First published: 7 August 2025