In this guest blog post, The Martingale Foundation describe their work in helping postgraduates from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to access postgraduate education and thrive in research.
The Martingale Foundation is focused on transforming access to postgraduate education in STEM for talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Through providing fully funded Masters and PhD scholarships and access to a community of pioneering leaders, Martingale supports the next generation of postgraduate students to thrive in research at leading universities across the UK.
Martingale provides crucial support through:
- A fully-funded Scholarship to pursue a Masters or PhD at one of our partner universities.
- All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend set according to the Living Wage Foundation.
- Tailored university application support that covers the application process for each university.
- A comprehensive professional development programme that includes leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
- Membership of a prestigious research community.
Tell me more!
The Martingale Scholarship is open for candidates who have the academic potential and motivation for postgraduate research, while contributing to the cohort of Martingale Scholars. We offer select Masters and PhDs in a range of subject areas at our partner universities, with a focus on mathematics and artificial intelligence. Each partner university has made significant commitments to the programme to provide a world-class experience for scholars and build community both within and between institutions.
Once at a partner university, scholars are enrolled in the Martingale Development Programme, which is designed to help them thrive during their studies and transition into impactful research and industry careers. This includes Solve for X, a week-long retreat held in the second year of their PhD, where Scholars work in interdisciplinary groups to apply their academic knowledge to tackle industry challenges and develop proposed solutions, before pitching to a panel of expert judges at the end of the week.
How to apply
Applications for the next cohort of Martingale Scholars will open in summer 2026, with successful candidates supported to apply for postgraduate study at our partner universities, to commence in autumn 2027.
You can find more information on the Martingale Foundation here and sign up for our newsletter for updates and application announcements.
Industry partners also wanted!
Martingale is also seeking industry partners for Solve for X: Where Academia Meets Industry, held in June 2026. Hosted at the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Isaac Newton Institute, Newton Gateway to Mathematics, and St John’s College, industry partners will set unsolved challenges for Martingale PhD Scholars to tackle over the course of the week.
You can find out more by downloading our Solve for X brochure here. If your organisation is interested in partnering with Martingale on this innovative programme, please reach out to Asha New, Partnerships Officer at [email protected].
Last Updated: February 17, 2026