Daphne Jackson Trust

What Daphne Jackson Trust does

The Daphne Jackson Trust is a UK registered charity (Registered charity 1125867, Company 06621472), founded in 1992 and based at the School of Mathematics & Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford. It is the only UK charity dedicated specifically to supporting researchers and research technical professionals to return to their careers after a career break of two or more years taken for family, caring, or health reasons. Over 30 years the Trust has supported 533 research returners, generating over £87 million in follow-on research funding and saving approximately £80 million of research investment that would otherwise have been lost from the sector.

The Trust operates two core products: Research Fellowships (2-3 year, 0.5 FTE retraining fellowships combining a tailored research project with personalised mentoring) and Research Technical Professional Fellowships (up to 2 year, 0.5 FTE programmes emphasising reskilling in advanced research, scientific, engineering or creative techniques rather than a specific research project). It does not sell or license technology; its "technology stack" is a bespoke advisory workflow delivered by ~22 staff, with no public APIs, mobile applications, or proprietary software disclosed. Distribution runs through a partnership-based model in which funders (UKRI, Royal Society, BHF, Cancer Research UK, universities, learned societies, charities, industry) cover fellow salaries and the Trust's programme costs, while host institutions (100+ organisations across the UK and Ireland) provide facilities, equipment, and non-salary costs.

Revenue is generated by facilitation fees, grants, and donations recovered from each funded fellowship cohort, supplemented by individual giving and legacy gifts. Pricing to fellows is zero-cost; the commercial counterparty is the funder. Customer segments span three sides of a triangular market: (1) individual research returners, (2) research funders seeking EDI and skills-pipeline outcomes, and (3) host institutions needing motivated technical and research capacity. Go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, with marketing executed via a content website, multi-platform organic social, email newsletters, annual conferences/training events, and policy/advocacy work targeting the UK and Irish research landscape.

Name

Daphne Jackson Trust

Legal name

The Daphne Jackson Trust

Website

https://daphnejackson.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Daphne Jackson Trust is a UK charity, founded in 1992, that runs part-time retraining fellowships enabling researchers and research technical professionals to return to their careers after a break of two or more years, funded by partnerships with UKRI, the Royal Society, BHF, Cancer Research UK, universities and industry across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Fellowship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO), Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE)

Keywords

• Research fellowship programs
• Career return support
• Academic retraining fellowships
• Research workforce diversity
• STEM career reintegration

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Funding: The Trust acts as a facilitator between fellowship applicants and funding organisations. Funders (UKRI, universities, learned societies, charities, industry) cover the costs of returning talented individuals to research careers, including salary of the fellow and the Trust's costs of providing tailored support and training.
2. Donations and Support: Individual donations, monthly or one-off contributions, and legacy gifts in Wills help fund the Trust's operations and extend reach to more people.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Daphne Jackson Trust provides part-time retraining fellowships for individuals returning to research careers after a career break of two or more years for family, caring, or health reasons. It offers two distinct fellowship programmes — Research Fellowships (typically 2-3 years at 0.5FTE) and Research Technical Professional Fellowships (up to 2 years at 0.5FTE) — that combine individually tailored research projects with personalised retraining, mentoring, and training support, and operates as a facilitator between applicants, funders (UKRI, universities, learned societies, charities, industry), and host institutions.

Product overview

The Daphne Jackson Trust operates as a fellowship-based charity offering two distinct fellowship programs: Research Fellowships for researchers (typically requiring a PhD or equivalent research experience) and Research Technical Professional Fellowships for technical specialists. Both fellowship types provide part-time, flexible retraining opportunities lasting two to three years at 0.5FTE, combining bespoke retraining programmes with mentoring and support. The organization acts as a facilitator between applicants, funders (including UKRI, universities, learned societies, and charities), and host institutions (primarily universities and research organizations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Fellowships Part-time retraining fellowships for researchers who have taken a career break of two or more years for family, caring, or health reasons. Fellowships are typically two or three years at 0.5FTE, combining an individually tailored research project with personalised retraining, mentoring, and training support.
• Research Technical Professional Fellowships

Quantifiable outcome

• For every £1 invested in a Daphne Jackson Fellow, they secure £3.50 in further funding
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key, supporting and host.

• Technician CommitmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026The Daphne Jackson Trust became a signatory of the Technician Commitment, joining a growing community of over 140 organisations dedicated to improving visibility, recognition, career development and diversity of technical professionals essential to research and innovation.
• Cancer Research UKkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Cancer Research UK partnered with the Daphne Jackson Trust to support up to three returning researchers with fellowships at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute. The partnership focuses on enabling talented researchers to return to cancer research following a career break, supporting researchers studying mechanisms that regulate cancer cell proliferation, survival and dissemination.
• STEM ReturnerskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026The Daphne Jackson Trust has a close collaborative relationship with STEM Returners, a programme that connects professionals with industry leaders through tailored return to work programmes. The organisations have conducted joint panel discussions at events like the Women's Engineering Society Annual Conference 2026 to highlight challenges faced by returners in STEM fields.
• UK Institute of Technical Skills & StrategycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Technician Commitment is hosted by the UK Institute of Technical Skills & Strategy, which supports the Daphne Jackson Trust's journey in enhancing visibility and career development of technical workforce.
• Women's Engineering SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Trust's Chief Executive chaired a panel session at the WES Annual Conference 2026 on 'Return and Retain: unlocking STEM talent in Industry and Research' alongside STEM Returners representatives.
• University of YorkhostStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of York hosts a Research Technical Professional Fellowship opportunity for individuals returning to work within technical expertise areas such as microscopy or cytometry after a career break.
• Northumbria UniversityhostStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthumbria University hosts a Research Technical Professional Fellowship for individuals returning to work in a technical field within Engineering or Physics after a career break, based in the Ellison Building, Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Newcastle UniversityhostStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewcastle University hosts a Research Technical Professional Fellowship in the Faculty of Medical Sciences Flow Cytometry Core Facility for individuals looking to return to work within medical sciences.
• University of PlymouthhostStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brain Tumour Research Centre at University of Plymouth hosts a fellowship for researchers interested in brain tumour research, educated to PhD level, wanting to return to research after a career break.
• Cancer Research UK Scotland InstitutehostStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer Research UK Scotland Institute, located at the University of Glasgow's Garscube Campus, hosts Daphne Jackson Fellowships in a world-class environment for cutting-edge cancer research with state-of-the-art facilities.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• STEM Returners: Industry-focused return-to-work programme for STEM professionals; the Daphne Jackson Trust's own materials describe a 'close collaborative relationship' with STEM Returners, and they co-host panels on returners in STEM, indicating highly comparable offering with industry rather than academic focus.
• Royal Society: Key funder of 21 Daphne Jackson Fellowships to date and operator of its own fellowship programmes; directly comparable as a UK fellowship-grantmaking body serving researchers across career stages.
• Cancer Research UK: Strategic partner funding up to three Daphne Jackson Fellowships at the CRUK Scotland Institute and operator of its own research fellowship programmes; directly comparable as a UK disease-research fellowship funder.
• British Heart Foundation: Active Daphne Jackson Trust funding partner supporting cardiovascular fellowships; comparable as a UK medical research charity that funds fellowship positions for researchers, including those returning from career breaks.
• Leverhulme Trust: UK charitable trust funding research fellowships and grants across disciplines; directly comparable as a UK grantmaking body supporting individual researchers, including those with non-linear career paths.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Major UK research charity and one of the largest funders of UK fellowships; comparable as a UK-based research funding/grantmaking organisation and potential counterpart funder to Daphne Jackson Trust fellowships.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): UK's main public research funder and a key Daphne Jackson Trust partner; comparable as the dominant UK government research funding body with its own fellowship portfolio (e.g., Future Leaders, FLF).

Emerging players

• Marie Curie (Cancer Care): Major UK charity with research fellowship programmes in palliative and end-of-life care; comparable as a UK charity funding research fellowships for clinical and academic researchers.

Regional players

• Institute of Physics: UK learned society that funds research fellowships and supports physicists returning to careers; comparable as a UK learned society and Daphne Jackson Trust funding/host partner for physical sciences fellows.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: UK learned society funding chemistry research fellowships; comparable as a UK subject-specific learned society partnering with Daphne Jackson Trust to fund discipline-specific returner fellowships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DaphneJacksonTr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWIirJoW9ymC-IXOazQr9LQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/DaphneJacksonTr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/daphne-jackson-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/daphnejacksontrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Daphne Jackson Trust