Chevening has been running since 1983 and has supported more than 60,000 scholars from over 160 countries. The programme targets people with strong potential to become future leaders, policymakers, and change-makers. Over the past 40 years, Loughborough University has welcomed 394 Chevening scholars.
To say Chevening scholarships are competitive is an understatement. Only around 2% of applicants succeed from a global pool numbering in the tens of thousands. Those who win a scholarship typically combine academic excellence with a track record of leadership in business, civil society, or government.
Each year, Chevening selects a group of scholars from the more than a thousand studying across the UK to attend a conference for intellectual exchange and professional connection. The 2026 Conference, themed Intellectual Leadership for Global Good, was a natural fit for Loughborough London, which has spent the past ten years building its reputation as a forum for international academic dialogue. Previous Conferences have taken place at Edinburgh, SOAS, Warwick, Glasgow, and Bath. The Chevening Secretariat, which works with the British Council, is based on the opposite side of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, so it was a delight to work with one of our neighbours.
Nicolette Stoddart, Deputy Director of Scholarships and Soft Power at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, opened the conference, followed by a welcome from Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University. Professor Richard Giulianotti, co-lead of the UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education for Development, delivered the keynote address, drawing on his work with UNESCO in sport. Scholars then spent most of the day in eight parallel panel sessions, where 24 of them presented their research. Topics spanned climate and environmental issues, artificial intelligence governance, public health, education, media, and global politics. A Loughborough academic chaired each session and led the discussion.
The presentations illustrated the range of urgent global challenges that Chevening scholars are working to address, ranging from AI governance in low-income countries to climate security for Small Island Developing States, alongside work in public health, mathematics, and community development. As an official Chevening partner, Loughborough University has a longstanding relationship with the programme and supports scholars who go on to join an extensive global alumni network of people in influential roles across government, civil society, and international organisations.
Professor Aidan McGarry, Dean of Loughborough University London, and Andrew Chadwick, Director of Chevening Scholarships, then closed the Conference with concluding remarks, after which everyone gathered for drinks and cake. Some Chevening scholars were taken on a tour of Here East, the tech and creative campus that is home to Loughborough University London. Demand for places was exceptionally high, with 167 scholars selected to attend from a pool of over 400 applicants. Participants represented 76 countries and were studying at 38 universities across the UK, including five from Loughborough University.
The 2026 conference demonstrated what Loughborough University London does best, bringing together researchers and policymakers from around the world to tackle the questions that matter most.
To find out more about the Conference, one of our Chevening Scholars, Glory James, captured and narrated the key moments from the day, shared on our official Loughborough University London Instagram page.