He was joined by University senior leadership as well as students and staff.
The Mayor's University Bursary Award is helping support young people within Tower Hamlets to have greater life opportunities. The scheme is supporting eligible students with living costs at university. They can apply for a £1,500 payment to support with costs associated with their undergraduate studies, which includes accommodation, books and resources. Tower Hamlets has allocated £600k in funding in total to support 400 students.
The scheme is consistent with Queen Mary's commitment to social mobility, ensuring that students' background or family income do not prevent them from succeeding at university and in later life. Queen Mary's commitment to opening the doors of opportunity for any student with the ability to succeed has led to it being named the top university in the country for social mobility.
Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, said: "We were delighted to host Mayor Rahman in launching this scheme that will support talented, local students to thrive at university.
"At Queen Mary we believe in opening the doors of opportunity for any student with the potential to succeed, no matter what street they grew up on, and we provide a range of financial and non-financial support to help our current and future students. We are very pleased to support the launch of the Mayor's Bursary Award, which shares the same goals, and to continue the engagement with our local community, which has been at the heart of our University since its founding."
Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice-Principal, Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Queen Mary, said: "This is a fantastic initiative, and our involvement complements the range of scholarships, bursaries, and other support measures we offer our students.
"Our long-standing partnership with Tower Hamlets is closely tied with our immense pride that so many students from this area go on to study at Queen Mary. Like all of our students, we want to support them during their time here and this Bursary Award is a welcome way of helping to break down barriers and allow students to make the most of their time at university."
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: "I am delighted to officially launch the University Bursary Award that will help minimise the financial challenges for young people pursuing further education.
"This financial support will help give young people the confidence and encouragement to continue their studies amid the cost-of-living crisis.
"Education is very close to my heart and supporting lifelong learning is a priority for my administration. It is vital that young people are supported to reach their full potential and given the tools and opportunities to become the future leaders of the next generation."
