A charity linked to Cancer Research UK has apologised after a prospective researcher was told their application had been rejected because they were Russian.
The Glasgow-based Beatson Institute, which specialises in the biology of cancer, said it had apologised to the researcher after a “misunderstanding” caused by complex visa rules and international sanctions.
The charity also said the applicant would be offered a place to research at the institute.
Posts on social media yesterday said the institute had emailed an applicant to say that “the Beatson has established a new policy upon which I am unable to appoint you because you are Russian”.
The emailer added that they were “deeply sorry for this” and felt it was “so unfair that what is going on in Russia affects very talented young scientists like you”.
The charity confirmed that the email was sent by a member of its staff.
The Beatson Institute is a registered charity in Scotland and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cancer Research UK, which also provides its core funding.
In a statement today, Owen Sansom, director of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, said it “does not have a policy of declining any applications from Russian students on the basis of their nationality”.
He said: “Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and offers are always reviewed against external checks, such as visa requirements or UK government sanctions.
“In this case there was an initial misunderstanding of these restrictions, which has been addressed.
“We have contacted the applicant involved to offer them a place and have apologised for any distress caused.
“We are reviewing our processes internally to prevent this issue from occurring again in future.”