The Application deadline for academic colleagues closed on Monday 16 December 2019

The studentship application process will be announced in mid-January 2020.

Co-funded and Collaborative Studentships are doctoral projects which are jointly and collaboratively run by both academic and non-academic organisations, in the first case with financial support from the non-academic partner. The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London DTP is asking academics to submit proposals for these studentship projects to begin October 2020.

In collaboration with non-academic partners, projects should address a research topic of both theoretical and practical importance, providing opportunities for the selected candidate to gain first-hand experience of work outside an academic environment. The project should be both intellectually and practically (depending on the nature of the non-academic partner) rigorous and should seek to have wider relevance than just the needs of the non-academic partner. We are looking for projects which contribute to the creation, development and application of new techniques and ways of working or projects which help facilitate greater effectiveness and efficiency of individuals and organisations. Proposals for interdisciplinary projects (which involve more than one DTP pathway) are actively encouraged.

The collaboration partners must be non-academic organisations with an operating base in the UK. Beyond this, there are no restrictions and applicants are encouraged to think innovatively about potential collaborations. Partners can be private sector companies, public sector bodies or voluntary/third sector organisations.

Co-funded and Collaborative Studentships can be held on a full-time or part-time basis and within a 1+3, 4-year (Integrated PhD) or +3 programme.

The estimated cost of a 2020 co-funded studentship is £23,190 per annum, which equates to:

£69, 570 for a +3 student and £92,760 for a 1+3 or +4;

Therefore, the 25% that a non-academic organisation would be expected to contribute towards a co-funded studentship is £17,392 and £23,190 respectively.

Application for Co-funded and Collaborative Studentships is a two-stage process: 1) Selection of projects from academics’ submissions; 2) recruitment of suitable candidates to undertake the PhD.

At the first stage, one or more academics, working in an area of an identified DTP pathway, collaborate with their non-academic partner to put together a proposal for a collaborative studentship project. These applications will then be submitted to the DTP Board for consideration.

In the second stage, the successful projects will recruit a suitable applicant for their award, in consultation with the relevant Pathway Leader. The projects will be advertised through the institution of the designated lead supervisor and through the DTP website. Once a suitable candidate has been chosen, details of the nominated award holder will then be submitted to the DTP Board for confirmation at its general studentships meeting in April 2020.