Essex staff can apply for PGR Training Grants, and we encourage you to do so. These are strategic bids, there is often demand management set by the funder and an expectation of resourcing (cash or in-kind) to be provided by Essex. Essex colleagues who are interested in this type of PGR funding, whether it is with Essex as a lead institution or as a consortium member, should contact the Research Development Manager PGR in the first instance.
UKRI define Training Grants as ‘A grant providing funds for the training of Students where the training leads to the award of a recognised postgraduate qualification‘. Please note there is no route for prospective students to apply directly to any UKRI Research Council for a studentship, applications are routed through Training Grants. Training Grants can take a number of forms such as:
Previously known as Doctoral Training Partnerships, (DTP) a consortium of Research Organisations (ROs) covering a wide research area such as Social Sciences (SENSS), Natural Sciences (ARIES) or Arts & Humanities (CHASE) often grouped by geographic location. DTP’s provide innovative training environments for doctoral-level research. They include opportunities for PhD students to undertake broader training or development such as language learning, overseas research visits, or placements with non-academic partners.
Previously known as Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) can be a single institution or a consortium of RO’s that support cohort-based doctoral research training in focused, thematic, interdisciplinary research areas to address UK skills needs at the doctoral level. Led by research leaders, CDTs develop training in new and emerging areas focussed on the need for doctoral training, delivered specifically through the CDT and should not just highlight the need for doctoral training in general. CDTs tend to cover a specific research area such as Soc-B Centre for Doctoral Training in Biosocial Research and can include RO’s that are geographically dispersed.
These are networks which implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. From 1 January 2024 the UK will be an Associated Country to Horizon Europe and will be able to fully participate in the funding opportunity. The objective of MSCA DN is to implement doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term. International consortia should include at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and with at least one of them established in an EU Member State.
These doctoral programmes must respond to well-identified needs in various R&I areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer training in research-related, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability (e.g. entrepreneurship, commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication).
There are three types of doctorates that are promoted as part of the MSCA Doctoral Network call: Standard Doctorates, Industrial Doctorates and Joint Doctorates. This call runs annually.
Grants for UK universities to fund up to 18 Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships in an interdisciplinary research area identified as a priority for that institution. These grants run for 8 years, the last one had a value of £2.15m per doctoral centre. The next round opens in 2026.
Essex colleagues who are interested in this type of PGR funding, whether it is with Essex as a lead institution or as a consortium member, should contact the Research Development Manager PGR in the first instance.
These are strategic institutional bids and therefore follow a different workflow. Approval from USG will be required prior to submission, even at outline stage. Speak to the RDM PGR in the first instance.
If there is demand management set by the funders it is likely that an internal competition will be run. Details of the opportunity and any internal sift will be circulated by the RDM PGR.
The RDM PGR will support the development of your application and FDPI will support the costings.
There is a formal internal review process that must be followed for all doctoral training grants, this review form differs slightly from that used for standard research grants as the focus is on the student cohort rather than the research.
Essex is usually supportive of Host Institution Contribution (HIC) for doctoral training grants. This could cover elements such as match funding, fully funded studentships, centre administration or other resourcing requests associated to PGR training. Liaise with the RDM PGR in the first instance who can advise and help direct your query depending on the funder and call.