Collaborative and Strategic Joint Awards: Academic Call for DTP Proposals
ESRC DTP Collaborative Studentship Proposals
This is a formal call for proposals for Collaborative Studentships to be funded by the Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership. Please note that all funding for entry in October 2027 is subject to the MGS2 receiving a successful outcome at the mid-term review in November 2026 (to be confirmed by January 2027).
Departments forming part of the MGS2 ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership are invited to submit proposals for Collaborative Studentships to start in October 2027. The lead supervisor applying for the studentship must be based in an accredited DTP training pathway at the institution where the studentship will be hosted, and the project must involve a formal collaboration with an external non-academic partner organisation. The lead supervisor must be based in the pathway where the project will sit, which must be an MGS department, even if the project will be based in one of the cross-cutting interdisciplinary pathways. If you have any questions about pathway eligibility, please contact your institutional academic lead.
Please ensure that you read the Guidance Notes for Academic Applicants for Collaborative and Strategic Joint StudentshipsLink opens in a new window prior to applying.
Academics wishing to submit a Collaborative Studentship proposal should do so using the Collaborative Studentship 2027 Application Form . Prior to submitting this form, each member of the university-based supervisory team (not colleagues at collaborating organisations) should complete the MGS EDI form to assist the DTP with equal opportunities monitoring.
Proposals should be submitted as an email attachment with ‘ESRC DTP Collaborative Application’ in the subject line to the ESRC DTP office: by the deadline Tuesday 10th November 2026.
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
ESRC DTP Strategic Joint Studentship Proposals
This is a formal call for proposals for Strategic Joint Studentships to be funded by the Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership. Please note that all funding for entry in October 2027 is subject to the MGS2 receiving a successful outcome at the mid-term review in November 2026 (to be confirmed by January 2027).
Departments forming part of the MGS2 ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership are invited to submit proposals for Strategic Joint Studentships to start in October 2027. The lead supervisor applying for the studentship must be based in an accredited DTP training pathway at the institution where the studentship will be hosted but should have a second supervisor based at another MGS institution (Aston, Birmingham, De Montfort, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Warwick). Please note that the second supervisor in another MGS institution can be drawn from outside the DTP pathways, but the main supervisor at the institution where the studentship will be hosted must be based in an accredited DTP training pathway. This is the case even if the project will be based in one of the cross-cutting interdisciplinary pathways. If you have any questions about pathway eligibility, please contact your institutional academic lead.
Please ensure that you read the Guidance Notes for Academic Applicants for Collaborative and Strategic Joint StudentshipsLink opens in a new window prior to applying.
Academics wishing to submit a Strategic Joint Studentship proposal should do so using the Strategic Joint Studentship 2027 Application Form . Prior to submitting this form, each member of the supervisory team should complete the MGS EDI form to assist the DTP with equal opportunities monitoring.
Proposals should be submitted as an email attachment with ‘ESRC DTP Strategic Joint Application’ in the subject line to the ESRC DTP office: by the deadline Tuesday 10th November 2026.
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Timeline
- July 2026 - call opened
- 17 September 2026, 2pm - online Q&A session
- 10 November 2026, 4pm - call deadline
- December 2026 - institutional shortlisting
- January 2027 - final awarding decisions made by MGS2 Management Committee and all applicants informed of outcomes
- February - March 2027 - advertising and recruitment
- April 2027 - student nominations reviewed by Management Committee and decisions confirmed with recruiting academics