Student funding opportunities

Supervisor Led Competition

• Applicants must have applied to a UKRI scholarship competition (e.g. ESRC Steers, ESRC Open Collaborative, ESRC SDS Collaborative, ADR UK or AHRC Collaborative).  
• Applicants from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, whose proposed research would usually fall within the competence of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) or Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will be required to complete the SGSSS Steers Competition Expression of Interest form and submit this directly to the Graduate School
• Lead supervisor of the UKRI submitted proposal must be within the College of Social Sciences, where the PhD researcher will be based. Proposals where the lead supervisor is based in another College will not be considered for the CoSS PhD Scholarships.
• The College Graduate School will obtain a list of all ESRC Steers/OpenCollaborative/SDS Collaborative, ADR UK and AHRC Collaborative applicants from the SGSSS and College of Arts respectively.    
• The Graduate School will contact all ESRC, ADR UK and AHRC applicants and ask if they also wish to be considered for a CoSS PhD Scholarship, if yes, they will be asked to send a copy of their application (Stage 1 only if applicable) to the Graduate School.
  
• The Graduate School will compile the applications and produce brief overview summaries of applications  
• The Graduate School circulates shortlisted applications to College Selection Panel shortly after 13 February 2023  
• College Selection Panel meets week commencing 27 February  2023 to select successful applicants.  
• Week commencing 06 March 2023: Graduate School advises successful projects to CoSS PhD Scholarship and begins advertising and recruitment with the supervisory team.  
• 16 March 2023: Student recruitment goes live. Adverts are published on Graduate School website, University’s Scholarships and Funding Database and findphd.com.   
• Successful projects must have identified a suitable candidate no later than 25 May 2023, or the funding will be offered to a reserve project
  

CoSS supervisor-led competition timelines: 

 Student-Led Competition

• Applicants proposed lead supervisor must be within the College of Social Sciences, where you will be based. Applicants whose proposed lead supervisor is based in another College will not be considered for the CoSS PhD Scholarships.
• Applicants must have applied to a UKRI scholarship competition (e.g. ESRC Doctoral Studentships or AHRC Doctoral Scholarships).  
• Applicants for the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, whose proposed research would usually fall within the competence of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) or Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will be required to complete the ESRC Open Competition form and submit this, along with the same documents, on the new Scholarships Application Portal
  
• The Graduate School will contact all ESRC and AHRC applicants and ask if they also wish to be considered for a CoSS PhD Scholarship, if yes, they are directed to complete an application on the new Scholarships Application Portal, giving us permission to use their AHRC/ESRC application documents.
• When permission is granted, the Graduate School will obtain all the ESRC applications from SGSSS Apply and the applications for AHRC from School of Law and School of Interdisciplinary Studies
• Students who are unsuccessful at the Stage 1 SGSSS applications, but who wish to be considered for a CoSS scholarship, must ask their supervisors to write a statement of support which should be provided to the applicants, to upload with their Scholarships Application Portal application by 09 February 2023.
• Simultaneously to this, applicants will be encouraged to lodge an applicaton to the relevant PhD Programme by 09 February 2023. 
• The Graduate School will compile the applications and produce a brief summary of all applications. 
• Complete applications and summaries are forwarded to Schools by 17 February 2023 for assessment using the same criteria as the SGSSS Studentship Award Marking Framework 2022/23 Assessment for All Awards (+3 and 1+3) (https://social.sgsss.ac.uk/files/documents/studentship-competitions/sgsss-studentship-marking-framework.pdf)  
• Schools provide their shortlisted applications back to Graduate School by 17 March 2023 (aligning with the SGSSS Pathway Review Stage) 
• The Graduate School circulates shortlisted applications to College Assessment Panel by 27 March 2023 for assessment. The Graduate School advises non-shortlisted applicants that they are unsuccessful and will provide information on, and encourages seeking of, other funding opportunities. 
• Early-mid April: SGSAH advises successful AHRC Doctoral Scholarship applicants.
• College Selection Panel meets by 05 May 2023 to select successful and reserve applicants.
• 12 May 2023: SGSSS advises successful ESRC Doctoral Studentship applicants.
• Week commencing 15 May: Graduate School advises successful applicants to CoSS PhD Scholarship.
• Graduate School advises unsuccessful applicants and provides information on, ans encourages seeking of, other funding opportunities

CoSS Student-Led competition timelines: