Grant linked studentships (+3 or 1+3 awards) may be requested on any research application (with the exception of small grants and postdoctoral fellowships) as long as:
- the grant applied for is for 3 years or more
- the Principal or Co-Investigators are approved to act as primary supervisors for PhD students
- the student(s) will be located in an ESRC recognised outlet for training, following the normal programme of training for such students.
Up to three studentships can be applied for on any single application. It must also be clear that the studentship is not displacement for the normal research support required on the grant. Linked studentships are designed to add value to the proposed research outlined in the application, whilst providing a clear opportunity for a distinct and independent course of enquiry for the student. Through being embedded with a high quality research team, they should offer the student an opportunity to both develop their substantive research skills, alongside broader professional development. Linked studentships must not be displacement for normal research support required on the grant.
If successful, the funds for the studentship will be ring fenced within the grant and paid alongside standard ESRC studentships. Such students will also be expected to complete their PhD within four years, as with ESRC standard studentships. They will be included in the ESRC PhD Submission Rate Survey. Non-completion within four years will therefore affect the HEI's postgraduate submission rate.
Project linked studentships are subject to the standard rules for ESRC studentships. This means that the applicant may request the full appropriate stipend for the student, fees, a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) and overseas fieldwork costs. Support to meet provisions to aid students with requirements under the Disability Acts (DSA) may also be included.
Studentships are not costed under FEC arrangements, but if awarded, the grant will meet the full 100% cost of the normal provision. All costs associated with the studentship(s) must be costed as part of the overall value of the application in the Other Staff Section of your application.
For each studentship the application will need to indicate:
- The name of the student, if known at the point of application;
- whether you are requesting either a 1+3 or +3 studentship;
- the proposed start and end date of the studentship;
- the stipend and/or fee for that studentship. These should be costed at standard ESRC rates, including London allowance where that is appropriate;
- Additional standard costs for RTSG and Overseas Fieldwork Allowances;
- Additional DSA allowances if there are known at the point of application.
Stipends may only be paid to students who are normally UK resident or EU students meeting standard ESRC eligibility requirements.
The case for such a studentship will need to be set out as an additional attachment to the grant application. When completing the application via the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S), a separate case for each project studentship must be submitted with the application as attachment type "Other", where an additional two sides of A4 (max) can be used to give information and justification for each studentship. The case for support should include:
- the recognised ESRC outlet at which the student will be based, including the ESRC reference code;
- in the case of a 1+3 studentship, the likely Masters course to be pursued, if that can be identified at the point of application;
- the Principal and/or the Co-Investigators who will supervise the studentship;
- a summary statement of the PhD topic to be undertaken;
- a clear statement of how this is independent from, but will add value to, the principal research objectives set out in the application.
Once the student has been selected, the institution will be expected to complete a standard ESRC nomination form and submit that via the Je-S system. The nomination form will include the name and basic details of the student and eligibility information, proposed training, and an extended statement on the PhD topic to be covered.