WRDTP Collaborative Awards:  Information for academic colleagues submitting a project proposal to the WRDTP

The WRDTP Collaborative Awards support our strong commitment to collaborative research with partners in the private, public or third sectors by involving these partners in a programme of doctoral research.

Our Collaborative Award scheme is supervisor-led.  To be able to apply for a Collaborative Award, the applicant, i.e. the primary supervisor, must hold an academic position in an eligible school or department.  A full list of eligible schools and departments is here. 

Supervisors are invited to submit proposals for cutting-edge research projects that are underpinned by strong links with a non-academic partner. Collaboration is defined as follows: 

• Collaborations must be with a non-academic organisation in the public, private or civil society/third sector
• Collaborations must include substantive knowledge exchange and not just one-way engagement (e.g. not only data collection)
• Collaborating organisations should be involved in the development of the project

These links do not have to involve funding and could be internships, placements or other forms of meaningful collaboration (see in particular the ‘Research in Practice’ placements section of our WRDTP Collaborative Awards – Guidance for Applicants). Nevertheless, we expect that the project partner will meet any travel, subsistence and accommodation costs incurred by the student associated with visits made to the non-academic organisation.

Proposals are submitted by academic colleagues who are then responsible for recruiting a student to carry out the project, nominating the student to the WRDTP for final approval, and once the student is appointed, acting as their main supervisor.  Awards must align with one of the seven WRDTP interdisciplinary pathways.  

Please note: Only ONE proposal can be submitted by the Principal Supervisor.

Each application must include a minimum of two supervisors with appropriate academic expertise.  Early career academic colleagues can act as primary and second supervisors (subject to compliance with institutional policies).  Where neither the primary or second supervisor have supervised a PhD student to completion as a primary supervisor, we require the team to include a third supervisor from the host institution with appropriate experience and relevant expertise.

Please note: All partner universities will run an internal process of peer review for the Collaborative Awards scheme, given the highly competitive nature of this competition. Details of the internal review process will be announced locally by each university. When submitting a collaborative award application, you will be required to confirm that your application has been subjected to internal peer review at your own university. Failure to engage with the internal peer review process may result in the disqualification of your application.

Process and timeframe

Collaborative Awards Timeline

Collaborative Award Information Sessions for academic supervisors 

Thus guidance session is for academic colleagues who are interested in submitting a proposal to the Collaborative Award competition. It was held online on 24th October 2023.

Drop-in sessions

A drop-in session will be offered as a follow-up to the information session detailed above. This will be held on the following date:

• For academic supervisors – Tuesday 28 November, 10:00 – 11:00

The purpose of this session will be to offer an opportunity for supervisors to ask questions about the studentships schemes and application processes following the substantive content provided in our information sessions.

To book your place on a session, please follow this Link.

Application Procedure

Applicants must complete the: White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership Collaborative Awards 2024/25 – Proposal Form.

The Form requires the following file upload:

1. A letter from the partner indicating their support for the collaboration (Section 2)

Due to the form containing a file upload request, for security purposes you must have a Google Account in order to submit a response to the form. If you do not have a Google Account already, you can make one using an existing email address. Please see here for instructions. 

Additional guidance is available in the WRDTP Collaborative Awards – Guidance for Applicants.

Please note that the proposal form (a Google Form) should be completed in one sitting, therefore it is recommended that you download the form preview document (to do this click File – Download – Microsoft Word (.docx)) should you wish to preview the required information in advance. 

However, you do not need to submit a copy of the form preview document as well as the online Google Form – this is solely so you can preview the information required by the Google Form before sitting down to complete it (which must be done in one sitting).

Key Documents/Links

• WRDTP Collaborative Awards – Guidance for Applicants
• White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership Collaborative Awards 2024/25 – Proposal Form
• WRDTP Collaborative Awards (proposal form preview document)
• A list of some of our previous successful Collaborative Award projects and partners
• ESRC Postgraduate Collaboration – Collaborative studentship case studies

Assessment Criteria

Proposals will be assessed by the WRDTP Academic Quality Committee using the WRDTP Collaborative Award Assessment Criteria.

If you have any queries contact the WRDTP office: enquiries@wrdtp.ac.uk.

WRDTP Collaborative Awards:  Information for students interested in applying for a Collaborative Award project

Once the successful WRDTP Collaborative Award project proposals have been identified, in early Spring the studentship opportunities will be advertised to prospective PhD candidates. Details will be shared on the WRDTP website, and directly at institutions via our Scholarships Office colleagues.

Please note that this process will begin *after* the deadline for students to apply to the WRDTP with their own research project. If you have missed the deadline to apply for a Pathway or AQM Award, this is an additional opportunity to apply to the WDRTP for ESRC funding, outside the main studentships competition.

If you are interested in applying for a WRDTP Collaborative Award studentship, please refer to the list of projects (which will be added here in early Spring) for further details. Each project listing will feature a named contact for enquiries relating to the studentship opportunity, details on how to apply, and any important deadlines/processes that you should adhere to. If you have a question regarding applying for a WRDTP Collaborative Award studentship and cannot find an answer online, please contact enquiries@wrdtp.ac.uk.

The academic supervisor, and their department/school will manage the shortlisting and interviewing of studentship candidates, and when a suitable candidate has been identified, the chosen student will be nominated to the WRDTP for final approval. Successful candidates will be notified by their institution’s Scholarships Office by the end of April, or as soon as possible thereafter, depending on the individual project’s timeline for student recruitment.