Collaborative Doctoral Awards: Partner Organisations
Please note that Collaborative Doctoral Awards are no longer offered. This page is retained for reference purposes only. Please see our current Applied Research Collaborative Studentships (ARCS) opportunities instead.
Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) provided funding for PhD-level research projects which were developed in partnership between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and non-HEI organisations or businesses. The funding was awarded to the HEI and the student received a stipend.
The awards were intended to encourage and develop collaboration and partnerships, providing opportunities for doctoral students to gain first-hand experience of work outside the university environment and enhance the employment-related skills and training a research student gained during the course of their award.
The projects also encouraged and established links that could have long-term benefits for both collaborating partners, providing access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that might not otherwise have been available, and also providing social, cultural and economic benefits to wider society.
Academic Organisations
Image: Former SGSAH-funded student Lucie Whitmore at The Museum of Edinburgh Costume Gallery
FAQs
What is a PhD?
A PhD is the highest academic award offered by universities. In order to undertake a PhD, a student must normally complete an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree. The duration of a PhD is normally 3.5 years full-time or 6/7 years part-time, at the end of which a thesis containing new knowledge will be produced. Candidates who are awarded a PhD may use the title ‘Doctor’. PhD students are also referred to as doctoral researchers.
What are Collaborative Doctoral Awards?
Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) provided funding for PhD-level research projects which were developed in partnership between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and non-HEI organisations or businesses. The funding was awarded to the HEI and the student received a stipend.
Organisational partners were invited to submit project proposals to the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH), which were then circulated to member HEIs across ten universities. Individual HEIs responded to those partners they were interested in working with. The organisational partner then selected an HEI to work with to take the proposal forward to the formal application stage.
What does participating in a Collaborative Doctoral Award mean in practice for organisations?
Partner organisations were expected to nominate a member of staff to work with the student over the course of the three-and-a-half-year PhD research project (or seven years part-time). This included the student working on the project within the organisation for at least six months, and up to 18 months. The exact duration and pattern of attendance (full-time, part-time or flexible) within the host organisation was dependent on the individual project and was agreed by all parties at the outset.
Students were provided with desk/work space and resources in line with standard staff arrangements.
Students were fully funded to undertake their PhD, including the time spent within the partner organisation. This period was intended to be integral to the completion of the project and was not an optional extra or internship.
How were the Collaborative Doctoral Awards funded?
Funding decisions were made by panels coordinated by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH). SGSAH received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to support doctoral training (i.e. PhD level research) in Scottish HEIs.
Do organisational partners provide any funding towards the Collaborative Doctoral Awards?
Organisational partners were expected to contribute £500 in each year of the project (i.e. £1,750 in total) towards student costs. In exceptional circumstances, the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) considered applications from organisations that were unable to meet this cost.
Who was involved in a Collaborative Doctoral Award?
What were the benefits of Collaborative Doctoral Awards for organisational partners?
- Increased capacity
- New knowledge and skills
- New products, processes or services
- Improved quality
- Prototype development
- New networks/contacts
- New audiences or customer bases
- Increased turnover/sales/visitor numbers
- Increased profile
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Skills development for employees
- Press/media coverage
- Potential to attract additional funding
What were the time commitments for organisational partners participating in Collaborative Doctoral Awards?
What was the process for applying for a Collaborative Doctoral Award?
A. Organisational Partner Led
The organisational partner submitted a 500 word proposal. SGSAH circulated the proposal to its HEI members across 10 universities. The HEIs responded directly to partners. Partners selected an HEI to work with. All parties collaborated on the final application form. If there was no student attached to the project at the point of application, the project was advertised to students if the application was successful. Organisational partners and HEIs collaborated to select a student. See below for a timetable of the CDA process.
B. HEI Led
The HEI supervisor developed the project with an organisational partner and submitted an application in February. If there was no student attached to the project at the point of application, the project was advertised to students if the application was successful following the panel review in March.
What scope did organisational partners have for defining the terms of the research?
Under route A (as outlined above), partners had free reign to propose a research topic related to their work. Academic supervisors, once selected by partners, provided assistance in framing the topic as a PhD question, as required.
Who could be an organisational partner for a Collaborative Doctoral Award?
Organisations across the public, private and third sectors based anywhere in the UK were eligible to apply as part of a Collaborative Doctoral Award.
What are the outputs of a Collaborative Doctoral Award?
The doctoral student was expected to produce a PhD thesis containing new knowledge and to undertake tasks agreed by the organisational partner in order to deliver a specific project related to the partner’s area of work.
How many Collaborative Doctoral Awards were made each year?
SGSAH awarded up to 20% of the total FTE studentships to CDAs. This was between 10-16 CDAs each year.
Timetable
Please note that the dates below relate to the final Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDA) funding round and are no longer current. The timetable is retained for reference purposes only.
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Industry partners who don’t currently have an HEI partner confirmed for a potential project to submit a brief proposal to SGSAH |
By 17th June 2024 |
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Industry proposals circulated by SGSAH to HEIs for their consideration |
W/C 24th June 2024 |
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HEIs who wish to collaborate on a project to respond directly to the partner organisation |
By 2nd Aug 2024 |
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Industry partners review responses and select HEI/supervisory team to work with |
By 6th Sep 2024 |
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Full CDA applications submitted (student may be attached at this stage or after studentship is funded): Application system open between 1st-13th Feb 2025 |
By 14th Feb 2025 |
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Applications reviewed by external panel |
March/April 2025 |
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Successful partnerships informed |
April 2025 |
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Studentship opportunities advertised (if no student attached) |
April/May 2025 |
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Student profiles to SGSAH for panel review (if no student attached at point of application) and students appointed to projects |
June 2025 |
|
Studentships begin |
October 2025 |