CASE studentships within the DTP

CASE studentships within the DTP

NERC studentships can be delivered in collaboration with non-academic partners from the private, public and third/civil sectors; this usually takes the form of Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering or CASE studentships. CASE studentships provide the PhD students with enhanced training opportunities by ensuring they spend between three and eighteen months in total with their CASE partner in a workplace outside the academic environment.

CASE studentships provide access to training, facilities and expertise not available in an academic setting alone. The CASE partners benefit from self-motivated, highly capable PhD students undertaking cutting-edge research relevant to their organisation's priorities and objectives. Both parties are also able to build and strengthen business and research collaborations. CASE studentship projects must provide sound training in research methods, and a stimulating intellectual challenge for the student. The work's impetus and initial requirement should originate from the CASE partner. Both the research organisation and the CASE partner nominate supervisors responsible for overseeing the student's training.

NERC policy stipulates that:

  • Each DTP must ensure that, over the lifetime of the DTP, 30% of the total notional studentships awarded to the DTP are CASE
  • The CASE partner(s) must supplement the studentship by a minimum of £1000 p.a. for a minimum of three years, paid to the lead Research Organisation to supplement the Research Training Support Grant.
  • The CASE partner(s) must host the student for between three and eighteen months during their PhD, during which time they will undertake work outside the academic environment. This placement need not occur in one single period.
  • CASE partners are expected to meet the extra expenses incurred by the student when visiting and working within their establishment.
  • CASE partners are expected to contribute in cash or in kind towards necessary materials and/or facilities not possessed by the Research Organisation concerned that are required by the student to undertake research integral to their CASE studentship.

Supervisors planning a project with a CASE partner should:

  • Find a company or organisation to partner.  Normally this will be in the UK.  Non-UK organisations may be acceptable if there is no equivalent UK organisation (ESA, for example).
  • Complete the case contract request in collaboration with the host partner and submit to the relevant contact at your Institution.
  • When all parties are happy with the agreement drawn up by our contracts office, an invoice schedule should automatically be created and payment should take place without any further DTP involvement.

Costs

Supervisor travel costs to meetings with CASE partners or prospective partners will be met by the DTP central budget.  Please contact Julie julie.samson@manchester.ac.uk in Manchester or Paula P.Houghton@liverpool.ac.uk  in Liverpool for details of which codes/cost centres you should charge your travel costs to.