NERC PhD studentships

NERC award PhD funding to around 350 students per year in institutions throughout the UK to undertake research from across the whole breadth of the NERC science remit. This funding is awarded under two distinct schemes: responsive and focused. Responsive funding is awarded with no restrictions on the subject area that may be researched beyond needing to be within the NERC science remit. Focused funding, however, is provided to address key technical and academic challenges identified by NERC and our partners. All focused research must therefore be targeted at addressing the issues identified within the remit of the relevant funding opportunity.

Over three quarters of all NERC studentships are supported via responsive funding and the vast majority of these studentships are held by NERC doctoral training partnerships (DTPs). DTPs are training partnerships consisting of research organisations and partner organisations from a wide range of backgrounds offering training from across a range of subject areas within the NERC science remit. Responsive mode studentships are also funded attached to large grants as associated studentships.

In addition to responsive training, NERC provide funding for focused training to support research and skills training to address key technical and academic challenges. This funding is awarded under a number of different schemes including:

Centres for doctoral training (CDTs)
Research programme grants associated studentships
Research programme competition studentships
Research centre & survey studentships
Industrial CASE studentships
and via Advanced skills training awards.

View the list of institutions that have been awarded NERC PhD funding for the academic year 2014/15.
For more details please see the NERC website: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/skills/postgrad/prospectivestudents/