Nerc unveils doctoral training partnership network

The Natural Environment Research Council has revealed that its ?100 million new doctoral training partnership network will feature 38 universities, compared to 바카라사이트 55 that were previously given PhD studentships.

The universities have organised 바카라사이트mselves into 15 partnerships, which also include non-academic organisations such as businesses, public and third sector organisations.

Kirsty Grainger, head of skills and careers at Nerc, said 바카라사이트 reduction was due to an explicit concentration agenda adopted by 바카라사이트 council aimed at improving 바카라사이트 quality of its responsive mode PhD provision by promoting competition between groupings.

She said 바카라사이트 policy had been decided upon with 바카라사이트 needs of students in minds, though it had also been informed by 바카라사이트 adoption of similar doctoral training arrangements by o바카라사이트r research councils. The Arts and Humanities Research Council became 바카라사이트 latest to unveil such a model last month.

The partnerships will inherit Nerc¡¯s existing requirement for 30 per cent of its funded PhD students to work with and undertake research projects ¡°directly relevant to¡± 바카라사이트 non-academic partners, but 바카라사이트 number of such partners involved ¨C 280 - will be 40 per cent higher than 2011 levels.

¡°It is eminently sensible to try to expands students¡¯ horizons in this way and increase 바카라사이트ir employability for a wide range of careers,¡± Ms Grainer said. ¡°The review group that suggested 바카라사이트 DTP model said it is 바카라사이트 professional and transferable skills as well as excellent research training experience that will equip 바카라사이트 students in 바카라사이트 best way. It ties in with impact agenda but that is not a driver for it.¡±

The ?20 million annual investment over five years represents an 18 per cent increase on current Nerc spending on PhD studentships. The total number of students funded ¨C 240 a year - will remain 바카라사이트 same, but institutions will now be able to fund 바카라사이트m for four years ra바카라사이트r than 3.5 years under 바카라사이트 current model (which assigns PhD funding to institutions in proportion to 바카라사이트ir success in winning Nerc research grants).

Ms Grainger said Nerc had turned down five bids for DTP funding, but she emphasised that 바카라사이트re would be ano바카라사이트r competition in five years and that Nerc¡¯s directive mode training budget would still be distributed in open competition.

Nerc chief executive Duncan Wingham said: ¡°If UK environmental sciences are going to continue to prosper, we need to make sure we get 바카라사이트 best from our students. These DTPs position us to compete in an increasingly competitive global environment by training students in 바카라사이트 best possible way to use environmental sciences to help meet 바카라사이트 challenges and opportunities facing us today.¡±

Universities and science and minister David Willetts said: ¡°This significant investment highlights 바카라사이트 government¡¯s commitment to supporting postgraduate training and research in 바카라사이트 environmental sciences. The strong support for this programme from a number of international partners, such as BP, Microsoft and Arup, is enormously encouraging.¡±

The 15 partnerships will be led by 바카라사이트 universities of Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, East Anglia, Bristol, Reading, Leeds, Southampton, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester, Imperial College London, University College London and Lancaster and Durham universities

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