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Impact Awards

Impact awards support collaborative studentship projects with organisations such as charities, companies, government institutions and social enterprises. UCL part funds the studentships, contributing £32,535 towards the cost of a 3 year PhD. Awards may be used to support 4 year PhDs, where the additional year is charged in full to another source.

To qualify for an Impact award the proposer must identify an organisational partner to match the UCL contribution. In special cases the contributor may be a UCL unit. Typically the contributor should be an external party. Research Council funds may not be used.

Impact awards cover fees, stipend (minimum UK Research Council with London weighting), and research costs of £1000/annum. Any additional costs must be charged entirely to the organisational partner. Awards may be used to support UK and EU nationals only.

Applications must be submitted by prospective supervisors. Applications submitted by prospective students will be disqualified and may be refused resubmission.

Each project must be submitted as a separate application. Projects comprising multiple studentships are allowed. Where applicants submit multiple projects in a single application, all projects will be disqualified and may be refused resubmission.

Proposal Criteria

  1. The scheme is open to all UCL faculty eligible to supervise PhD students.
  2. Although there is no restriction on the remit of the research, proposals addressing one or more of UCL's Grand Challenges are welcomed. Proposals which aim to develop links with overseas research institutions and funders are also encouraged.
  3. The match-funding contributor should typically be an external party. In special circumstances, a UCL unit may be the contributor (applications should explain why a third party cannot be identified). Research Council funds may not be used.
  4. The project partner must make a minimum cash contribution of £32,535.
  5. The anticipated impact of the research must be clearly articulated.
  6. Impact studentships may be used to support students designated for Home/EU fees.
  7. Impact studentships may not be used to support existing students.
  8. Impact students should be willing to contribute to departmental teaching.
  9. Projects comprising multiple studentships may be requested, as long as the match-funding expectation for each individual studentship is satisfied.

Proposal Format

Proposals should be in the form of a two A4 page case for support (single-sided), containing a: (a) description of the research question and proposed project; (b) statement of the impact of the research in the short, medium and long term; (c) summary of the track record of the supervisor(s), including both the number of current students, and completions (with completion times) over the past five years, and; (d) note of approval of the scientific remit and commitments from the relevant Head(s) of Unit. A minimum font-size of 10pt, with top and side margins of no less than 1cm should be used. Where match-funds have been secured, a letter of confirmation from the project partner should be appended. Where match-funds will be sought post-award, target project partners should be cited. If a student has been identified, their (short) CV should be appended.

All supporting documentation must be submitted with the application by the closing date. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Award Conditions

It is recognised that it is not possible to fix start dates for these awards as they involve the match-funding contribution of an external partner which may be subject to negotiation. The contribution of the project partner must be sufficient to cover at least 50% of the lifetime cost of the studentship at the standard RC rate at the time of project start.

Make Application