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Research Excellence Scholarships for Cross-disciplinary Training (One-Year)

UCL's Research Excellence Scholarship for Cross-disciplinary Training (RXD) is our new award for current research students to spend a year in another department acquiring new research skills.

We are offering up to 4 scholarships annually are available to full-time UCL MPhil/PhD and EngD students from any country wishing to spend an additional year of their MPhil/PhD or EngD in another UCL department acquiring research skills and knowledge from a different discipline, which can be applied in their normal area of research. Training should be of one year's duration to permit sustained exposure to the new discipline. 

The scholarships can be taken at any point during the fee-paying period of their MPhil/PhD or EngD programme.

Key information

Value: Full fees and maintenance stipend
Available to: Prospective and current students
Selection criteria: Impact of cross-disciplinary research
Eligible fee status: UK, Overseas
Eligible programmes: Full- or part-time research degrees
Additional eligibility criteria: Students must have guaranteed funding for their normal research degree
Deadline: 26 January 2024
Successful candidates notified: Early March 2024

Eligibility

Eligible candidates must:

  • be in receipt of an offer of admission to or currently registered at UCL on a full-time MPhil/PhD or EngD research programme*, and;
  • provide proof of 3 years of guaranteed funding for their normal MPhil/PhD or EngD programme.

* Please note, students must be in the research phase of their degree and still paying fees. Students who have entered or are scheduled to enter CRS before Sept 2024 are not eligible to apply.

Where the student is in receipt of a scholarship or funding (e.g. from UKRI) written permission for the arrangement must be sought from the relevant body. Please note: if you are in receipt of UKRI funding, permission should be granted by the training grant holder (i.e. your UCL department/training centre). If RXD funding is deemed not to be compatible with the terms of funding from current sponsors, then unfortunately you are ineligible to apply to the RXD.

Self-funding students need to provide evidence that they have full funding for the remaining years of their PhD.


Value, benefits, and duration

The scholarships consist of fees equivalent to the applicable graduate rate (UK or overseas) plus a maintenance stipend of £20,622 (2023/24) or - in the case of recipients who already hold a UKRI grant - one that will match their current maintenance grant. The scholarship also includes additional research costs of up to £1,200.

The Cross-disciplinary Scholarships are tenable for one academic year of full-time study in the host department, starting from September.


Selection

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the potential impact that the training would have on the scope and impact of the project and the effect on career aspirations of the candidate.


How to apply

Applications must be made by the Head of the student's home department in conjunction with the Graduate Tutor.

Applications must include the following six documents, in the below order, contained in 1 PDF:

1. A training proposal outline, indicating

  • the student's full name and UCL student number
  • the MPhil/PhD/EngD project and subject area 
  • the host department
  • the benefit to the student from sustained training in the area outside his/her principal discipline 
  • the potential impact that the research project might have and how this would be enhanced by cross-disciplinary training

2. Detailed description of the training programme 

The training programme should be designed for that particular student, and will normally involve some course work (undergraduate or postgraduate). The training programme should provide the student with more than just a specific research tool (such as knowledge of a particular research technique, or a language); the aim should be broader, namely to immerse the student in the methods, approaches and ways of thinking of another discipline.

3. Student's full Curriculum Vitae (CV)

4. A one-page outline of the MPhil/PhD/EngD research project

5. Evidence of three years' MPhil/PhD/EngD funding

6. A letter signed by the heads of both the home and host departments certifying that: 

i. the host department has agreed to accept the student for the training programme specified and to allow the student full access to all relevant courses, tutorials, equipment and facilities

The student should be supervised within the host department with arrangements for reporting across to the student's primary supervisor in the home department.

ii. that the relevant Research Council (where appropriate) has agreed to the proposal

Where the student is in receipt of funding for the MPhil/PhD or EngD, e.g. from a Research Council, written permission for the arrangement from the relevant body must be provided.

iii. that the necessary financial arrangements between the two departments have been agreed

Financial arrangements must be made to ensure that the allocation of resources from College to the host and home departments reflects the proportionate responsibilities of each.

Complete applications must be submitted by Friday, 26 January 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

Applications should be sent by email to Student Funding.


Results

Candidates will be informed of the outcome by 11 March 2024