DTA3/COFUND Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowship program
University Alliance is a mission group representing and supporting modern civic universities with a professional and technical focus. Our work includes developing collaborative programmes through which our member universities seek to enhance their student experience and research such as the Doctoral Training Alliance – a unique cohort-based doctoral training programme with a strong interdisciplinary and industry-focused ethos. Its objective is to train and develop highly employable researchers in strategically important areas. The extended University Alliance Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA3) brings together our existing doctoral training initiatives in Applied Biosciences for Health, Energy and Social Policy following a €6.5million award from the European Commission, under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND scheme.
The DTA3/COFUND Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowship programme (DTA3 / COFUND) will be delivered across a consortium of 15 universities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The fifteen universities are:
- University of Brighton
- Coventry University
- University of Central Lancashire
- University of Greenwich
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Huddersfield
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Nottingham Trent University
- The Open University
- University of Portsmouth
- Sheffield Hallam University
- University of South Wales
- Teesside University
- Ulster University
It will develop 83 early stage researchers from across the EU and beyond as internationally-connected, independent researchers with interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral skills and experience, ready for industrial employment in the European and UK priority challenge areas of healthcare, clean energy and social policy.
The programme will foster transnational mobility through an extended network of international associate partners in Europe and overseas, including Australia and South Africa, to provide recruitment and international placements.
Early stage researchers can apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral fellowships to obtain an interdisciplinary PhD at a DTA3 / COFUND university and join our wider DTA cohort currently made up of 150 students & 300 supervisors.
The project leading to this application has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801604
Eligibility
To qualify for a DTA3 / COFUND Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral fellowship opportunity, applicants must
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- Be ‘early-stage researchers’ (i.e. in the first four years of their research careers and not have a doctoral degree). See Guidance from the EU for the definition of an early-stage researcher;
- Not have been resident, nor carried out their main activity, in the UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before taking up a DTA3 / COFUND opportunity
- Not already be permanently employed by the entity where the DTA3 / COFUND opportunity will take place.
- Have a postgraduate master’s degree or a first/upper second-class honours degree or equivalent in a subject relevant to the chosen research topic (see individual project details for more information);
- Have a strong scholarly interest in the research, and a high level of motivation;
- Demonstrate English language competency, as specified by the respective university.
- For full details of requirements see the DTA3 / COFUND Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral fellowship job description and person specification.
- All participating universities have a commitment to equality and diversity and welcome applications from under-represented groups. In addition, all participating universities are ‘Disability Confident’ or equivalent employers.
- Successful candidates will be offered a contract of employment that will be conditional upon satisfactory references, the fulfilment of any conditions specified in the offer of a place on a PhD programme, and confirmation of the candidate’s right to work in the UK or ability to secure a valid visa, if required, from UK Visas and Immigration. Please note that as DTA3/COFUND PhD Fellows will be employees of the host university, a student visa (Tier 4) would not be counted as a valid visa.
Why should I apply?
As well as benefiting from the world-class facilities, supervisors and support at their chosen institution, researchers on a DTA programme will be joining a much broader professional community – where they can enjoy the collaborative power, expertise and reach of the Doctoral Training Alliance.
By combining vital research skills such as critical reasoning and epistemology with practical innovation and entrepreneurial expertise, the programmes will produce postgraduate researchers who are job-ready and can apply the results of their excellent research to deliver real world impact.
Researchers on a DTA programme will be encouraged to collaborate on their work with colleagues in the cohort; attend annual induction, summer school and networking events; co-delivered training and development courses; as well as employer and industry events relevant to their chosen field.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below