The ESRC has just announced the introduction of a new national postgraduate training infrastructure which will establish Doctoral Training Centres (DTC) and Doctoral Training Units (DTU).
This is a move away from the ESRC’s recognition and award of studentships to departments/subjects towards institutional level accreditation for social science training.
This new system will be implemented in 2011, at the end of the current three-year allocation of quota studentships.
The ESRC is indicating that it will support 25 DTC across the UK, which could be single institution DTCs or consortia, and it is encouraging all universities to consider the best means for innovative approaches to training and enhanced training provision.
DTCs will be allocated five years of quota studentships and be eligible for all other ESRC studentship competitions.
The University of Bath is carefully considering ESRC documentation and will be taking institutional decisions about the move towards a DTC bid.
There is a small team leading the development of the bid, with Dr Linda Bauld (Social & Policy Sciences) as academic champion in consultation with relevant Deans and Directors of Studies, and support from Vanessa Cuthill (Research Development & Support Office).
Further information about the new ESRC Postgraduate Training Framework is available on the ESRC website.
For further information, please email Vanessa Cuthill