Warwick ESRC Doctoral Training Centre

1. Warwick ESRC Doctoral Training Centre

2. WHAT IS A DOCTORAL TRAINING CENTRE?

3. ESRC support for PhD students in Social Sciences takes place through the funding of Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs), based either in single universities or consortia of several universities • Of the 21 DTCs, 12 involve single universities and 9 consortia, including one DTC covering 9 Scottish institutions and another covering 4 Welsh universities

4. High concentration of ESRC postgraduate training, with a total of only 46 universities included in the 21 DTCs. • In the Midlands, Warwick, Birmingham, Nottingham and Oxford have recognised Doctoral Training Centres. • Warwick is the third largest single institution DTC

5. DTC Training Framework designed to provide flexibility to institutions and to foster inter-disciplinary and collaborative training and research • DTC recognition based on proposals submitted to ESRC by institutions for specific ‘training pathways’, which are based on single disciplines and inter-disciplinary themes • Each DTC has a six year bloc of studentships, the majority of which the ESRC expects to be allocated across the approved ‘training pathways’ according to criteria decided by the DTC

6. ESRC expectations • All DTC students must fulfil ESRC expectations for ‘core’ research methods, researcher development training, and the subject-specific training included in each ‘training pathway’ as approved by ESRC • ESRC wants to encourage more advanced training in areas such as quantitative social science • ESRC runs a series of national conferences for DTC students.

7. Opportunities for DTCs • Greater flexibility in how studentships are structured, including, for example, 4 year PhD programmes • Also greater financial flexibility for institutions, e.g. in re-allocating funds where individual students complete programmes or drop out early, or studentships are jointly funded in conjunction with external bodies

8. Opportunities continued…. • New Framework also intended to encourage greater involvement of non-academic bodies in postgraduate training • Each DTC is required to ensure that a minimum of 20% of its studentships involve some kind of ‘collaboration’ with public, private or third sector organisations • Collaboration can mean: • joint funding for students to undertake specific research projects • student placements, mentoring arrangements, etc.

9. WARWICK ESRC DTChttp://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/socialsciencesdtc/

10. Warwick DTC organisation • Includes 13 training pathways based on single disciplines, plus 6 on inter-disciplinary themes • Warwick DTC has an annual quota of 27 ESRC studentships, of which 10 are subject to an ESRC ‘steer’ to Economics (6) and Management and Business Studies (4) • Co-funding: DTC has been successful in securing 5 additional studentships for this year from the University, and in ‘badging’ some Chancellor’s studentships. These studentships have the same conditions and opportunities as other ESRC DTC studentships.

11. Provision • We provide ‘core’ and ‘advanced’ research methods and researcher skills training on a DTC wide, inter-disciplinary basis. • Non-ESRC PhD students are invited to participate in this training. • We also provide support for the collaborative studentships.

12. Collaborative studentships • Our 2012-2013 DTC-wide competition for collaborative studentships was successful, with 7 applications, 5 of which we were able to support. We will hold another competition this year. • We will also be developing our strategy in relation to mentors from outside the University. • Students who start in 2013 are eligible to switch to a collaborative award, if appropriate

13. Competition for collaborative studentships Criteria for competition include: • Extent of student involvement with external body • Level of support provided by external body • Whether builds on or likely to lead to wider collaboration • Impact on policy and practice in field • Contribution to ESRC strategic priorities

14. MANAGEMENT OF DTC

15. Organisation • Warwick ESRC DTC has a Director (Michael Saward, 50% fte), an Administrator (Hazel Rice, 50% fte) and a Training Co-ordinator (Sumila Bhandari, 50% fte) • DTC Offices: B0.04, Social Sciences • There is a DTC Management Committee chaired by Chair of the Faculty of Social Science, and including ex officio Pro VC for Research in Arts and Social Science and Chair of BGS • Each department participating in DTC has a representative on Management Committee • Committee also has student representation

16. Pathway Coordinators • Each training pathway has a Pathway Coordinator to serve as a link between supervisors and students, on the one hand, and the DTC, on the other. • Main responsibility of Pathway Coordinator is to ensure ESRC-funded students meet requirements of ESRC and also take advantage of support and opportunities available to them through the DTC. Also, to ensure pathway-specific training is in place.

17. ESRC funding to DTC ESRC grant to the University is based on an average of 3.5 years funding for each studentship (though students normally receive either 3 or 4 year studentships). It includes: • Fees • Maintenance • Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) • Overseas Fieldwork Allowance (OFA) • Total is awarded to DTC, which distributes fees and maintenance to departments and students and distributes RTSG and OFA, on basis of criteria approved by DTC Management Committee

18. Research Training Support Grant RTSG is available to each student to cover: • UK fieldwork expenses • UK, EU and overseas conferences and summer schools • language training courses usually undertaken in the UK prior to an overseas fieldwork trip • reimbursement of interpreters, guides, assistants • survey costs, eg printing, stationery, telephone calls • purchase of small items of equipment eg cameras, tape recorders, films, cassettes. Students request release of these funds in advance – supervisors need to approve these requests on the relevant form

19. Overseas fieldwork • Full-time students can apply for up to 12 months overseas fieldwork • Part-time students can only apply if they convert to full-time study for the period of their overseas fieldwork • There are notional allowances set out in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide for overseas fieldwork • However, both the period of any fieldwork approved and the amount of funding available through the DTC will depend on competing claims • Hence the potential need for students to use RTSG to cover some overseas fieldwork expenses • Plans for overseas fieldwork should be notified to DTC and ESRC at earliest opportunity

20. ESRC internship scheme • Students can apply directly to the ESRC under their internship scheme • Scheme covers specific organisations selected by ESRC who have agreed to meet part of cost of studentship • ESRC will provide a 3-month extension to the student’s award to cover the period of the internship

21. International PhD partnerships We were successful in our bid to the ESRC to establish PhD partnerships with 15 overseas institutions:

22. Partner institutions • The Latin American School of Social Sciences, Argentina • University of Sao Paolo, Brazil • Universidad Diego Portales, Chile • China Foreign Affairs University • Fudan University, China • Universidad de los Andes, Colombia • Charles University, Czech Republic • University of Education, Ghana • City University of Hong Kong • Centre for Internet and Society, India • Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India • Nagoya University, Japan • Centro do Investigacion y EstudiosSuperiores en Antroplogia Social, Mexico • National Research University, Russia • University of Zimbabwe

23. Partnership benefits • The partnerships have been designed so as to contribute to students’ intellectual development and career progression; and to give access to existing and emerging world-class facilities as well as experience of international research collaboration. All the partnerships involve reciprocal arrangements so all DTC students can benefit from these developing relationships. • Getting involved will give students the benefit of interaction with peers and experienced researchers in international research collaboration and give you the skills, links and contacts to operate in the global research environment. • Funding for travel and accommodation and to develop webinars to support participation in partnerships. • These opportunities are only open to ESRC-funded DTC students

24. Additional time/allowances available to students Extension to studentship periods are available to students requiring: • Specialist language training necessary for their fieldwork • Specialist film training necessary to their research There is also provision for maternity/paternity leave and a disabled students allowance.

25. ESRC deadlines • ESRC students must have their details entered on the JeS Student Details Portal (SDP) by 14th October • Departmental administrative staff should be able to operate the JeS SDP; queries should be addressed to the Graduate School

26. Submission deadline • ESRC requires students to submit within 12 months of the end of their period of funding by the DTC • ESRC policy on granting extensions remains unchanged (eg will not be given retrospectively to cover period of previous illness; will not cover the need to work during periods when not funded).

27. ESRC students undertaking work • Full-time students are expected to devote 1650 hours (exclusive of 8 weeks holiday) to the studies • Any work commitments undertaken by a student (including teaching) must fit in with this expectation and must be remunerated separately from the ESRC maintenance award • Students on full-time awards are not allowed to undertake work on a permanent contract of employment. • Students on part-time awards are not allowed to be permanently employed by the University.

28. Non-ESRC funding • Students who receive additional funding for their maintenance or research from non-ESRC sources must report this to the DTC • Depending on the purposes and amount of this funding, it may lead to a reduction in ESRC funding

29. TRAINING IN DTC

30. Core training • Students required to meet Expectations for Core Research Methods and Researcher Development Training (copies available) through a combination of the following: • prior learning (eg ESRC Research Training Masters) • departmental provision as specified in training pathway • DTC core training modules • University Research Students Skills Programme (RSSP)

31. DTC core training modules Four modules designed to satisfy ESRC expectations: • Philosophies of Social Science • Quantitative Methods in Social Research • Qualitative Methods in Social Research • Practice of Social Research Plus selected topics from RSSP Outlines of modules, workshops and timetable available on DTC website

32. Assessment and accreditation • Student attendance on DTC core modules is monitored, and there is formal assessment of each module • Where two modules are completed successfully students can achieve a Postgraduate Award • Where four modules are completed successfully students can achieve a Postgraduate Certificate

33. RSSP workshops A programme of workshops available to all Warwick research students offered by Student Careers and Skills. A number of these courses will be tailored specifically for Social Science students and publicised via the DTC: • How to be an effective researcher • Effective literature searching: journal articles • Understanding academic writing • Elements of structure and organisation in your writing • The academic writing style and language • Referencing and plagiarism Full details will be published on the DTC website.

34. Advanced training Advanced training in DTC is provided through: • Departmental provision for particular subject • Workshops/training sessions put on by DTC • Midlands Graduate School – Warwick, Nottingham and Birmingham – advanced training and annual conference. • Conferences held in Nottingham (November 2012) and Warwick (June 2013) so due to be in Birmingham 2014 • National programme of advanced training (to be funded from RTSG) – details on NCRM website.

35. Training Needs Analysis • Designed to ensure all ESRC students meet ESRC requirements • Form – example circulated - needs to be completed within first week of term in order to determine which departmental/DTC modules and RSSP sessions the student needs to take to meet ESRC expectations. • PLEASE SEND COPY OF COMPLETED FORM TO DTC ADMINISTRATOR • Students should: • Register online for DTC modules • Register on Careers and Skills My Advantage for RSSP sessions • TNA should be updated regularly throughout studentship (at least annually) and a copy forwarded to the DTC office.

36. Continuation reviews • DTC students will be subject to annual review, including an updated Training Needs Analysis • All ESRC students must pass a continuation review by the end of their 2nd year of study. • Students must have completed their core training requirements (including any skills training) by this time and to demonstrate this by an updated Training Needs Analysis

37. DTC Informationhttp://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/socialsciencesdtc Aim is that DTC website should provide information on – • All core training • All departmental pathway training provision (including basis on which may be available to other DTC students) • Advanced training (including from partners in advanced training) • External sources of training, including provision by other DTCs