EPSRC Doctoral Prize 2025

Apply

Key facts

  • Number of scholarships: 1
  • Value: 1 year salary at Grade 7 Point 29
  • Opens: 15 November 2024
  • Deadline: 28 February 2025
  • Helps with: Living costs
  • Duration: 12 months

Summary

We are pleased to announce a call for an EPSRC Doctoral Prize funded by the EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership grant.  The award provides funding for one year of salary to support an outstanding researcher in further developing their research activities following completion of a PhD.  To be eligible, candidates must have received EPSRC funding for their PhD or EngD programme, successfully passed their PhD viva voce exam, and submitted the final version of their thesis by the start of the Doctoral Prize project (expected between May and October 2025).

For the 2025 call, each Faculty is limited to two applications and should conduct an initial faculty-led selection process to identify their top two candidates for submission to the central panel. The deadline for each Faculty will be communicated internally.

Back to scholarship

Eligibility

The University is committed to diversity and inclusion. Applications are welcome from all candidates who fulfil the EPSRC requirements. Candidates who completed their PhD/EngD outside of Strathclyde are welcome to apply, provided the Project Sponsor on their application is a Strathclyde academic.

The award is intended to allow promising research to develop in new directions. Consequently, the gap between the end of the PhD/EngD project and the start of the Postdoctoral Pathway project should not normally be more than 9 months.

Candidates must have been funded for their doctoral studies at a UK institution by the EPSRC in the form of stipend and/or fees in order to be eligible for the EPSRC Doctoral Prize award. This includes students funded from the following sources: EPSRC DTP, EPSRC Industrial CASE, EPSRC CDT, EPSRC Project Studentships, and EPSRC NPIF Awards. EPSRC CDT Incorporated Students are also eligible to apply for the Postdoctoral Pathway award. Those funded by other Research Councils are not eligible.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate a clear commitment to remaining in academia.

Candidates must have passed their PhD/EngD viva and submitted the final (corrected and bound) version of their thesis prior to the start of the Doctoral Prize project. The Doctoral Prize project will normally be expected to begin between 1st May and 1st October 2025 and no later than 5th January 2026, with good reason. Start dates must be agreed with the Project Sponsor and Head of Department and will be subject to approval by the EPSRC Doctoral Prize assessment panel at Strathclyde.

Any questions about eligibility should be directed to the relevant Faculty prior to an application being submitted.

Subject eligibility

Electronic & electrical engineering, Mathematics & statistics, Mechanical & aerospace engineering, Naval architecture ocean & marine engineering, Pharmacy & biomedical sciences, Physics, Forensic science, Management science, Aeronautical engineering, Biochemistry, Biology & biological sciences, Biomedical science, Civil engineering, Data analytics, Environmental engineering, Health, Mechanical engineering, Microbiology, Naval architecture, Ocean engineering, Pharmacology, Product design, Prosthetics & orthotics, Renewable energy, Software engineering, Engineering, Science, Marine Engineering, Architecture, Biomedical engineering, Chemical engineering, Chemistry, Computer science, Design manufacture & engineering management, Civil & environmental engineering

Levels eligibility

Postgraduate Research

Study modes eligibility

Part Time, Full Time

Fee Status

Home (Scottish), England or N. Ireland or Rep. Ireland or Wales, International

Student type

Current student, Applicant

Back to scholarship

Project details

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize funds a 1-year salary for an outstanding researcher to support the further development of their research activities following completion of PhD studies. Candidates must have had EPSRC funding for their PhD programme and must have successfully completed their PhD viva voce exam and submitted the final version of the thesis by the start of the Doctoral Prize project (approximately between May and October 2025).

When assessing the applications the Panel will be looking for evidence of:

  • the excellence of the researcher;
  • the quality of the research proposed;
  • how this research is substantively new and different from the candidate’s PhD work; and
  • the role of the proposed research in advancing the career prospects of the applicant.

Projects are welcomed in any area of research under the EPSRC remit.

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize award recipient must have a Project Sponsor: a PI who will support the Fellow’s research and, where appropriate, host the Fellow’s research. The Doctoral Prize award recipient is encouraged to choose a Project Sponsor other than their PhD/EngD Supervisor. 

If there are reasons why a candidate intends to choose their PhD/EngD supervisor as Project Sponsor they must provide a clear justification for this and demonstrate how they will deliver research outputs which are new and substantially different from the PhD/EngD research programme and at an appreciably more enhanced level.

Proposals should explain how the candidate will manage the project and how this will be facilitated by the Project Sponsor with whom they are working.

Back to scholarship

Further information

Funding availability

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize award will provide funding in the form of a salary for 12 months (or equivalent for part-time) at Grade 7 (spinal point 29) on the Strathclyde salary scale.

In addition to a salary, the Doctoral Prize award recipient will be eligible to apply for up to £2,000 to support travel and consumables costs. Importantly, the candidate is expected to also deliver outreach activities through Postdoctoral Prize award. Such outreach activities and how these additional available funds could contribute to the support of these endeavours should be detailed in the application. 

 

Back to scholarship

How to apply

Prospective candidates should, alongside their chosen Project Sponsor, submit the following documents electronically as determined by their Faculty. Please send all documents, excluding the equality monitoring form, as one PDF. The equality monitoring form should be submitted separately to rkes-pgrfunding@strath.ac.uk. 

For the 2025 call, each Faculty is limited to two applications and should conduct an initial faculty-led selection process to identify their top two candidates for submission to the central panel. The deadline for each Faculty will be communicated internally.

  • A completed application form (see below).
  • A brief CV (2 page maximum: Arial font, size 11 or equivalent).
  • Letter of support from the Head of the Department where the candidate intends to conduct their research. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Letter of support from the proposed Project Sponsor. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • A reference from the primary PhD/EngD Supervisor. This must be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Optional: Letters of support from proposed industry partners, or other relevant references. These should be signed, dated, and headed.
  • Optional: An equality monitoring form (submitted separately).

Applications are welcomed from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria, regardless of which UK institution they completed their PhD/EngD at.

Internal applicants can access the EPSRC Doctoral Prize application form on the R&KE Portal.

External applicants should contact their chosen Faculty to request the application form and to allow for eligibility to be determined.

 

Faculty of Engineering

Deadline for applications for internal consideration is 5pm, Friday 28th February 2025. 

Prospective applicants should submit their application to their PGR Administrator or PGR Director. Please note that departments may have earlier internal deadlines, candidates should contact the relevant departmental administrator for details.

 

Faculty of Science

Deadline for applications for internal consideration is 5pm, Wednesday 26th February 2025.

Applications should be sent to science-research@strath.ac.uk

 

The deadline for Faculties to submit their two candidates to the central panel is 5pm, 12th March 2025.
Prospective candidates should be aware of each faculty's earlier internal deadline. Please contact your faculty for further details.

Back to scholarship

Contact us

Please contact the relevant Faculty if you have any questions regarding the EPSRC Doctoral Prize, eligibility, or the application form.