Category / ESRC

ESRC SWDTP – Applications open for PhD Studentships for September 2026

Bournemouth University is delighted to be part of the Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP), one of the UK’s largest centres of postgraduate research training for social scientists, including in the fields of Health, Wellbeing & Society, Psychology, Climate Change & Sustainability.

Bournemouth University was successfully awarded 2 PhD studentships in 2024 and 3 PhD Studentship and 1 Post Doc Research Fellow in 2025.

The call for PhD Studentships starting in September 2026 is now live.

Full details can be found here: ESRC Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) | Bournemouth University

Applicants may apply for an ESRC studentship at Bournemouth University in one of the following pathways:

Studentships cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend for living costs and other additional forms of support and are normally for 3 years 3 months plus 3 months “Research in Practice” (placement). Part-time studentships will be offered pro rata to their full-time equivalent.

Applicants should contact a potential supervisors (listed in each pathway) and submit an applications via myHUB, together with the relevant supporting information:

  • SWDTP Studentship Application Form 2026 Entry (Annex A) (docx 224kb) which includes the research proposal, the name(s) of the potential supervisors
  • Supervisor Supporting Statement Form for 2026 Entry (Annex B) (docx 183kb) which must be completed by the nominated primary supervisor
  • One reference from someone familiar with the applicant’s academic work
  • Verified transcript of the applicant’s highest qualification to date or an interim transcript if they are still studying
  • If the applicant is not a national of a majority English-speaking country, they will need to submit evidence of their proficiency in English.

To find out more, please join us for an online information session:

Monday 27 October 2025 | 14-00 – 15:00 | Online – Microsoft Teams.

To join the meeting, please email swdtp@bournemouth.ac.uk and you will be sent an invite to join the meeting.

New funding available for doctoral training studentships as BU joins the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has announced new investment in 15 doctoral training partnerships (DTPs) spanning 89 institutions over the next five years, providing professional development and training opportunities to enhance the capabilities of doctoral candidates.

BU was part of a successful £15.3m bid which now enables colleagues to bid for prestigious ESRC-funded doctoral studentships.

We have partnered with the University of Bristol, University of Bath, Bath Spa University, University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, University of St Mark and St John (Marjon), and University of the West of England as part of the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP).

Students sat chatting outside the Doctoral College

The partnership will cover the breadth of social sciences, as well as areas of interdisciplinary research. The ESRC awards cover five years of PhD studentships, with the first intake beginning in October 2024. The ESRC aims to support 500 students a year nationwide across the partnerships.

The DTPs will also develop tailored training programmes for students and staff and support a wide variety of collaborative activities, including events and placement opportunities. 

Professor Mike Silk, Institutional Lead for BU and a member of the SWDTP Management Board, said: “This is a prestigious award which will fund over 170 studentships across the consortium of SWDTP partners and provides us with an exciting opportunity to further elevate our postgraduate provision in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary pathways aligned with the ESRC.

“It allows BU staff and students to benefit from the leadership and research knowledge across all eight institutions and for BU to enhance and extend its research environment, promote and support excellent, innovative, diverse and interdisciplinary research, and foster transferable research skills and the career development of our postgraduate researchers.”

He added that the partnership will also bring additional benefits, with all registered postgraduate research students at BU now having access to opportunities for additional training across partner institutions, sharing best practice, resources and academic knowledge, placements, and funding for staff projects and events.

Fiona Knight, Head of The Doctoral College at BU, said: “The Doctoral College is excited to be collaborating with our partners in the SWDTP and the opportunity to share best practice, resources and academic knowledge.

“This partnership will strengthen our support for all of our social science postgraduate researchers and enable access to a network of social scientists across the DTP.”

The funding means that BU will now be able to bid for ESRC-funded doctoral studentships across several areas of excellence that align to the ESRC’s funding priorities – including Health, Wellbeing, and Society; Psychology; and Climate change, Sustainability, and Society.

Stian Westlake, ESRC Executive Chair, said: “Our vision for postgraduate training is that it will develop globally competitive social science researchers who can operate in interdisciplinary, collaborative, and challenge-led environments across a range of sectors and who have a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

“This redesigned and expanded doctoral training opportunity will enhance the experience for PhD students and boost the UK’s capability.”

Find out more about BU studentships and opportunities through the SWDTP

Visit the South West Doctoral Training Partnership website