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This scheme offers up to two years follow-on funding to EPSRC-funded research students after they have submitted their DPhil.

Purpose

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize scheme is intended to help universities retain and recruit the best PhD students receiving EPSRC support to increase the impact of their PhD, and to improve retention of the very best students in research careers. Awards can comprise between three months and two years salary (at the first point on the University salary scale of grade 07S) and research support costs for an EPSRC-funded student following the submission of their DPhil thesis.

Supervisors nominate students, and applications are then reviewed by a MPLS panel chaired by the Associate Head of Division (Academic).

Deadlines

Guidance for the 2023 competition has been issued to academic administrators to forward onto supervisors. You can also download the call for applications (PDF)

A text version of the PDF call for applications document is also available.

The deadline for applications for the 2023 competition is 12pm, Tuesday 21 March 2023.

Eligibility

Nominated candidates:

  • Must be EPSRC funded students (that is, they must have received fees and/or stipend from an EPSRC training grant, or have been funded on an EPSRC research grant);
  • Should meet the EPSRC's expectation that they are academically in the top 10-15 per cent of their cohort;
  • Must have either already submitted their DPhil thesis or be reasonably expected to do so in advance of the proposed start date of funding (consideration might also be given to starting the award after the candidate has completed their viva).

Departments:

  • should ensure that the nominee's project is a viable one, will further the aim of increasing the impact of the student's doctoral research in terms of publications, KT and outreach, and will be helpful in retaining the student in a research career (EPSRC will ask the University to report at the end of the award period on the use of the awards and the outputs obtained, in terms of these objectives);
  • should ensure that appropriate support/space etc., is available;
  • and that an induction procedure will be followed at the time the awardee commences employment.

Funding may be requested to cover three to 24 months salary, research support costs and other specific costs, with the majority of awards expected to be of six months duration.

Salary will be at Grade 07S.01 with employer costs of pension and National Insurance allowed for. The panel reserves the right to make awards at a lower level and/or for a shorter time period than that applied for.

Any queries should be directed to graduate.studies@mpls.ox.ac.uk.