A short presentation giving details of how to apply for WRoCAH studentships

1. A PhD with the White Rose
College of Arts &
Humanities
Caryn Douglas,
WRoCAH Manager

2. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

3. WRoCAH is one of the leading AHRC Doctoral
Training Partnerships
All Russell Group Universities
White Rose research culture
Vast research capacity
Collegiate, collaborative, friendly

4. Who are we? … in numbers
 £33.4M from the AHRC 2014-2023
 £10.7M from the Universities of Leeds,
Sheffield and York 2014-2023
 300 registered doctoral researchers at any one
time
 150 PhD alumni (and growing)
 24 core partner organisations
 200+ partner organisations worldwide

5. WRoCAH is delivering in the new landscape
for PhD research and training
Research
Research
Training
Researcher
Development
Students should,
wherever possible,
benefit from the
advantages of being
developed as part of a
broader peer group
UKRI – Statement of
Expectations for
Postgraduate Training,
January 2015

6. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

7. Two types of AHRC award available with
WRoCAH
Open Competition Awards (OCA)
 Student-led projects
 Apply for PhD
 Then apply for funding from
WRoCAH
Collaborative Doctoral Awards
(CDA)
 Defined projects
 Apply for project to the
supervisor
 Then apply for funding from
WRoCAH
ALL AWARDS - UK/EU rate Research Degree Fees paid for 3 years
Plus (depending on residence eligibility)
Tax-free stipend £14,777 per annum in 2018/9

8. A comprehensive training programme

9. Initial funding offer is for 40 months
Assumes…
 Basic PhD of 36 months, plus an extra month’s credit for:
 Full engagement with WRoCAH training programme, including
attending all whole cohort events
 Internationalisation Project
 Researcher Employability Project
 Knowledge Exchange Project
In your application you can also outline plans for:
 Additional intensive language training of over 1 month
 Additional intensive research methods training of over 1 month
 Additional time embedded with a research partner organisation
(Collaborative Projects)

10. Funding duration confirmed at first year
review
Research Schedule to completion, including timing of WRoCAH-
required activities
Detailed justification for funding over 40 months, eg:
 Longer Researcher Employability Project (up to 3 months)
 Intensive language training *
 Intensive research methodologies training *
Maximum 48 months funding.
(We expect most awards will be 40-42 months)
From 2019 all AHRC Studentship holders are
required to submit within the funded period

11. Structured funding opportunities to extend
students as a cohort and as individuals
Cohort
Development
Fund
Whole
cohort
events
Student Led
Forums
Collective
Training
Personalised
research
support
Engagement
Employability
Project
Knowledge
Exchange
Training
Global
research

12. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

13. First, get your place of study at sorted, THEN
apply for funding - TIMELINE
Nov
2018
• Competition opens 5 November 2018
• Open competition across the three Universities
23 Jan
2019
• Closing deadline for student funding applications to WRoCAH
early
Mar
2019
• Students will be informed if they have made the first cut
12
April
2019
• Students who made the first cut will be informed if their
applications have been successful

14. You can see studentship availability via the
WRoCAH website
www.wrocah.ac.uk

15. AHRC Competition Studentships: read the
guidance notes for applicants
 Don’t try filling in the application
until you have read them
 Different guidance notes for Open
Competition and CDA Awards
 Familiarise yourself with the WRoCAH
offer
 Show that you’re familiar with the
opportunities available in your
application
 Talk to a current WRoCAH student
 Write, rewrite etc.

16. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
 Academic excellence
 Upward trajectory
 Contextualised for subject area
 Relevant work experience (duration/level)
 Significant non-academic achievements
 Awards, presentations, papers etc
 Progress in initial research for existing students
1. Quality of
Applicant
Your application will get two independent reviews
from academics at the other two Universities

17. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
Your project in context of the existing body of
knowledge in this research area
 Your understanding of your research area
 Originality of the contribution to knowledge
 Proposed methodology
 How you communicate in your proposal (to non-
specialists)
2. Quality of
Project
Your independent reviewers may be non-
specialists in your area – write clearly

18. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
 Your Fit with your prospective school or
department and its wider cross-White Rose
activities
 Your Training – what training will you need to take
your research forward?
 What you will bring to and gain from being part
of WRoCAH?
3. Fit with
WRoCAH
You need to show us you’re bringing more than just
a fine brain – self awareness and collegiality

19. Ignore the Grade Descriptors at your peril
There is a full set of the grade descriptors that will be used to
evaluate applications in the Guidance Notes.
 Without evidence it is very hard for reviewers to make
accurate judgements so include as much as you can in
your application.
 Reviewers do not have the discretion to give ‘benefit of
the doubt’ so you will be marked down if evidence is not
present.

20. Tips for success
 Engage EARLY with your
prospective supervisor
 Project proposal – 4,000 characters
 Get feedback on your project proposal
 Write for non-specialist academics
 Draft > edit > feedback > edit > redraft > repeat
 Spend some serious time on your application –
you’re asking for £60K+
CRITICAL DATES: 23 Jan| early Mar |12 Apr

21. “The additional support (both
developmental and financial)
from WRoCAH has been
excellent and really means I can
maximise additional training
and development
opportunities”
“WRoCAH’s input has really
enhance my PhD experience so
far”
“WRoCAH have been brilliant at
communicating and explaining
issues and opportunities”
“…the blended support of both
WRoCAH and my
supervisor/department - both
have played complimentary
roles in ensuring I felt equipped
to progress”
“being a WRoCAH student
offered me the means to
achieve many of the things that
I was aspiring to do in my life”
What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?