It is easiest to investigate funding possibilities before you begin your doctorate. However, under certain circumstances it is possible to receive funding for your doctoral study after you have started it. This page covers common sources of funding for overall research and maintanence costs.
and gives advice on making successful applications for funding, relevant also to seeking funding for specific purposes, such as a research trip or organising/attending a meeting or conference.
Common providers of funding
It is only possible to give a brief overview of likely funders of postgraduate research. In fact, many more organisations fund research than it is possible to detail here. The suggestions below are the most common routes and the most likely to be successful. However, if you are imaginative and persistent you may well find that it is possible to convince a much wider range of organisations to support your research project.
University funding
Approaching an institution where you would like to study is where you should start with any search for funding. You should investigate a number of universities and ask them what funding they may be able to provide, both internally and through their wider contacts.
Many universities provide funding for postgraduate researchers and offer bursaries in a variety of forms. Academics also frequently have good contacts that can help you to get interesting research funded by industrial partners or other bodies.
Research councils
The UK research councils are autonomous, non-departmental public bodies principally funded from the science budget received from the Office of Science and Technology. They support research, study and training in universities and other higher education establishments, their own institutes and international research centres. The councils do not accept direct applications from students - university departments apply for studentships for which they then recruit graduates. Linked Masters/doctoral courses and doctorates are funded by the AHRC and ESRC. To apply for this funding, you will need to make a joint application with your study tutor/institution.
The Research Councils are:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (formerly Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council)
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
Funding for international students (outside of the European Economic Area) is not available from the UK research councils. The British Council offers advice on alternative sources of funding, as will the higher education institution to which you are applying and the education ministry in your home country.
Trusts and charities
There is a wide variety of charities that fund research as a major part of their activities. These include:
- the Wellcome Trust, which is the UK's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research and research into the history of medicine
- many other medical charities, for example Cancer Research UK and Arthritis Research Campaign
- The Leverhulme Trust, which is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which funds research that is likely to inform social policy
- the Nuffield Foundation, which aims to bring about improvements in society through research and practical experiment. Support falls into two main categories: support of research and innovation that will bring about beneficial social change and development of research and professional capacity.
Depending on your circumstances and chosen subject there may also be opportunities for funding through employment; sponsorship by employers/industry; research and graduate teaching assistantships; combining part-time work and part-time research. Bodies related to an area of study (eg professional societies) may also offer awards.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Postgraduate researchers resident in Scotland and Northern Ireland are eligible for studentships awarded by the research councils. Postgraduate researchers in Scotland wishing to study vocational subjects that fall outside the scope of government departments or agencies may be eligible for funding from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) Postgraduate Student Allowance Scheme (PSAS). In Northern Ireland the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI) provides some funding for humanities, science and technology, and social sciences. Students applying for courses not covered by DELNI or the Research Councils may be eligible for an award from their local Education and Library Board (ELB).
Applying for funding
Apart from maintenance and research costs you can also apply for funding for specific purposes like buying a piece of equipment, funding a particular research trip or the organisation of, or attendance at, a meeting or conference. Whatever you are applying for it is useful to do some research into the funder and to think through the following questions.
- What are the formal requirements that this funding application needs to meet?
- What has this funder funded in the past?
- What has this funder said they will fund in the future?
- Who will be responsible for making the decision about this funding application and what are their main interests?
Funders will generally favour proposals that:
- are interesting and ambitious (but realistic)
- outline a clear and focused set of outcomes that the funding will help to deliver
- explain why this proposal is linked to the funder's existing activities
- provide all of the information that they ask for in a clear and logical structure
- provide some brief context for the proposal, eg by citing key publications that you are building on
- are the correct length or slightly shorter
- are submitted on time.
It is very useful to ask your supervisor and other academic staff to read through any funding proposal that you make. They will have lots of experience of applying to similar bodies so make use of their feedback as much as you can.
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