EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership 

The Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) provides bi-annual funding to UK universities to support their doctoral training and development in the fields of engineering and the physical sciences. 

Heriot-Watt has received EPSRC DTP funding for several years, with the most recent award of £7.2m made in 2022. Funding has been allocated to the university based on our research excellence and impact, demonstrated through an extensive EPSRC-funded research portfolio.  

The EPSRC DTP is a cornerstone initiative at Heriot-Watt, supporting our ability to attract top-tier students, retain and recruit outstanding staff, and provide training and specialised support for students, supervisors, and other staff involved in the postgraduate research experience. 

Opportunities

The flexibility of the EPSRC DTP means we have funding available for a suite of schemes that not only support studentships, but also provide opportunities for fledgling researchers and those who have completed their doctoral degree and are looking to step into their first post-doc role. 

Studentships

The majority of DTP funding supports studentships with relevance to the EPSRC remit - see more info on the EPSRC website here - and can fund stipend and/or fees for up to 3.5 years. We are open to Heriot-Watt, industrial partner and student-led research ideas. We encourage cross-disciplinary projects as well as collaborative projects with industrial partners aligned to areas of strategic importance within the university, and those strategic priorities identified by EPSRC. This includes, but is not limited to, areas related to Heriot-Watt's Global Research Institutes and frontier research. 

Doctoral students can expect a collaborative and supportive environment which fosters high-quality research and enhances the skills, knowledge and experience of students pursuing a PhD in engineering and the physical sciences. Training provided takes account of varying prior and future career pathways, from academia to industry, in an inclusive and supportive environment. 

Studentships are open to all nationalities and across all research areas and we actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds.    

Live studentship opportunities are advertised via the individual Heriot-Watt University Schools' webpages - and bookmark this page for updates when the scheme opens.