	About Dorothy Hodgkin
	Advertisement of the Scheme
	Applications and further information
	Data Collection
	Eligibility
	FAQ - Students
	FAQ - Universities
	Operation of the Scheme
	Rationale
	Scheme Features
	University Allocations
	University Contacts

Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards

DHPA applications: FAQs - universities

What are the arrangements for DHPA applications?
Each recipient university will receive a grant, containing funds to cover the number of DHPAs that it has been awarded. The university will be responsible for applying its own recruitment procedures for the selection of its DHPA scholars.

Will RCUK or EPSRC impose a deadline for the selection of DHPA scholars?
No - since recipient universities will follow their own application and recruitment procedures, any deadline imposed will be a matter for the universities, rather than for either EPSRC or RCUK.

Eligibility issues

Are applicants who studied for their first degrees in the UK eligible to receive DHPAs?
Yes - they must be nationals of one of the eligible countries, but there is no restriction on where they carried out their first degrees.

Can a DHPA be used to support a student who is already part-way through their PhD?
DHPA is aimed at supporting new PhD students, and the majority of students applying for DHPA funding are expected not to have started their PhD studies. However, it is recognised that some students may start their PhD studies with the intention of applying for scholarships and funding for the start of the following session.

In cases such as this (where a student has registered since the previous scholarship application deadline), universities may choose to consider this student for DHPA funding, provided that they had not been registered before that previous deadline had passed. However, please note that some universities may choose to restrict their competition to new applicants only.

Students already registered prior to the previous scholarship application deadline will not be eligible to be considered for DHPA funding.

Are applicants for MSc and MA courses eligible for DHPAs?
No - the awards are only available for students who will be studying for a PhD or equivalent doctoral-level award.

What is meant by "an equivalent doctoral-level award"?
During the scheme's pilot, the question was raised regarding the eligibility of other doctoral awards (for example, professional doctorates such as the DrPH) for DHPA funding. A doctoral award such as this may be carried out by a DHPA scholar, provided that the DHPA scholar is trained in research, and developed as a researcher, to a level at least equivalent to that of a PhD.

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Student selection

How can a university ensure that the students it offers DHPAs to are the ‘best of the best’?
Recipient universities will be required to ensure that the students they accept hold a high-grade qualification, at least the equivalent of a UK first class honours degree, from a prestigious academic institution. These students should be considered to be the 'best of the best' (for example, candidates should be demonstrably in the top 20 per cent of PhD candidates).

Most universities will have established procedures in place to guarantee the quality of their overseas students. However, universities seeking further advice may contact the DHPA scheme manager.

What vetting procedures, if any, are required?
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme was implemented on a voluntary basis on 3 September 2007. ATAS clearance became a mandatory requirement, with a subsequent Immigration Rules amendment, from 1 November 2007, replacing the Voluntary Vetting Scheme (VVS). This scheme is run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Students working in certain subject areas who have received offers from their universities will need to apply for an ATAS certificate.

More information about ATAS can be found on the FCO website, including the online application form and FAQs. Please find attached an information leaflet PDF, 110KB .

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Timing issues

Each recipient university has been informed about its DHPA allocation. What happens next?
Recipient universities are informed about the number of DHPAs they had been allocated (together with the associated sponsors) in April each year. Universities are then in a position to recruit students to each of their awards. EPSRC will issue each recipient university with a grant containing funds for the number of DHPAs that it has been awarded.

Does a DHPA PhD project have to be of 3 years' duration?
No - the actual length of the PhD should be determined by the needs of the individual project and DHPA scholar. As a DHPA grant will run for 4 years (from 1 October 2008), this will allow for PhD projects to be supported for between 3 and 4 years. It should be noted that although each DHPA is valued at £90,000, a university may choose to transfer money between individual DHPAs in its overall DHPA grant. This could allow the additional costs associated with a longer project to be offset by the lesser costs of a 3-year project, for example.

Do DHPA scholars need to begin their studies in October each year?
No - recipient universities will be given a 4-year DHPA grant. This will mean that later starts can be supported. If a student wishes to start their PhD earlier than October, their university may be able to accommodate this, although EPSRC would not start the grant earlier on this account.

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Allocation of awards / sponsor involvement

How is each scholarship attributed to both a public sector (Research Council) and a private sector sponsor?
Each DHPA is jointly sponsored by both a public sector (Research Council) partner and a private sector partner. Recipient universities have now been informed of their DHPA allocation (with associated sponsors) for 2008.

How are the sponsor pairings made?
Sponsor pairings for paired core awards are allocated to the university by the Scheme manager, based on preferences expressed by the sponsors, and what is most appropriate.

How does a DHPA relate to the Research Council sponsor?
The PhD project for a DHPA must be within the remit of the associated Research Council, and must be carried out in a highly rated department (or in a Research Council Research Institute considered to be of equivalent quality). The list of recipient universities also gives an indication of which sponsors (public and private sector) are associated with DHPAs at each recipient university.

How can I check that a proposed DHPA project comes under the remit of the Research Council sponsor?
The primary DHPA contacts at recipient universities have been given a list of Research Council contacts who will be able to offer advice. Alternatively, you may contact the DHPA scheme manager.

Can a DHPA-funded project be carried out in a Research Council Research Institute?
Yes - a university may decide to place some of its DHPA allocation in a Research Council Research Institute, provided that the university considers it to be of equal or better quality (in terms of research training) to its best departments.

Does the area of study for a DHPA project have to relate to the core business of its private sector sponsor?
Not necessarily - the key feature of DHPAs is excellence, both of the DHPA scholar and the research environment. However, in many cases, sponsors have been specific about which departments or groups their awards should be placed.

It is anticipated that individual universities and sponsor companies may wish to discuss potential projects in further detail.

Will DHPA scholars be expected to spend time working for the private sector sponsor, as part of their PhD studies?
No - although DHPAs are co-funded by private sector sponsors, the awards are not intended to be collaborative. However, should this arrangement be acceptable to all parties (university, student, supervisor, sponsor), then a placement with the private sector sponsor is not precluded.

Each sponsor will be provided with information about their DHPA scholars and the projects that they are carrying out, and may wish to enter into correspondence with them. Some sponsors may wish to contact scholars who have been awarded DHPAs prior to the commencement of their PhD studies. To allow this to happen, universities have been asked to forward the details of students who have accepted DHPAs directly to the relevant sponsors as soon as these details are known. In order to facilitate this, it is suggested that universities make it clear to potential applicants that applying for DHPA funding means that their contact details will be sent directly to sponsors if their application is successful.

Who owns any IPR that results from a DHPA-funded project?
The university is responsible for ensuring that every effort is made to exploit potentially valuable results obtained in the course of research training. Unless alternative arrangements are agreed between the university, the student and any sponsor, intellectual property rights will belong to the student who generates them.

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Grant arrangements

As with other Research Council grants, there will be conditions that apply to DHPA grants. These set out the framework applying to the funding and will be included with the grant offer letters issued each year.

How will the funds for a university’s DHPAs be awarded to that university?
Each recipient university will receive a grant, with funds sufficient to cover the number of DHPA scholarships that it has been awarded. These grants are likely to be issued in the summer of each year and will run for 4 years.

What will be the grant start date?
A university’s DHPA grant will start on 1 October each year. If DHPA scholar(s) start later than this, the grant start date will remain as 1 October each year. This date cannot be slipped or brought forward.

What happens if a student has to move to another university once they have started their PhD studies?
We would expect the universities to come to an agreement about transferring resources. We would not amend the DHPA grant at either institution. Essentially, the "exporting" university should make an appropriate financial transfer to the new university to cover the balance of the cost of the award.

Following the "Roberts' Recommendations", are skills training funds included in the grant?
No - these are part of the Skills Training funds supplied to the universities by the Research Councils. As a result, DHPA scholars should be regarded as Research Council students in this respect.

Has the value of a DHPA taken into account the move towards Full Economic Costing (fEC)?
Not at the moment - studentships have not been included in the first phase of fEC changes that have taken place.

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Management of DHPAs and funding issues

Can a university partially fund a student from a DHPA (and find the remaining funds needed from another source), thereby allowing a university to fund more than its original allocation of DHPA scholars?
Yes - should a university wish to adopt this approach, awards may be part-funded in this way. However, in order to be badged as a DHPA scholar, a student must be at least 50 per cent funded from the university's DHPA grant. If this approach is taken, the university should give consideration to the source of the matched funds, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, particularly for the industrial partner.

Similarly, a university may wish to supplement the £90,000 value of a DHPA (for example to increase the level of stipend) with additional "top-up" funds. If this is the case, the university should give consideration to the source of the additional funds, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, particularly for the industrial partner.

It should be noted that although each DHPA is valued at £90,000, a university may choose to transfer money between individual DHPAs in its overall DHPA grant. This could allow the additional costs associated with a longer project to be offset by the lesser costs of a 3 year project for example.

For unpaired core awards and additional awards, can the company half of the funding be replaced by money from the university?
No – money coming directly from the university cannot be used to replace the company funding.

Can a student in receipt of ORS funding also receive a DHPA?
No - students in receipt of DHPAs are not eligible to receive ORS funding. Therefore, students may not be supported using both DHPA and ORS funds.

Can we replace DHPA scholars who leave early?
Yes - provided that there are still sufficient funds in the university's DHPA grant.

What terms and conditions apply to DHPA-funded students?
We expect universities to apply their own terms and conditions which should be no less generous than those used by the Research Councils on directly-funded awards. Any arrangements must always be within the terms of the grant.

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Financial arrangements

What should be funded from a DHPA?
Each DHPA provides funding per student at an annual average of £30,000 (each award is valued at £90,000) primarily to cover overseas fees and maintenance.

DHPA scholars should receive at least the minimum PhD stipend. For the academic year 2008/2009 this is £12,940.

Once the fees and the minimum stipend have been accounted for, any remaining funds in a university’s DHPA grant can be used (for appropriate costs) at the discretion of the university. For example, a university may decide to include a contribution to research / travel costs. It could also decide to use the money to provide enhanced stipends.

Should the overall value of a university's DHPA grant be insufficient to fully support its DHPA scholars, the university will be expected to cover any shortfall, rather than this cost being passed on to the DHPA scholars.
Examples of where this could happen include:

where (more costly) clinical fees are paid;
where a number of 4-year projects are to be supported.

What about London weighting?
Students should receive at least the UK minimum stipend. Payment of rates above this (such as allowances due to location) is at the discretion of the university.

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Monitoring and information

What information will EPSRC be seeking about DHPAs from the universities?
The terms and conditions of the DHPA grants will confirm the requirement for student and project information. It will be recorded electronically through a web based application (Je-S). Student details should be entered within a month of the student starting their studies.

The main collection date is likely to be mid-November as this should enable entry of details for students starting in September and October.

In addition, some sponsors may wish to contact scholars who have been awarded DHPAs prior to the commencement of their PhD studies. To allow this to happen, universities must forward the details of students who have accepted DHPAs directly to the relevant sponsors as soon as these details are known. In order to facilitate this, it is suggested that universities make it clear to potential applicants that applying for DHPA funding means that their contact details will be sent directly to sponsors if their application is successful.

Take-up of awards will be monitored by EPSRC and normal Research Council financial accountability procedures will apply to the grant. A final expenditure statement will be required within three months of the DHPA grant ending, which will be used to monitor outputs of the DHPA students.

Tracking of scholars (first destination and beyond) will be undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the scheme in meeting its objectives.

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