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Other Funding Routes

Northern Bridge Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDA)

http://www.northernbridge.ac.uk/competition/cda/

Northern Bridge CDAs are scholarship packages that are bid for by members of staff at universities together with non-Higher Education partner institutions such as museums or industry partners to run innovative research projects.

If bids for projects are awarded CDA funding, then positions for PhD students to carry out the projects are advertised, usually around January. 

Positions are advertised through the department web pages and the Northern Bridge website, usually in November.

IAPETUS2 Doctoral Training Partnership

https://iapetus2.ac.uk/ 

IAPETUS, named after the ancient ocean that closed to bring Scotland and England together, is a partnership that joins the leading research universities of Durham, Heriot Watt, Glasgow, Newcastle, St Andrews and Stirling, together with the British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, in a united approach to doctoral research and training the next generation of leaders in the science of the natural environment.

As for the NB CDAs (above), this funding comes through members of universities making bids for project funding. Roles as PhD researchers for the projects are advertised are advertised in the autumn with an application deadline in January.

Commonwealth Scholarships

https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/about-us/

This British Council (India) webpage also details useful information about the Commonwealth Scholarships, particularly the 'Who Can Apply' section.

For PhD and Masters applicants from Commonwealth countries, under six development themes.

Depending on which country you are from, you may need to apply through a National Nominating Agency, a university, or a Non-Governmental Organisation.

There are two PhD scholarships:

  1. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for students from high-income Commonwealth countries
  2. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for students from least-developed countries and fragile states

Additionally, there is a Split-Site Scholarship for 1 year visiting research at an institution in the UK.

Deadline: through Durham, 4pm 17 October 2023 

The application process is two-fold:

  1. Apply for the scholarship through their portal OR apply to the national nomination body for your country if applicable. Please note that the application process is complex, so applicants should make sure to look carefully at the requirements. You do not need to have been accepted to make an application.
  2. Apply to the department and indicate that you are applying for or have won a Commonwealth Scholarship (choosing other and filling in details under ‘funding’ if necessary).

Any questions, please feel free to ask.

There is a range of other funds for international students provided by the governments of individual countries including, but not limited to:

  • Nigeria: TETfund (Tertiary Education Trust Fund)
  • Bangladesh - Bangabandhu Overseas Scholarship Program
  • Malaysia – Ministry of Education
  • Türkiye – Ministry of Education
  • Republic of Kazakhstan – International Bolashak Scholarship
  • Japan – Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
  • Mexico – Conacyt
  • Thailand – the Royal Thai Embassy Scholarship
  • Chile - Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica
  • Colombia – Colfuturo

Please see the University's page on Postgraduate Scholarships for more information.

Some other funding sources for final year (writing up)

Back to Postgraduate Research Degrees page