Research Council funding - question

So...I'm wasting time and fantasizing about PhDs that I may or may not ever do.

Anyway, I came across an interesting PhD at UCL's Bartlett in Development Planning. By the time I would be applying (if I ever do), I'd qualify for funding as I'll have lived in the UK for three years and have permanent residence. Due to the fact that the Bartlett is primarily an architecture school, funding for research students in the Development Planning program is through the EPSRC instead of the ESRC. There are nearly 6 times as many awards available through the EPSRC.

So...is this something to seriously consider when looking at courses? It seems like it would be significantly easier to get EPSRC funding, and UCL is the only university that has that little idiosyncrasy allowing someone doing a social science PhD to get funding through the physical sciences council (which unsurprisingly has loads more money).

Reply 1

ChemistBoy

16

Sounds good to me. The grants are standardised now, so you won't get any more money I'm afraid.

Reply 2

shady lane

OP

16

But does it work like that--more grants available to a department means a significantly better chance of getting one? Or will they give out fewer grants if they don't feel there are enough students who meet their standards?

Reply 3

ChemistBoy

16

shady lane

But does it work like that--more grants available to a department means a significantly better chance of getting one? Or will they give out fewer grants if they don't feel there are enough students who meet their standards?

That entirely depends on the department, although from my experience it seems to be a bit of both, i.e. keeping the standards up to a certain extent, but getting as many students as possible of that standard. Certainly the EPSRC has more money so there is more chance of funding on the grand scale, I was just meaning that the grants are all the same value now (well I think some engineering and medical ones are slightly larger).

Research Council funding - question

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