Doctoral College Research Enhancement Fund

Registration:

Applicants must be registered on a Doctoral or MPhil programme at Newcastle University.

Funding Status and Focus:

DCREF is dedicated to support postgraduate research students and is focused on activities that enhance your research.

We cannot support applications:

• Seeking support for your primary research activities, which should be covered by your academic unit.

If you have been in receipt of travel and conference funding in previous calls you will not be able to apply for further travel and conference funding in this call.

For Travel and Conference or Additional Training, we will give priority to applications that:

• Demonstrate that the funding would add significant value or impact to your research.
• Where there has been no clear opportunity during your studies to present at a high-level conference.

For Post-Submission Bursaries:

You must be:

• Under examination or planning to submit your thesis by end of April 2025 with no maintenance stipend of more than 3 years duration.
• Have discussed your proposed activity with your Academic Supervisor prior to your application and they must be supportive of your application.

Travel and Conference/Additional Training Funding

It is important to balance the financial, environmental, health and safety, social impacts, and risks of activity. We would recommend that you read the travel guidance for PGR students and the University travel and expenses policy before arranging any travel. To reduce the environmental impact of your travel you are expected to assess alternative modes of engagement before any commitments to travel are made.

Please read the guidance below before completing the application form. 

Travel and Conference Funding and Additional Training Funding

• Applications will be considered for activities between the 1^st of April 2025 and the 4^th of July 2025. Applications must be made in advance of the activity, and we are unable to accept retrospective applications for funding.
• For successful applications, all costs must be incurred by end of June 2025, so they are processed by the end of the budget year (31^st July 2025). Activities conducted beyond that date cannot be reimbursed.
• You can only submit one DCREF application.
• Provides an award of up to £1650to support you to engage in a conference, an event or residential course, such as a summer school.
• The application should demonstrate the value or impact to your research, as well as the outcomes and outputs resulting from the activity.
• Consideration will be given to applications where other funding sources have been either sought or secured and top up support is required.
• Only travel and conference costs (travel, accommodation, and conference fees) will be reimbursed. We will be unable to cover subsistence costs and other expenses.
• You must attach quotations giving realistic costings for the proposed activity and demonstrate value for money. If quotations are not yet available due to the date of travel, please give the best estimate you can and then send quotations once available.
• All international travel must be arranged via the University’s travel management company Selective travel. Please note third party websites (such as Trainline) must not be used and LNER (https://www.lner.co.uk/business-travel/lner-4-business/) is the University preferred provider for rail travel. Failure to do this may mean that any outlay incurred organising travel through another route cannot be reclaimed.
• If a visa is required, please ensure there is sufficient time to arrange this and your overseas travel. 

Post Submission Bursaries (PSB)

Our PGR Students contribute to some of our best research papers and a Post Submission Bursary is intended to support the time needed (post thesis submission) to write, revise and submit papers for publication in high-quality journals and periodicals.

If successful, the fund will support you with a stipend (at the UKRI rate at the time of the application) for a period of 6 weeks to a maximum of 3 months depending on the impact and scope of the additional research needed. please note the level of the Post-Submission Bursary may be less than requested.

Eligibility

You should have submitted your thesis and already be under examination or planning to submit your thesis by end of April 2025.

 Application Guidance

• Your application should articulate the benefits of the bursary to you and the University, as well as the outcomes and outputs that would result from the bursary.
• Funding must be used within the financial year (by end of July 2025) so your thesis must be submitted by end of April 2025, to enable funding to be paid in May, June, and July prior to the end of the financial year.

• Bursary payments will not commence until the Doctoral College has received confirmation of your thesis submission, and your registration status has changed to 'under examination'.

• If you complete your programme whilst in receipt of a bursary, payments will cease once you are no longer a registered student.

• If you commence employment while in receipt of the bursary, you should advise the Doctoral College, and this may result in a cessation of the bursary and any overpayment of your bursary would need to be refunded.

If you have any questions on DCREF eligibility criteria or application process, please contact the Doctoralcollege@ncl.ac.uk

The Application Process is straightforward.  A link to the Doctoral College Research Enhancement Fund Application Form is below which should be completed as fully as possible.

• You must be registered as a Doctoral or MPhil Student at Newcastle University, unfortunately, due to limited funding this funding is not available to Research Masters Students, e.g., MRes (Master of Research), MMus, MLitt.  
• Please refer to the published call timetable below for the opening and closing dates for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
• Please refer to the DCREF funding criteria (100.1 kB) before completing your application.
• You must show how your proposed activity aligns with your research priorities and those of your academic unit. 
• Ensure you hit submit after completing the final question to send your application to the Doctoral College for consideration

Please note:-

• There will be four calls per year.  One of these will be an open call that is available from 1st May to support students who have events they wish to attend over the summer period or who wish to apply for bursaries.
• There will be a finite number/value of awards under each call.  It may not be possible to support all applications and/or if supported it may not be to the level requested.
• Each application will be ranked by a cross-Faculty Decision Panel made up of Postgraduate Research Deans and Doctoral College representatives. Checklist for DCREF Decision Panel
• Only one application by a student for each category of funding can be considered at each call.  For example, the Doctoral College would be unable to consider two requests for travel to an international conference at one call. If you wish to apply for more than one type of funding you must submit a separate application and provide a rationale for each individual request.
• Retrospective applications for additional training or travel, that took place before the date of the call deadline, will not be considered.

Decision Process and Selection Criteria

The Cross-University Decision Panel will rank each application using the DCREF funding criteria (100.1 kB), only the best applications will be funded, and each call will have limited funding/awards available.

To be considered for funding you must ensure your application:

• Places a greater emphasis on research outcomes and outputs and demonstrate the value of the proposed activity to yourself, your academic unit and the University.
• Clearly set out the positive impact that a Doctoral College award would have on the quality of your research, and the value of the additional activities undertaken to both your research and your personal development. 
• Your application must demonstrate value for money, with realistic costings for the activity or opportunity, bearing in mind the guidelines for maximum expenditure for the different types of funding.
• Ensure your application aligns with both your research priorities and those of your academic unit.

Guidance Notes

• You must be registered as a Doctoral or MPhil Student at Newcastle University, unfortunately, due to limited funding this funding is not available to Research Masters Students, e.g., MRes (Master of Research), MMus, MLitt.  
• Please ensure you time your applciation appropriately.  Awardees must spend their funding within the same budget year that it is awarded (1st Agust - 31st July).  Funding cannot be rolled forward to subsequent years.  Any unspent awards will be cancelled and recycled.
• For Post Submission Bursaries you must already be under examination or due to submit within three months of your application date.  Please ensure you apply as soon as possible to enable you to fully utilise available funding.
• For Travel and Conference Fund Applicants you will need to indicate if you have been provided with opportunities like this previously, for example UKRI funded students who already have RTSG (Research Training and Support Grants funding).

Please refer to further guidance notes available under each of the Doctoral College Research Enhancement Funding Information.

DCREF Application Form - available when call open (I have changed the dates to open on the 8^th of January at 09:00 a.m. )

This will provide an award of up to £1650 to support you to engage in a conference or an event.  The application would need to demonstrate that this will add value or impact to your research and you will need to demonstrate the outcomes and outputs that would be result of this activity.

Applications must be made at the appropriate call prior to the event date.  We are unable to accept retrospective applications for funding and students can only submit one application for travel at each call.  

We would recommend that applications are made at least 2 months prior to the start date of the event to enable you to take advantage of early bird deals and competitive prices.  If a visa is required pleae ensure there is sufficient time to arrange this and your overseas travel.  All international travel must be organised via Selective travel. Please note third party websites (such as Trainline) must not be used and LNER (https://www.lner.co.uk/business-travel/lner-4-business/) is the University preferred provider. for rail travel.  Failure to do this may mean that any outlay incurred organising travel through another route cannot be reclaimed.  We would recommend that you read the travel guidance for PGR students and the University travel and expenses policy before arranging any travel.

Please read the additional guidance on travel and conference funding before completing the application form.  Please note all international travel must be arranged via the University's travel management company Selective.  Third party websites, such as Trainline, must not be used.

Applications must be made at stated calls and any funding awarded must be used withn the financial year (1st August - 31st July) in which it is awarded.

SAgE student feedback - "Attending the conference was an extremely valuable experience as it is a platform for exchanging ideas, findings, and advancements in my research field, as well as forming part of a network with fellow researchers which could potentially lead to collaborations or future research partnerships. I am very thankful for getting support from this funding."

This will provide an award of up to £1650 to support you to engage in additional training that you wish to undertake in support of your research project or for any other activities.  The application would need to demonstrate that this training will add value or impact to your research and you will need to demonstrate the outcomes and outputs that would be result of this activity.

This funding can be applied for at any time throughout your studies.  

If the additional training is an event or a residential course, such as a summer school, the additional guidance on travel and conference funding should be read before completing the application form.  

We would recommend that applications are made at least 2 months prior to the start date of the event to enable you to take advantage of early bird deals and competitive prices.  If a visa is required pleae ensure they is sufficient time to arrange this and your overseas travel.  All international travel must be organised via Selective travel. Please note third party websites (such as Trainline) must not be used and LNER (https://www.lner.co.uk/business-travel/lner-4-business/) is the University preferred provider. for rail travel.  Failure to do this may mean that any outlay incurred organising travel through another route cannot be reclaimed.  We would recommend that you read the travel guidance for PGR students and the University travel and expenses policy before arranging any travel.

Applications must be made at the appropriate call prior to the training date.  We are unable to accept retrospective applications for funding and students can only submit one application for additional training at each call.

Applications must be made at stated calls and any funding awarded must be used withn the financial year (1st August - 31st July) in which it is awarded.

HaSS student feedback - "The doctoral college funded my attendance at an online course .... Without this financial assistance I would not have been able to attend .... I have now passed the course and have already felt it to be beneficial in my communications."

Our PGR Students contribute to some of our best research papers, the Post Submission Bursary was established to support the time needed (post submission) to write, revise and submit papers for publication in high-quality journals and periodicals. If successful, the fund could support you with a stipend (at the UKRI rate at the time of the application).  The duration of this funding varies between one and three months depending on the impact and scope of the additional research needed, and the benefits to the individual and the University must be clearly articulated in applications.  The application would need to demonstrate to demonstrate the research value to the student and the University and the outcomes and outputs that would be result of this bursary.

To be eligible you must be a Doctoral or MPhil student who is already under examination or will be submitting your thesis within three months of the application date.  Funding must be incurred within the financial year (1st August - 31st July) in which you apply so your thesis submission date can be no later than April of that year.  This will enable funding to be paid in May, June and July prior to the end of the financial year.

Funding will not commence until the Doctoral College has received confirmation of your thesis submission to your Graduate School and your registration status has changed to 'under examination'.  If you complete your programme, or start full time paid employment, whilst still receiving this funding, payments will cease once you are no longer a registered student.

FMS Student feedback - "The post submission bursary was fantastic to receive and use. Having received the funding almost 2 months after submitting my PhD it enabled me to take a step back and think of my PhD in a new way. .... This therefore has meant my research will be published which benefits myself, my supervisors and the university."