ICSSR - ESRC - UKIERI PhD Partnering Initiative
Last Date : 31st July 2012

ICSSR - ESRC - UKIERI PhD Partnering Initiative

The UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) and Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) are pleased to invite applications for the PhD Partnering Initiative.

Deadline for Applications: 31st July 2012

Aims of the Scheme:

Improving mobility at the doctoral level is an important factor in facilitating cross border research collaboration. It also offers benefits to doctoral researchers in terms of intellectual development, career progression, access to existing and emerging world class facilities and access to comparative research and populations. The ESRC, UKIERI and ICSSR are committed to providing opportunities, for our postgraduate students to build strong, sustainable networks.

Indian applicants should be aware that this is part of a global ESRC initiative, so UK DTCs will also be developing applications for partnerships with other countries and other co-funders.

The focus of this opportunity is to build sustainable, long-lasting links between institutions through PhD students. The main objectives of the initiative are to:
o Facilitate the development of reciprocal institutional links between the ESRC DTCs and centres of research excellence in India;
o Support the development of an international cohort of early career researchers with the skills, links and contacts to operate in the global research environment;
o Encourage the development of intellectual networks to foster long-term sustainable research collaboration between the UK and India;
o Foster the development of long-term international research collaborations on issues of global concern and with strong potential for international impact.

As well as supporting the doctoral researchers to develop international collaborative skills and access expertise and data overseas, the longer-term ambition is that these PhD Partnerships will foster the development of small multinational teams of early career researchers with a desire to work together beyond their PhDs.

In making applications, applicants are expected to outline the benefits to the students in the UK and India, and also make clear why their chosen partners have been selected, focusing on the additional value of their own institutional links, the benefits to research groups, and the wider benefits that the proposed collaboration will bring to UK and Indian social science. Applicants should also include information about their dissemination and outreach plans.

Applications should explicitly demonstrate how the proposed PhD Partnering activities will build upon and strengthen existing international links and/ or how proposed activities form part of the development of longer-term strategies to improve UK and India links. Applications should also convey how they see planned activities helping them to develop longer-term outcomes.

Identification of UK Collaborators:

ESRC fund over 600 postgraduate studentships a year through the national network of 21 Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs). The DTCs cover the full range of social science disciplines as well as areas of interdisciplinary research. The DTCs were accredited as ESRC training providers following a competitive peer review process and they have provided clear evidence that they can deliver the highest quality training provision.

Potential applicants from India should contact the DTC of interest to them to discuss potential collaborations. UK researchers not affiliated to an ESRC DTC are not eligible.

For information on the UK DTCs please refer to: (See the List)
http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/looking-for-funding/index.aspx

This link will take you to a map of the UK DTCs. The drop down list on the right allows you to select DTCs of interest by discipline pathway/research area. Clicking on the map will then link to the website of the individual DTC, where full information about research areas and faculty expertise can be found.

Eligibility of Indian applicants:
Proposals submitted by a scholar/organisation for ICSSR funding should fall in one of the following categories:

Category-I: (a) Central universities; (b) State universities; (c) Colleges affiliated to either 'a' or 'b' above; and (d) Institutions of National Importance receiving grants from UGC/ Central government
Category-II: Research Institutes funded by ICSSR, Central Government, State Government
Category-III: Deemed Universities
Category-IV: NGOs, which have done substantial original works in the field of social science research and fulfill the criteria laid down in Form-S, can also apply (subject to the verifications of Institutional status as per ICSSR Form-S). Institutes or NGO's to be eligible to seek assistance under this scheme must be non-profit making and must be registered under the Societies Registration Act.

Funding Available:

Funding is available for travel and subsistence for "PhD Partnering activities" to enable a team of probably two PhD students and their supervisors, to work together on cross-national projects, or on similar research issues.

Each PhD Partnership team between the UK and India will involve the following people:
- The UK student and the UK supervisor,
- The Indian student and the Indian supervisor.
All are eligible to travel as part of this scheme. Each exchange visit will be a maximum of 3 months duration.

It is expected that PhD Partnering activities will be jointly supervised by Supervisors in both countries, who will provide additional in-country support and mentoring for the travelling student and supervisor on a reciprocal basis.

It is to be used to fund UK or Indian students from the 2011/12 intake onwards (students may not have been identified at the time of application).

ESRC and UKIERI will provide funding for the UK costs:
o Reasonable international travel costs to India
o Related costs such as visa arrangements, travel and medical insurance
o The costs of residential accommodation for the period of the stay in the UK
o Some internal travel costs in the UK for the period of the stay where a case is made for links with related groups in other parts of the country

ICSSR will provide funding for the Indian costs:
o Reasonable international travel costs to the UK
o Related costs such as visa arrangements, travel and medical insurance
o The costs of residential accommodation for the period of the stay in India
o Some internal travel costs in India for the period of the stay where a case is made for links with related groups in other parts of the country

Costs requested from UKIERI must not exceed £7000 per partnership.

Should additional expenses/ support be identified as necessary to the development of the partnerships these should be included in the application, as should any support that will be provided by the partnering institutions or other funders.

ICSSR and UKIERI anticipate funding a maximum of 15 PhD Partnering exchanges (for student and supervisor) from this first call, which can involve travel at any point over the 3 year duration of the grant. However, detailed plans for the timing of all visits must form part of your proposal to ICSSR and UKIERI.

This scheme will be reviewed by all partners involved to establish when future opportunities are appropriate.

ESRC, UKIERI and ICSSR will make all funding decisions jointly and will award funding to Research Organisations following their own standard procedures.

How to make an application:

All applicants, who are applying for ICSSR and UKIERI co-funding must submit the following documentation:
- ICSSR- ESRC- UKIERI PhD Partnering Scheme Application Form (Word format).
- ICSSR Financial Requirements Form
- UKIERI Financial Requirements Form
- Letters of Support from the Indian Institutions, detailing their support and any financial or in-kind support they are able to provide

Please note carefully
The applicant from India must work together with a UK DTC to complete a joint application form. Any forms received without involvement from a UK DTC will not be considered. UK researchers not affiliated to an ESRC DTC are not eligible.

Applications must be submitted by the UK DTC by email to [email protected] , [email protected] and [email protected] before 8.30pm IST (4pm UK time) on 31st July 2012

It is expected that decisions on applications will be available by October 2012. Applicants are requested to refer to websites of ESRC, ICSSR and UKIERI for any updates regarding the call.

Any queries regarding this initiative should be addressed to:
- [email protected] at ESRC
- [email protected] at ICSSR
- [email protected] at UKIERI

Weblink for detail: http://www.icssr.org/Adv%20ic.htm