STFC Announces Future Call to Establish a New Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science
Support will be made available for the establishment of new Centres for Doctoral Training in data intensive science for academic applicants working with industrial partners to deliver four-year studentships.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Call to Establish a New Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Data Intensive Science offers funding to establish up to five new CDTs in data intensive science, with a focus on innovation and knowledge exchange. CDTs must be within STFC’s remit, which covers: astronomy; accelerator physics; solar and planetary science; particle physics; particle astrophysics and cosmology; and nuclear physics. Institutions must be in receipt of STFC funding through the core science programme.
Funding is available for three cohorts of students for a four-year studentship. Students will be expected to undertake an original research project, which takes big data skills and expertise from STFC’s core science remit and applies them to a different sector or industrial setting.
CDTs should provide structured, cohort-based training programmes for students, particularly in their first year. Students should undertake formal, assessable programmes of taught coursework designed to give them a broad and thorough grounding in computational techniques and other issues relating to big data challenges.
It is expected that industrial partners will have an active role in the development of the training programme, and that students will take a six-month secondment working in a partner organisation. In addition, students will be expected to access the general training opportunities required for accreditation and to enhance their understanding of the innovation process, including working with industrial partners as appropriate. CDT training activities should also develop and enhance interdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange.
The call is open to any institution that is in receipt of funding through the STFC core science programme. In addition, all lead departments involved must have received accreditation from STFC for their training provision. Applications for centres that span multiple departments or institutions are welcome as long as they meet the main eligibility criteria.
CDTs are expected to have active engagement and support from industrial partners (especially local small and medium-sized enterprises). While they do not have to be financially supporting the CDT, industrial representation should be listed on the management board. (Industrial partners cannot apply to host a centre in their own right and must partner with an eligible university.)
Funding is available for three cohorts of students for a four-year studentship (12 students over three years in total per CDT). It is expected that funding will start in October 2022.
Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 11 November 2021 (16:00).
Further information regarding the application process will be available when the call opens. A webinar will be held on the call launch date (9 September 2021).
(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)