Collaborative Doctoral Awards: Academic Organisations
Please note that Collaborative Doctoral Awards are no longer offered. This page is retained for reference purposes only. Please see our current Applied Research Collaborative Studentships (ARCS) opportunities instead.
Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) provided funding for PhD-level research projects which were developed in partnership between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and non-HEI organisations or businesses. The funding was awarded to the HEI and the student received a stipend.
The awards were intended to encourage and develop collaboration and partnerships, providing opportunities for doctoral students to gain first-hand experience of work outside the university environment and enhance the employment-related skills and training a research student gained during the course of their award.
The projects also encouraged and established links that could have long-term benefits for both collaborating partners, providing access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that might not otherwise have been available, and also providing social, cultural and economic benefits to wider society.
Non-academic organisations
This information was intended for academic organisations. Non-academic organisations should refer to our CDA guidance for partner organisations.
Image: Former SGSAH-funded student Lucie Whitmore at The Museum of Edinburgh Costume Gallery
Guidance documents
Click on the links below to download the CDA guidance documents and application template in Word or PDF format:
CDA Competition Application Guidance 2025 (Word Document, 2.6 MB)
CDA Competition Application Guidance 2025 PDF (PDF, 922 KB)
CDA Application Form 2025 (Word Document, 35 KB)
CDA Application Form 2025 PDF (PDF, 260 KB)
CDA Nominated Candidate Form 2025 (Word Document, 37KB)
CDA Nominated Candidate Form 2025 PDF (PDF, 204 KB)
Process
Preparation and submission of application
There were two possible routes through the CDA process though these merged at the application submission stage.
Route A - Partner Led
- Industry partners prepared a brief proposal by 10 June 2024.
- Proposals were reviewed for eligibility then circulated by SGSAH to HEIs for their consideration w/c 17 June 2024.
- HEIs responded directly to the partner organisation by 2 August.
- Partners reviewed responses and selected the HEI/supervisory team to work with by 6 September 2024.
- Full CDA application submitted to SGSAH by lead academic supervisor between 3 -14 February 2025.
Route B - HEI Led
HEIs supervisors worked with industry partners and the full CDA application was submitted to SGSAH by the lead academic supervisor in February. A student may be attached at this stage or recruited if the application was selected for funding. (Student recruitment was managed by the CDA partnership.) All nominated doctoral candidates were reviewed by the SGSAH Executive to ensure they met the eligibility criteria before funding was awarded.
Applications for SGSAH Collaborative Doctoral Awards were submitted through Survey Monkey Apply.
At this stage, only project proposals could be submitted. This included the following fields of detail:
- Partnership Information
- Partner Organisation
- Project Title
- Research Summary
- Research Proposal
- Benefit to Partner
- Benefit to HEI
- Supervision Arrangements
- Supervisory Expertise
- Project Management
- Partnership Agreement
- Ethics
- Student Recruitment
- Confirmation of supervisory requirements
- Digital Signature of Lead Supervisor
All project proposals were reviewed by a panel selected from across academic and industry sectors. Selected projects were invited to recruit and nominate a suitably qualified doctoral candidate. Lead supervisors invited candidates to collaborate on the existing proposal. Candidates would complete the following fields of information:
- Name
- Permanent Address
- Correspondence Address if Different
- Residence Eligibility
- PhD Programme of Study
- Qualifications
- Qualifications Pending
- Non-standard and/ or unclassified qualifications
- Relevant professional experience
- Preparedness for proposed doctoral project
- Training needs and SGSAH DTP
- SGSAH requirements
This second stage was completed by June 2025 upon which the SGSAH Executive Committee reviewed all nominated candidates to confirm that they met the required criteria.
Timetable
Please note that the dates below relate to the final Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDA) funding round and are no longer current. The timetable is retained for reference purposes only.
|
Industry partners who don’t currently have an HEI partner confirmed for a potential project to submit a brief proposal to SGSAH |
By 17th June 2024 |
|
Industry proposals circulated by SGSAH to HEIs for their consideration |
W/C 24th June 2024 |
|
HEIs who wish to collaborate on a project to respond directly to the partner organisation |
By 2nd Aug 2024 |
|
Industry partners review responses and select HEI/supervisory team to work with |
By 6th Sep 2024 |
|
Full CDA applications submitted (student may be attached at this stage or after studentship is funded): Application system open between 1st-13th Feb 2025 |
By 14th Feb 2025 |
|
Applications reviewed by external panel |
March/April 2025 |
|
Successful partnerships informed |
April 2025 |
|
Studentship opportunities advertised (if no student attached) |
April/May 2025 |
|
Student profiles to SGSAH for panel review (if no student attached at point of application) and students appointed to projects |
June 2025 |
|
Studentships begin |
October 2025 |