Please note: the use of funds is dependent upon the request being compliant with the UKRI and ESRC guidelines, together with any institutional policies or guidance. Candidates and Supervisors should familiarise themselves with the terms and conditions of the funding, including the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide and the UKRI guidance.

Your student may apply for RTSG monies to cover the cost of fieldwork in the UK, conference attendance, and other costs which are deemed to be in support of their research.

All expenditure must be spent in accordance with ESRC policy and guidelines.

All DTP students may apply for RTSG monies, but please note - students do not have a personal allocation of monies at their disposal. All RTSG and Overseas Fieldwork monies are pooled, and are distributed at the discretion of the NINE DTP Directors and Manager, based upon the quality of the applications received (although the reviewers can take into account the level of previous expenditure).

It is therefore essential that your student submit a clear and concise statement as to why they require support, how it will inform their studies, and any other pertinent details.

Each application must be supported by a statement from a supervisor, which should indicate support, and seek to strengthen and justify the case provided by the student.

Please do be aware that a simple statement of support could be seen as indicative of a lack of support, or fail to provide sufficient justification; the reviewing panel will be looking for the development of a clear case which can justify the expenditure to the ESRC.

We encourage all supervisors and their students to discuss the use of RTSG funds early on in the studentship, to ensure that the use of funds can be optimised across the duration of the studentship.

It should be noted that RTSG should not be used to provide equipment which should be offered as a matter of course by the University, unless there are specific reasons why this might not be possible (for example, needing cameras for extended periods of overseas fieldwork).

• All Applications need to be submitted at least 4 weeks before any expenditure to guarantee that they will be reviewed; any application submitted with less that the four-week period may not be processed in time to provide funds. Please encourage your students to apply early, and plan ahead.
• Students can only attend conferences outside of the UK and the EU if they are presenting a paper, poster, or providing a contribution to the event.

Your students can benefit from support for difficult language training and overseas fieldwork. The two are often applied for in conjunction, although students may apply for either independently of the other.

A student may only apply for overseas fieldwork or difficult language training once during their studentship, and the work must be carried out during the full PhD element of the training course.

Overseas fieldwork is designed to be conducted is a single visit; it should not be split into multiple elements unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Should your student spend over 9 months on Overseas Fieldwork, the ESRC recommend that the student and supervisor meet; funds will be provided to support the student's return to the UK, or alternatively a supervisory visit to the field.

PLEASE NOTE: The DTP provides funds for Overseas Fieldwork, but responsibility for maintaining contact with the student (including keeping up-to-date contact details) remains the responsibility of the Supervisory Team.

NINE DTP are unable to support overseas fieldwork or travel to countries to which the FCDO advise against travel; supervisors and candidates should take note of this condition when constructing research proposals, and preparing applications for overseas fieldwork.

The ESRC can support Overseas Institutional Visits to research-focused institutions around the world.

All visits must be for the purpose of disseminating research findings, or creating networks.

All OIVs should be student led, but Supervisors should work with their students to ensure that the time and funds are spent in an optimal and fruitful manner.

Your student will need to prepare a clear and reasonable programme of events, with a clear justification for the benefit of all activity and expenditure.

The RCUK Internship scheme provides a fantastic opportunity for students to work with policy makers and governmental bodies. The scheme is funded by RCUK, outside of the DTP programme; we strongly encourage our students to apply for the scheme, and

Full details of the scheme, including the timings of the call, are available via the RCUK website..

Please note: the scheme includes opportunities to work with governmental bodies in both England and Northern Ireland.

NINE DTP also offers an internally funded placement scheme. This allows students and supervisors to identify and pursue placement opportunities at a wider range of business, public or third sector partners.

Placements should provide an opportunity for the student to engage in knowledge exchange, gain experience, and benefit from access to equipment, data, or resource; the student should not be working directly upon their thesis whilst on their placement.

Applications for should be made before either the October 1 or April 1 deadlines, with an expectation that the placement will start around 3 months after the deadline if approved. This period is necessary to allow for the creation of a legal agreement between the host institution and the partnerwhich will protect the rights of both the student and the rights of the University (e.g. insurance and IP).

The legal agreement is essential; the DTP will not fund a placement, nor provide any extension, without legal clearance. Not only does it protect the rights of all parties, but it also defines the service and support that the student will receive.

The DTP are keen to encourage students to take initiative, and develop their own training opportunities and events.

We would ask all supervisors to encourage their students to consider their training needs, and offer suggestions and initiatives to assist in their, and their peers, continued development.

If you can think of any activities that you would be interested seeing run, or could run yourself, then we are keen to hear from you - please contact us with a brief synopsis of the nature of the event / training you are proposing, how it will assist students, and the nature of the support you are requesting.