The candidate should identify a prospective supervisor at a department/school that participates in a NINE DTP pathway, and they should make sure that this supervisor will support their application and (if successful) guide their study. The Policies and Procedures document contains a table of departments/schools that participate in training pathways, and the ‘Reference Documents’ section of this website contains a page of tips for contacting a potential supervisor.

The applicant should apply to their University to either be a PhD student (if applying for 3.5, 3.75 or 4) or a Masters (if applying for 4.5) in the department where the supervisor is based.

Working with the supervisor, the applicant should develop a research programme. Rather than submitting a single research proposal, NINE DTP requires research applicants to answer a number of questions about their research. To prepare responses, we recommend viewing the questions in the Policies and Procedures document.

When the applicant completes the Stage 1 nomination form and clicks ‘submit’:

1. the primary supervisor will be asked to complete the supervisor approval form;
2. referees named on the nomination form will be contacted to provide references;

3. if a collaborative partner is named on the nomination form they will be contacted to provide a letter explaining the collaboration. Note that the supervisor approval form must be received by the Stage 1 nomination deadline, and it involves the supervisor answering some substantive questions as well as approving the applicant’s nomination, so the applicant should submit their Stage 1 nomination form to the supervisor well before the Stage 1 nomination deadline. This year’s deadlines are listed on the timeline at the top of this page.

Following a review by the department or school, as well as further consultation with the supervisor, the applicant may be told:

1. the nomination cannot proceed further;
2. the nomination can proceed without any edits;
3. the nomination can proceed, but with suggested edits that must be made, and approved by the supervisor, prior to the final Stage 1 submission deadline.

The Stage 1 nomination is then reviewed by the pathway panel, and successful candidates are invited to submit Stage 2 nominations.

The Stage 2 nomination focuses less on the applicant’s proposed research and more on their proposed training and supervision. See the Policies and Procedures document for more detail on the questions asked. Like the Stage 1 nomination, the Stage 2 nomination is formally submitted by the supervisor, but with input from the applicant. Only applicants who have been successful in the pathway competition will be invited to submit Stage 2 nominations. Transcripts and a CV are due at the same time as the Stage 2 nomination.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 nominations are reviewed by the Studentship Committee and typically 50-55 awards are made, as well as approximately 30 reserve offers.