Research Training Support Grant – RTSG
The ESRC provides money to the DTP to fund student expenses which the student, supervisor and members of the DTP Directors Committee deem to be in direct support of the student’s research. Possible uses of funds include (and are not limited to):
- UK fieldwork expenses
- UK, overseas conferences and summer schools
- language training courses (usually undertaken in the UK prior to an overseas fieldwork trip)
- reimbursement of interpreters
- survey costs eg printing, stationery, phone cards
- purchase of small items of equipment eg cameras, recorders, films
- compensation for local informants
- books and other reading material not available through libraries


The ESRC provides the DTP with a notional allowance per student to support their doctoral students. Depending on award type and year of entry, this notional maximum ranges from £2250-£3000 (see the NINE DTP Additional Funding Guidance document for more details). This is a notional figure calculated based on a block grant provided to NINE DTP by the ESRC, and should not be interpreted as an individual student’s budget. It should be interpreted as an upper limit of the amount that one should expect to be able to access over the course of one’s studies.
Students are asked to submit applications based upon their specific research needs and requirements, presenting a clear and concise justification for the activity or spending planned. Costings should be provided in pounds sterling (£), with clearly itemised expenditure. Applications in excess of £500 are reviewed by at least two members of the NINE DTP Directors Committee. RTSG awards are made based on four criteria:
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- Relevance to the student’s training needs or research progamme
- Value for money
- Permissibility under ESRC and NINE DTP rules
- Permissibility under the student’s home university’s expense policy
Students are advised to discuss the use of their RTSG monies with their supervisors at the beginning of their studies to plan how these might best be utilised across the duration of their studies.
When should applications be submitted?
- Applications should be made at least 4 weeks in advance of the date by which you will need to make any payments;
- No payments should be made before the award has been confirmed, as the DTP will not be able to reimburse you for any such expenditure;
- No RTSG monies can be used beyond the end of the period of supervised study, regardless of when payments are made.
Preparing your application
- All applications should provide clear costings, in GBP (£).
- Applicants should provide a clear and well-justified case for the monies, which could be understood by an intelligent but uninformed audience – you should not suppose the reviewer will have a detailed knowledge of your research or subject area.
- Applications must be accompanied by a statement of support from the award holder’s supervisor. This should be presented in the form of a formal letter or email. The statement of support should confirm that the proposed activity or expenditure will inform or develop the research being undertaken by the applicant and that the applicant is making good progress with their PhD research.
Notes
- Any equipment purchased over the value of £200 must be returned to the DTP once the award-holder has completed their project of work;
- The DTP will not provide laptops for users, except in exceptional circumstances; however, we can consider applications for software, and can contribute should the student require a particularly high specification machine owing to the research they are undertaking;
- Attendance at conferences outside of Europe will only be considered for funding if the applicant is contributing to the conference in some facility (presenting, displaying a poster, etc.);
- Applications for the purchase or rental of books or other media will be considered if, and only if, the applicant has already applied for the materials to be procured via their institutional library;
- Retrospective claims will not be considered except in exceptional circumstances; no funds should be spent or committed until such time as NINE have given final approval on the application.
Application Guidance
Guidance to support you in completing your application
Additional Funding Guidance