NINE DTP runs a combined annual studentship competition to recruit and select postgraduate researchers of the very highest calibre to study at Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside, Sunderland, Queen's and Ulster Universities. We operate an open competition for the awarding of studentships, which is centred on the quality of candidates and their proposed research and training programme, alongside a linked Action for Equality initiative to award two full scholarships to nominees from specific under-represented groups.

Our studentship competition has been designed to be as open and transparent as possible, and all decisions concerning which students are funded are based upon clear assessment criteria. You can read more about these criteria in our guidelines. NINE DTP awards between 50-55 fully-funded postgraduate studentships each academic year for full-time or part-time study. To apply for a NINE DTP studentship you must 1) apply to the university at which you intend to study and 2) arrange for your proposed supervisory team to file a nomination form (and supporting documents) with their department’s postgraduate research director, who will then pass the nomination on to that university’s pathway lead. Nominations that are short-listed by the pathway are then forwarded on to the general studentship competition.