Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Other
Publication date:
19 February 2026
Opening date:
24 February 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
26 March 2026 4:00pm UK time
Higher education institutions (HEIs) offered a studentship through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme round 4 are invited to nominate projects for studentships starting in October 2026.
This scheme fosters collaboration between AHRC CDP grant holders and HEIs, providing studentships for doctoral research.
Institutions offered a CDP studentship by the CDP grant holder should outline the selected research project, and work with the CDP partner to recruit, supervise, and support students.
CDP4 studentships offer four years of funding.
Who can apply
You can only apply for this funding opportunity if AHRC has invited you to do so.
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. .
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
* career breaks
* support for people with caring responsibilities
* flexible working
* alternative working patterns
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) can offer during the application and assessment process.
What we're looking for
Aim
The aim of the CDP scheme is to support collaborative research training through:
* giving non-HEIs greater autonomy in the selection of doctoral projects they would like to support and supervise
* providing non-HEIs, individual organisations or consortia with a firm funding horizon of collaborative doctoral awards (CDAs) to support their research training strategy
* enabling the development of enhanced programmes of doctoral study that provide students with career development opportunities outside the standard academic route
* fostering collaboration between CDP-holding organisations and consortia in the development of wider training and development opportunities for the doctoral students they support
AHRC will provide funding for collaborative CDAs. These are in support of doctoral projects with university partners, selected by the CDP4 grant holders. The CDPs have been awarded notional studentships over three academic years, starting in October 2024, 2025, and 2026. This opportunity is for the October 2026 recruitment.
Scope
CDP grant holder organisations are responsible for identifying suitable collaborators (HEIs) to host AHRC CDAs. The collaborating academic partner is then invited to submit a project proposal.
CDAs enable doctoral students to conduct their research in collaboration with a non-HEI organisation gaining experience of work outside the university environment.
All collaborative doctoral projects will need to be within AHRC’s remit, aligned with the CDP organisation’s priorities, and undertaken with a university partner.
Applications to this scheme are made annually by the HEIs offered a CDA in partnership with the CDP award holding organisation. This process is for studentship projects to start in October 2026.
A lead applicant from both the HEI and the non-HEI must be identified, with permission of their Head of Department (or equivalent) and their respective organisations to enter a collaborative working agreement.
The lead applicant from the HEI will be deemed by AHRC to accept the overall responsibility for the progress and management of the studentship.
We will be seeking assurance that the project falls within AHRC’s remit, that there will be a fair, open and transparent recruitment process, and that there is a plan in place to meet the student’s training, development and support needs throughout the period of the project.
Project partners
In the context of this opportunity, a project partner is defined as a collaborating organisation beyond academia, which will have an integral role in the proposed doctoral training and development.
Each application must include at least one non-HEI partner. The CDP partner organisation must be named but, if all partners agree, other non-HEIs can be included.
In-kind support from HEI and non-HEI partners is mandatory.
There must be at least one project partner letter, provided by the CDP award holding organisation.
Supervisory requirements
A supervisor from both the HEI and the non-HEI organisation must be identified and involved in the students’ supervision.
The supervisory team should have relevant expertise and experience to guide the student effectively.
Supervisors should be accessible and approachable, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment.
Our expectations for research organisations, supervisors and students are set out in the .
Financial support for students
The collaborating non-HEI organisation (CDP partner organisation) is expected to make a financial commitment to the students recruited, recognising the higher costs which doctoral students may incur in undertaking a collaborative project, especially where the HEI and non-HEI are geographically distant.
Duration
Studentships funded under CDP4 will receive four years of funding, which can be adjusted pro rata for part-time students.
The four-year duration is to enable students to undertake development activities as part of their doctoral study and to submit their thesis within the funded period.
Studentship projects must start no later than 1 October 2026.
Funding available
AHRC CDP collaborative doctoral studentships provide funding for stipend and fees, plus an additional research training support grant.
Awards will be supplemented with London allowance where eligible.
Additionally, AHRC CDP collaborative doctoral studentships include a CDA stipend uplift as a contribution to additional costs which students may incur while undertaking a collaborative award, such as travel between the non-HEI and HEI organisations they are affiliated with.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in your application
The HEI and non-HEI must ensure recruitment of students follows a robust set of processes that include transparent decision-making structures and an appropriate and open advertising strategy, in line with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s and UKRI .
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
See, including where you can find additional support.
How to apply
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page:
1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this Opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
* provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
* insert each new image on a new line
* use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
* sentences or paragraphs of text
* tables
* excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
* * *
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
* references are easily identifiable by the assessors
* references are formatted as appropriate to your research
* persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our .
Deadline
AHRC must receive your application by 26 March 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our .
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
* individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
* declaration of interest
* additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
* conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
* the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read .
Publication of outcomes
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the .
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
* opinion-formers
* policymakers
* the public
* the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
* context
* the challenge the project addresses
* aims and objectives
* potential applications and benefits
Core team
Assign yourself as project lead.
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
* project lead (PL)
* project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
For this opportunity the collaborating non-HEI partner from the CDP partner organisation must be added as project co-lead.