Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP)
CDP-UKRI Scheme
Explore PGR funding opportunities
What is CDP?
The context for PGR funding in the UK is changing considerably. However, one aspect that is currently unchanged are the Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) – UKRI scheme, which sees a number of non-higher education institutions hold the funding for studentships that will be developed and co-supervised with external academics. The scheme has been running for a number of years; the 15 current holders are listed below.
The Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme gives non-HEI (non-higher education institution) partner organisations with a proven track record in postgraduate research the opportunity to apply for a cohort of a minimum of three doctoral studentships per year over a three-year period.
The aim of the CDP scheme is to support excellent collaborative research training by:
- giving non-HEI organisations greater autonomy in the selection of doctoral projects they would like to support and supervise
- providing non-HEI organisations or consortia with a firm funding horizon of collaborative doctoral awards to support their research training strategy, and to enable 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
How to apply
The process and timing for applying to the CPD scheme varies between institutions and consortia, and you should keep your eye on the relevant award holder page for updates as well as our 'Calls for CDP proposals'. Typically, however, academics are invited to submit an expression of interest about a collaborative doctoral project that they would like to supervise over summer, after which a select number are invited to submit full applications in autumn. After the successful applicants have been informed in the new year, the studentships are advertised in spring to start the following autumn.
In advance of the details of the various application process being announced, the best advice is to familiarise yourself with organisation you would like to work with, including previous collaborative studentships that they have run, and make contact with staff that you could co-supervise with. Please also the examples of current CDP projects at Warwick (below).
The 15 CDP4 award holders:
- The British Library
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The Collections and Communities in the East of England Consortium: University of Cambridge, Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Norfolk Museums Service and Peterborough Limited
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Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England: Historic England and English Heritage Trust
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REACH (Revisiting and Enhancing Approaches to Collections and Heritage) consortium: National Maritime Museum, British Film Institute, Historic Royal Palaces, National Portrait Gallery and National Trust
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Science Museums and Archives Consortium: Science Museum, BT Archives, Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British geographers), Royal Society and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
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Welsh Culture and Heritage Consortium: Amguddfa Cymru Museum of Wales, National Botanic Garden of Wales and National Library of Wales
Calls for CDP projects
Find out more about the latest calls for CDP Projects
The REACH Consortium - call for projects starting October 2026
Interested in supervising a funded, four-year collaborative PhD with a nationally significant cultural and heritage institution? We’d love to hear from you!
The REACH Consortium, an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (‘CDP’) has issued a Call for Expressions of Interest in developing collaborative PhD projects (October 2026 start) with one of our five members:
- The REACH Consortium brings together five nationally significant cultural and heritage institutions which together attract 38 million visitors per annum and combine 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- Royal Museums Greenwich (National Maritime Museum)
- National Portrait Gallery
- Historic Royal Palaces
- British Film Institute
- The National Trust
REACH would like to hear from academics interested in collaborating on PhD projects to start in October 2026
- Please complete the Expression of Interest (“EoI”) form, following the guidance in the REACH Consortium Information Sheet - see below this section.
- Deadline for EoIs: 17.00 on 1st September 2025 - send to research@rmg.co.uk
- Important: It is essential to contact the relevant REACH Consortium committee member listed on the Expression of Interest form before submitting an EoI.
- If your EoI is selected to go forward, full applications will be required by end of October, with final decisions in November.
- Please visit our REACH Consortium webpage for full details.
Information Webinar for prospective academic co-supervisors on Monday 16 June, 13.00-13.45
- Want to find out more about collaborating on a PhD with one of the five cultural and heritage institutions within REACH?
- Sign up here to request joining instructions for a short, informal webinar on REACH on Monday 16 June at 13.00 (NB. a recording will be made available on the REACH webpage later).
- Please note that this event is not for potential students. PhD opportunities for students within REACH are advertised each Spring. REACH does not accept named students on projects.
More on REACH themes:
Our focus is on the construction of diverse identities in British and global contexts, and their representation or invisibility within historic and contemporary heritage practices and debates. These themes express our common strategic objective to generate public-facing outcomes addressing new perspectives, foregrounding underused resources and reshaping expectations of our collections and priorities. Our cross-cutting themes are as follows:
- Identities in British and global contexts
- The migration of people, objects and ideas
- Diverse and marginalised histories, particularly those relating to race, gender, sexuality, disability and class
- Heritage narratives and public engagement
- Conservation science, materiality and environments
- Cultural approaches to science, technology and media
Existing CDP projects
To find out more about past and current projects funded under Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships
Legacies of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: Activism and Politics in Central Kenya, 1956-75
Department of History, Faculty of Arts
The project examines the aftermath and legacies of the Mau Mau War in Kenya, and will contribute to IWM's collections-building in partnership with Kenyan-based organisations, the development of its public programme, and to wider conversations about the way in which countries of the former British Empire are represented and engaged with in UK museums more broadly.
See the project proposal for more detail.
Department of History, Faculty of Arts
This PhD project focuses on the role of the West India Regiments (WIR) in projects of circum-Atlantic colonial science, particularly exploration, botany and ethnology, in the nineteenth-century British Empire. Sitting at the interface of histories of science, empire and the military, the project also seeks to contribute to the ‘decolonisation’ of scholarly collections and academic knowledge.
See the project proposal for more detail.
Metallic Empire: Science, Energy, and Industrial Imperialism in the John Percy Collection, 1817–89
Department of History, Faculty of Arts
This PhD project focuses on the colonial and industrial history of the John Percy Collection, held at the Science Museum, London. The Percy Collection comprises over 3700 mineralogical specimens, including coal from South Africa, silver from Australia, and copper from India. The collection was made by John Percy FRS (1817–1889), and then subsequently acquired by the South Kensington Museum on his death. A study of the Percy Collection provides an excellent opportunity to uncover the imperial and colonial origins of a significant early acquisition by the Science Museum.
See the project proposal for more detail.
Ellie King (University of Warwick in partnership with Oxford University Museum of Natural History)
Evaluating the Influence of Tangible 3D-Printed Replicas on the Museum Experience
Sif Laerke-Hall (University of Warwick in partnership with Oxford University Museum of Natural History)