This page will attempt to answer commonly asked questions about the MIBTP Doctoral Training Partnership. If you do not find an answer to your question on this page, please do not hesitate to contact the MIBTP team by email, to mibtp at warwick dot ac dot uk.

• What does the studentship include?

• What undergraduate degree do I need in order to be eligible?

• Can international students apply?

• I have a disability, would this course be suitable for me?

• Can I apply for more than one project?

• Can I apply for more than one University?

• Would it be advantageous to my application if I chose a specific project at this point rather than delaying my choice?

• Do I need to provide any supporting documentation with my application?

• Is it the responsibility of the student to arrange Professional Internship Placements (PIPs) and mini-projects; is support offered?

• Can I organise my own mini-project or do I have to choose from a set list?

• Can I self fund?

• How do I apply?

• Guidance on completing a PhD application

• Privacy policy

• Contact us

What does the studentship include?

The studentships includes payment of fees, a tax free stipend of at least £18,622 p.a (to rise in line with UKRI recommendation); a travel allowance in year 1; a travel / conference budget; a generous consumables budget and use of a laptop computer for the duration of the programme.

What undergraduate degree do I need in order to be eligible?

Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. MIBTP welcomes those with creative drive in both theoretical (maths, physics or computer science) and experimental (biology, biomedicine, chemistry, or biotechnology) research.

Can international students apply?

From the 2021/22 academic year UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding is open to both UK and International research students as detailed on the UKRI website. Awards for both UK residents and International applicants cover UK tuition fees and provide a stipend at the standard UKRI rate to support living costs. UKRI funding will not cover international fees. Funding for this may be available from other sources and varies at each university, therefore, please check the MIBTP Application page for more details.

I have a disability, would this course be suitable for me?

MIBTP will support all of its students. Disabled students who have been recruited to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or research council studentships are eligible to apply for additional financial support towards expenditure arising from their postgraduate studies incurred solely because of their disability. This additional financial support is commonly referred to as Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).

MIBTP is unusual in requiring training at all five partner universities. Our scheme requires students to do a fair amount of training in term 1 and a 3-month research project at one of the partner Universities (away from your 'home' university) during the training year. Students are also required to undertake a 3-month industry placement and attend masterclasses and cohort events at each of the five partner institutions over the 4-year programme. The training is much more settled once you embark on your main PhD project. This scheme might present additional challenges for people with some disabilities, however, we are committed to supporting all our students in the best way we can.

Can I apply for more than one project?

We have no rule. However many projects you apply for it will be considered one application. It is the student / applicant who is awarded the scholarship, not the project. Also, you may apply to join the training programme nominating just an area of research and if you do start with a nominated project, you may change project at any time in year 1.

Can I apply for more than one University?

You can apply for one, two or all five Universities; however, if you are shortlisted, it may not be for your preferred university depending on the availability of projects at each university. If you are invited to interview, this will take place at the university for which you have been shortlisted.

Would it be advantageous to my application if I chose a specific project at this point rather than delaying my choice?

No. We encourage students to delay making a decision on a project until they experience what MIBTP has to offer and differing research environments. However, we recognise that some students want to know what project they will do and specific project outlines give applicants an idea of the research available. It is also fine to nominate a research area and have in mind one or two projects you are most likely to select. Selection of students will be done on the basis of the academic record of the student and their potential for bioscience research. For industrial collaboration studentships (CASE), however; a project must be chosen at the time of application.

Do I need to provide any supporting documentation with my application?

We need no other documentation than that you supply to the online system. So, references, CV, covering letter. If you do not want to choose a project now, state clearly in the project page that you are applying for the MIBTP training programme and the area of research you wish to apply for.

You do need to complete the ED&I formLink opens in a new window on the MIBTP website so that we know that you have applied to our programme.

Is it the responsibility of the student to arrange Professional Internship Placements (PIPs) and mini-projects; is support offered?

For internships (PIPs) we provide a selection of potential options from which students can choose to explore. However, in each we also encourage students to make their own arrangements because by this stage in your career it is best that you develop ideas and plan your own agenda. We act to support and resource as needed.

Can I organise my own mini-project or do I have to choose from a set list?

For mini-projects, students can approach supervisors who have listed projects on the PhD project list. Your mini-projects are for you to choose. If you know what project you want to do for the PhD you may ask your supervisor to advise, but there is no requirement for this. Most students discuss and agree their own projects with academics but the MIBTP can offer assistance if required. All projects need to fall within the remit of BBSRC.

With regards to your PhD project, the answer is the same. The DTP directors can act as mentors to help or act as sounding boards if necessary.

Can I self fund?

Self-funders may apply to do a 4 year degree course and participate in MIBTP training in year 1. The PhD thesis must be submitted before the end of year 4.

Note: the supervisor must accept to carry the costs of any experimental work. MIBTP students carry a consumable budget of approx £4500 pa and this will not be available to self-funders.

There are no other costs due to the University other than fees.

How do I apply?

Please complete the relevant application form depending on where you would like to study (Aston, Harper Adams, Warwick, Birmingham or Leicester).

Please also complete the ED&I formLink opens in a new window on the MIBTP website (regardless of which University you wish to study at) so that we can track your application.

Guidance on completing a PhD application

FindaPhD has some useful guidance on their website with regards to the PhD application process.

Data privacy policy

To understand how we process your data during the application process and beyond, please review at the MIBTP Data Privacy Policy.

Contact us

You can contact the MIBTP team by emailing MIBTP@warwick.ac.uk; we will endeavour to answer any queries in a prompt manner.