CASE Project Proposal Form

MIBTP 2026 CASE PhD Project Proposal

The Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership 2025 (MIBTP2025) partnership between the University of WarwickLink opens in a new window, University of BirminghamLink opens in a new window, University of LeicesterLink opens in a new window, Aston University,Link opens in a new window Harper Adams UniversityLink opens in a new window and Coventry UniversityLink opens in a new window, is recruiting students for four-year CASE studentships starting in Oct 2026. These students must fulfil the MIBTP entry requirements and will join the MIBTP cohort for the taught modules and masterclasses during the first term. They will remain as an integral part of the MIBTP cohort and take part in the core networking activities and transferable skills training. These studentships are an excellent opportunity to initiate new industrial contacts, develop existing links and help enhance the impact of our research.

An overview of the MIBTP training programme

The BBSRC-funded CASE studentships are designed to provide students with a first-rate challenging research training experience within the context of a mutually-beneficial research collaboration between academic and non-academic partner organisations. Joint supervision should provide the student with a unique and broadening perspective on the impact of collaborative research, and allows the student to acquire novel skills and expertise. The student should gain a wider understanding of, for example, applied research or policy development that will enhance their future career prospects. In addition to experience of an industrial research environment, the student should receive business-related training, for example, in project-management, business strategy and/or finance.

Awarding these collaborative studentships through the Doctoral Training Partnerships enables the students to take advantage of the additional benefits offered by DTPs, such as cohort-based learning and skills training provision. BBSRC is keen to see DTPs support collaborations with as wide a range of companies and organisations as possible, and in particular to engage with small- and medium sized enterprises and companies within their local area or which have specialist technical expertise.

The non-academic partner must provide a minimum of a 3-month placement (maximum 18 months) and cover all costs associated with this placement. In addition, a company with 50 or more employees must make an annual contribution of at least £1,400 to the academic partner department.

To apply for a CASE studentship, please complete this form by Thursday 4th September 2025. Only the highlighted information in the form will be used to advertise each project.

Applications will be assessed confidentially by a MIBTP selection panel of MIBTP directors, based on objective criteria provided by industry representatives, whilst ensuring confidentiality is maintained. Note: students will be recruited directly to CASE studentships.

The criteria for a successful CASE project include:

Project within BBSRC remit
Clear commitment of non-academic partner to project
Clear benefit of industrial placement and collaborative research
Good record of successful submission by supervisor (relatively inexperienced supervisors should have a more experienced second supervisor on the project)

Preference will be given to projects with SME partners and companies that do not have Industrial CASE Partnerships (ICPs) funded by BBSRC.

If you have any questions regarding this form please contact one of the UoW MIBTP directors:

Aston

Alan Goddard:
Alice Rothnie:

Birmingham

Florian Busch:
Yin Chen:

Coventry

Jennifer Greaves:
Mark Wheatley:

Harper Adams

Martin Hare:

Leicester

Jonathan McDearmid:

Warwick

Erin Gorsich:
Vardis Ntoukakis:

Full name

Supervisory Team Details (advertised information)

Primary Academic Supervisor

Title

Full Name

Pronouns

School / Department

Email Address

Link to Staff Profile / Lab Page

Please list below any current PhD students of the primary academic supervisor and their estimated completion dates:

Please enter the number of PhD students for the primary academic supervisor who have successfully completed within four years:

Secondary Academic Supervisor (if applicable)

Title

Full Name

Pronouns

School / Department

Email Address

Primary Supervisor at Non-Academic Partner

Title

Full Name

Pronouns

Email Address

Please list below any current PhD students of the non-academic supervisor and their estimated completion dates:

Please enter the number of PhD students for the non-academic supervisor who have successfully completed within four years:

Secondary Supervisor at Non-Academic Partner (if applicable)

Title

Full Name

Pronouns

Email Address

Additional Supervisors

Please provide details (as above) of any additional supervisors:

Project Details

PhD Project Title (advertised information)

University of Registration (advertised information)

Project Outline (advertised information)

Please write a project outline below, describing the scientific rationale of the project. Project outlines should contain no more than 2,000 characters, including spaces and returns, and should conform to the project description criteria. There is no need to be too detailed about individual projects - a general background, objectives and methods should suffice. Please do not include any confidential information.

Project Outline

Relevance to BBSRC and Approvals

Sustainable Agriculture and Food

Renewable Resources and Clean Growth

Understanding the Rules of Life

Integrated Understanding of Health

Please outline the impact of the project. Who will benefit and how will they benefit? (max. 400 words)

Please give details of why the proposed project is of relevance to the non-academic partner (max. 150 words):

Please provide information on how the collaboration between the academic and non-academic partners benefits the research project (max. 300 words):

Student Support

Please outline how the joint supervision of the student will be managed (max. 150 words):

37.5 hours per week, 9am – 5pm on campus

37.5 hours per week, with flexible working arrangements (please provide details below)

Other, e.g. a requirement for field work, night shift requirements etc. (please provide details below)

The project can be carried out on a part-time basis (please provide details below)

Additional working pattern details:

Please give up to 5 examples of training you have completed, or professional development events you have attended, relevant to your role as a supervisor, within the past 5 years. These could include institutional, pastoral training, equality diversity and inclusion training, supervisor best practise events, Athena SWAN events, etc.

Please enter the name of the training, the training provider and the date that the training took place. Please put each entry on a separate line.

Example: Unconscious bias training, University of Warwick, 20/03/2019

Training, Provider and Date:

Non-Academic Partner Details

Name of non-academic partner organisation:

Size of organisation:

Number of employees:

Age of the organisation:

Has the organisation operated under a different name?

Placement Address:

Briefly describe the main product range/business and indicate the sector to which the non-academic partner belongs:

Please outline the training opportunities that will be provided by the non-academic partner (max. 400 words)
Please include information on interactions with other students and staff, facilities/technologies/expertise available, generic training (both scientific and broader) and project-specific training.

Training opportunities:

Yes

If the placement will not take place within the UK, please explain how the placement provides the student with an opportunity to gain skills not currently available within the UK (max. 100 words):

Please provide details of the anticipated work the student will do at the non-academic partner (max. 300 words):

Non-Academic Partner Contribution

Please provide details of the financial and in-kind contributions that the partner will make to support the studentship.

Annual contribution to the academic partner

Details

Cost

Annual supplement to studentship stipend

Details

Cost

Other (e.g. placement expenses, in-kind contributions, consumable costs)

Details

Cost

Are there known likely risks to the project, for example from company reorganisation or review of priorities during the period of the studentship? (max. 100 words)

How will the student’s PhD progress be safeguarded if the non-academic partner reduces their commitment to the project? (max. 100 words)

Do any of the academic applicants/institutions or other academic institutions have a direct or indirect interest in the non-academic partner (e.g. consultancy, shareholdings, options etc.)? If so, what is the nature of this interest and how will conflicts of interest between the parties be managed? (max. 150 words)

What principles have been agreed between partners for managing intellectual property arising from the student’s work? (max. 100 words)

How will the outcomes of the student’s research be published in the public domain in a reasonable time frame? Will any restrictions be proposed? If so, explain what they are and why. (max. 100 words)

The student will need to partake in MIBTP cohort activities including oral and poster presentations. How will this be managed? (max. 100 words)

Please attach a letter of support from the non-academic partner, confirming their financial contributions:

Attach file

No files are currently attached.

Impact Monitoring

If you have supervised MIBTP students in the past, please list them below. For each please note any publications, patents, grants, public outreach, or other impacts which have arisen from their project in the last 12 months. Please also list their next destination information (their first position after completing their PhD). This information is being collected as part of the requirement to measure DTP impact.

Previous MIBTP Students (one per line):

Privacy notice

This form will be read by CASE panellists and MIBTP programme directors to determine the suitability of your project for advertising to potential applicants. Only the sections labelled with "(advertised information)" will appear on the project advert. All other information will only be seen by programme admin and directors. The names of the supervisory team will appear alongside the project information on the MIBTP webpages and on FindAPhD. You may opt to withdraw your project from advertisement at any time and project information will be removed immediately from any outward-facing webpages. If you have any questions about our use of the data you've provided in this form, please don't hesitate to contact us at mibtp@warwick.ac.uk. Please see our Staff Privacy Notice or Student Privacy Notice for further information.

The University of Warwick is the Data Controller of any information you have entered on this form and is committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with Data Protection Legislation. The University's Data Protection webpages provide further information on your rights and how the University processes personal data. If you wish to submit a data subjects rights request, make a complaint or report a suspected personal data breach, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer by email at infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk.

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