ESPRC Centre for Doctoral Training - Urban Science & Progress (CDT)

University Regulations, Provision of Award and Enrolment

1. Recipients of the EPSRC CDT award must abide at all times with the University rules and regulations, as set out in the University Calendar, available online here.
2. Recipients of the EPSRC CDT award must be a national of a member state of the European Union unless it is specified in writing by the EPSRC CDT that an award is being offered to an Overseas (non-EU) national; this will only be done in the limited circumstances permitted under the rules of the EPSRC CDT. Recipients who have demonstrated that they have a relevant connection with the UK, as defined by the EPSRC, are eligible for a full studentship which includes the payment of academic fees and a maintenance grant. Recipients who are a national of a Member State of the European Union other than the UK, who have not been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years prior to receiving the award, are only eligible for a fees-only studentship award unless it is specified in writing by the EPSRC CDT that an award paying both fees and maintenance is offered to an EU (non-UK) national; this will only be done in the limited circumstances permitted under the rules of the EPSRC CDT. A recipient’s status is determined at the start of the award and cannot be changed once the award is made.
3. Studentships will cover fees and a maintenance grant (if the student is eligible for a full studentship), normally for a minimum of 3 years and up to a maximum of 4 years; the period of funding will be specified in writing by the EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre when the award is offered, and any subsequent changes must be specified in writing by the EPSRC CDT. If the recipient submits a thesis for final examination before the expected end of their registration, funding shall cease upon submission of the thesis. Funding is not retrospective and students already enrolled on an MPhil/PhD at the time of their selection for the award will have the value of their award reduced pro-rata.
4. Payment of academic fees for the EPSRC CDT award is normally set at the Home/EU fee rate (£4,121 for 2016-17) unless otherwise specified in writing. Payment of the maintenance grant is normally set at the standard RCUK rate (£14,296 p.a. for 2016-17). If an enhanced stipend is offered this will be specified in writing.
5. An offer of an award is made on the understanding that recipients are currently enrolled or will be enrolled with the University from 3 October 2016 or from an alternative enrolment date specified in writing and will then subsequently re-enrol annually. If a recipient has been made a conditional offer for doctoral study and has conditions still outstanding at the time of enrolment, then enrolment will be provisional until the conditions needed for full enrolment have been met. Provisional enrolment will enable the recipient to receive the award. However, if the conditions of admission are not satisfied within the first term of study the recipient will be liable to repay the amount awarded in full, on demand and without deduction. Acceptance of the terms and conditions of this award shall be taken as acceptance of the recipient’s liability to repay in such circumstances.
6. In accepting the Terms and Conditions of this award the award-holder is consenting to share their personal data with EPSRC and/or other Research Councils.
7. In accepting the Terms and Conditions of this award the award-holder understands that information about their research, including data submitted through the Je-S Student Details Portal (SDP) will be made available on the Research Councils’ web sites and other publicly available databases, including Gateway to Research, and in reports, documents and mailing lists. This will include the following data: Student name; Name(s) of project partner organisations and supervisors; Project titles and topics; Project summaries; Registration and expected submission dates; Numbers of students in particular regions, universities or departments in context of the Training Grant funding announced; Aggregated information regarding demographics, student numbers, stipend levels, qualifications, age at start, migration levels (from first degree university to another) etc.
8. Gateway to Research is a web-based portal http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/ that publishes information about funded research that can assist businesses and other interested parties to identify potential partners in research organisations to develop and commercialise knowledge, and thereby increase the impact of publicly funded research. It provides better access for the research community, business and the public to information on research funded by the seven Research Councils and Innovate UK

Additional or Alternative Sources of External Funding  

1. The total amount of scholarship funding awarded to the recipient will not normally exceed the total sum of the academic fees due and a maintenance grant set at the standard RCUK rate. This does not include any additional funding offered by the ESRC to support research visits or conference attendance. The University retains the right to withdraw all or part of the EPSRC CDT award if the award-holder obtains substantial alternative funding in excess of this total sum and to verify a recipient’s financial status annually through re-enrolment.
2. Alternative funding obtained by fees-only award holders which does not exceed the amount of a maintenance grant set at the standard RCUK rate will not normally result in the reduction of a EPSRC CDT award. However, the source and amount of funding must be disclosed by the award-holder, including any amount awarded by the student’s department. The University retains the right to withdraw or reduce the award in light of any additional funding obtained which is greater than the standard RCUK maintenance grant.
3. It is a condition of accepting this award that if the EPSRC CDT award-holder is successful in obtaining an offer of funding for doctoral studies at the University from an alternative source to an amount commensurate with normal EPSRC CDT funding, they must inform the EPSRC CDT without delay in writing of all the material facts.
4. It is a requirement of the EPSRC CDT awards that the award-holder must not be in receipt of any other scholarship, studentship or alternative source of funding for doctoral studies at Warwick or elsewhere which has not been disclosed to the University. Any award-holder in receipt of a University scholarship remains responsible for immediately notifying the EPSRC CDT of any changes to their funding arrangements throughout their period of study. Failure to disclose such information will be considered as a major offence as defined in the disciplinary regulations laid out in University Regulation 23.

Fees and Payment

1. Accommodation fees are not directly covered by the EPSRC CDT award.
2. Stipend payments will normally be made on a monthly basis. The first stipend payment will be made on the first day of the month in which the student is due to start their course or three to four days following enrolment, whichever is later. Payments will only commence once Student Finance has received the student’s UK bank details. 3.3 Stipend payments will only be made from the University to the recipient’s UK bank account.

Changes to Mode of Attendance

1. EPSRC CDT award-holders are normally expected to be registered full-time. Requests to study part-time will be considered on the grounds set out in University Regulation 38.3.2 and are subject to approval by the Chair of the Board of Graduate Studies.
2. Requests for temporary withdrawal will only be considered on the grounds set out in University Regulation 36. Requests for temporary withdrawal should be made in accordance with normal procedure and the payment of the award is normally suspended during the award-holder’s period of temporary withdrawal.
3. Students failing to make satisfactory progress may be subject to University procedures leading to their being withdrawn. Should an award-holder wish to withdraw permanently, he/she must notify their department immediately in writing. Any maintenance and fee awards payable under the EPSRC CDT award will be terminated at the date of withdrawal. Any payments made to an award-holder to cover a period of study after the date of permanent withdrawal will need to be repaid.
4. EPSRC CDT award-holders are normally expected to be based at the University throughout their course of study. Any requests to spend part of the period of study away from the University must conform with the conditions set out in the ‘Guidelines on the Supervision of Research Students based away from the University’

Student Obligations

1. EPSRC CDT award-holders must make good progress in, and complete by the dates scheduled, all courses, modules, workshops or other activities required for EPSRC CDT award-holders. EPSRC CDT award-holders must submit any work required of them by the dates specified and to a satisfactory standard as determined by their department.
2. EPSRC CDT award-holders will normally be subject to a review of their progress, which will take place at the end of two years of study at the latest, in addition to the regular monitoring of progress set out in the University's Guidelines on the Supervision and Monitoring of Research Degree Students.
3. EPSRC CDT award-holders must contribute to any research dissemination activities required of EPSRC CDT-funded students or by the University.
4. Payment of the EPSRC CDT award is subject to the annual completion by the award-holder of a Postgraduate Research Annual Report Form for each year of the award.
5. The award is subject to the acceptance of the terms of this agreement and (i) the award-holder making an annual submission to the EPSRC CDT of their Progress Review documentation; and (ii) the award-holder consenting to their name and submission being used by the University in a recruitment context, be it in the University prospectus, as online content or other; and (iii) the provision of a final report, upon the conclusion of the research degree.
6. EPSRC CDT award-holders must record outcomes and impacts of their research via RCUK’s Researchfish reporting service, including completing an annual return to Researchfish. Submission to Researchfish is a mandatory requirement for all ESRC funded students https://www.researchfish.com/.
7. Research Councils have a responsibility to demonstrate the value and impact of research and training supported via public funds and as such they are required to provide information on the outputs, outcomes and impact of the research they fund to government and public bodies. You are responsible for providing this information via Researchfish, the online system the UK Research Councils use to collect all researcher outputs. You will receive details about engaging with Researchfish following registration onto your PhD and you will be required to enter and submit data every year from this point until three years beyond your studentship period. Therefore, you should make sure that your contact details are kept up to date on Researchfish for this purpose.
8. The award-holder will be expected to participate periodically in a range of postgraduate recruitment activities, which might include: CDT/postgraduate open days; induction events; widening participation events; receptions held with potential sponsors or alumni.

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