Project Student
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Background Information
Completing the section on the Je-S System
Project Studentships may only be applied for on Proposals for some schemes to: AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC, NERC and STFC. Applicants should ensure that they have read any specific Call specific documents, the UKRI terms and conditions of training grants and referred to the Research Council’s relevant funding guide(s) for further information.
AHRC: Project students are only available where the call guidance specifically states that you may apply for capacity-building doctoral studentships alongside the grant.
For further information relating to Research Grants (Standard) and Research Grants (Early Career) please refer to section 1 of the Research Funding Guide available here: https://ahrc.ukri.org/funding/research/researchfundingguide/
EPSRC: Project students are available on certain calls only where the call guidance specifically states that they are permitted i.e. strategic calls such as Prosperity Partnerships 2. Project students must be at least 48 months duration.
ESRC: Project students are available on grants of at least 36 months duration and only where the call guidance specifically states that they are permitted i.e. on strategic calls such as Centres and Large Grants and Professorial Fellowships.
Further Information:
https://www.ukri.org/publications/esrc-postgraduate-funding-guide/
https://www.ukri.org/publications/esrc-postgraduate-training-and-development-guidelines/
NERC: NERC Large Grants and some Research Programme funding opportunities may allow applicants to request additional funding within their proposals to support associated studentships. Any call-specific requirements regarding these studentships can be found in the call Announcement of Opportunity document.
Further information regarding the assessment process for associated studentships can be found here: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/application/howtoapply/forms/grantshandbook.pdf
Examples of best practice for associated studentships can be found here:http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/responsive/lg-associated/associated-studentships-assessment-process.pdf
STFC: fund project-linked studentships to enable research groups to capitalise on any excellent student training opportunities that exist within the grant-supported programme. There are no constraints on the nationality or residency of candidates selected for project-linked studentships.
Further Information: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/1835.aspx and http://www.stfc.ac.uk/research-grants-handbook/5-applying-for-a-grant/5-6-studentships-on-grants/
Further Information on Project Students is available on the UKRI website at:
Terms and Conditions for Training Grants: https://www.ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/grant-terms-and-conditions/
Research Councils UK Statement of Expectations for Doctoral Training: https://www.ukri.org/files/legacy/skills/statementofexpectation-revisedseptember2016v2-pdf/
Completing the section on the Je-S System
Please note that not all the sections described below are included in all the Research Councils documents.
Select the
A new screen will open
Specify by Name or Post identifier? :
AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC and STFC forms include a search option for a Student Name. NERC forms do not have this option. For NERC add Post Identifier such as Bristol/Leeds Student 1, or Work package 1 student
If specified by name then choose the option to Select Student
A new screen will open.
To the right of the Name box click on Select.
A new screen will open. Enter the Surname and Initials. The search will only display people at the same organisation selected within the Project Details. The system may display several names. To select the correct person click on the highlighted detail on the left hand side of the screen. The Name field will now be populated.
If the Project Student does not have a Je-S account (very few will) the message “No Person Found” will be displayed. In which case close the pop up screen and select the Post Identifier option and type the name details directly into the box (Max 40 characters)
If a person has not yet been identified for the post, or a search has returned “No Person Found”, select Post Identifier and provide the identifier details in the Text box which now appears:
Organisation: Select the organisation at which the student will be registered from the list provided. This list is generated from the organisations of the investigators named on the research proposal. Not required for NERC
Start Date: the date of starting on the project.The Date will default to the proposed project date. To amend this click on the calendar icon 
Clicking on the Month at the top or the arrows to change the year and month as appropriate. Alternatively enter the date in the DD/MM/YYYY format.
Duration Months: The period, in whole months (or system will round down) to be spent on the Project. The studentship must fall within the period of the grant.
Exception ESRC only: Subject to the RO confirming that the studentship will continue to be supported, a project linked studentships can outlast the grant they are linked to. However, the majority (more than half) of the studentship must take place during the life of the grant.
London Weighting:Indicate if the Student will be in receipt of London Allowance.
Annual Stipend: The current default rate will be displayed but can be amended to reflect a different value. If the student is part-time the default rate can be amended by typing the numerical value into the box. Not available for NERC
Annual Fees: The current default rate will be displayed. If the student is part-time the default rate can be amended by typing the numerical value into the box.
Exception ESRC only: Project studentships are subject to the standard rules for ESRC studentships and should be calculated on the same notional cost basis. (i.e. the costs entered on the Je-S form should reflect the notional cost value x the number of years for each student). Applicants should overtype the stipend amount to include the other elements of the notional cost namely the research training support grant (RTSG), overseas fieldwork and Student and Cohort development funds. Further guidance on the notional cost of a studentship can be found in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide here:Postgraduate Funding Guide - Economic and Social Research Council (ukri.org)
Exception NERC Only- Project Title: (max 150 Characters)
Exception AHRC only- Proposed Departmental unit where the student will be registered: 
Select from the list displayed (This is the list of Departments registered against the Organisation).
Proposed Supervisor:Select from the drop down list which will display either the principal investigator or one of the co-investigators listed on the Proposal. Not required for EPSRC, ESRC or STFC.
Exception AHRC only- Nature and Scope of Doctoral thesis: Briefly state the nature and scope of the doctoral project
Project Summary: Describe the students project in simple terms in a way that could be publicised to a general audience (up to 400 chars). Not required for EPSRC.
Exception NERC only– Project Summary (max of 4000 Characters)
Select “Save” from the top of the screen
If any section is not completed then the relevant validation warning will be displayed.
Please enter the correct information and Save. When the section has been completed then the 
icon against the Project Student on the Document Menu indicates that the section has been successfully completed and passes validation.
Further Project Students should be added via . You can Edit or Delete items from this screen. The total estimated cost for the duration selected will be displayed here.
Additional Information
The Stipend element of the Project Studentship will appear under the Exceptions-Staff heading of the Resource summary table.
The Tuition fees element will appear under the Exceptions-Other Costs heading of the Resource summary table.
Student Stipends and tuition fees will be paid at 100% rate.
Other resources such as travel (Study visits, conferences, UK and overseas fieldwork), consumables and equipment (AHRC do not allow associated equipment costs) should be entered under the appropriate fund heading on the proposal form, and will be funded in accordance with full economic cost (fEC) rules. Note: this does not apply to ESRC or EPSRC.
Exception EPSRC only: Other costs such as travel should be entered with the student stipend and will be funded at 100% rate. All costs should be fully justified in the Justification of Resources document.
Exception ESRC only: Additional Information to be added as an Attachment to the Proposal:
ESRC requires two attachments to be submitted per student:
Studentship case for support (Project Student Request attachment)
A separate case for support per project studentship to be added as attachment type "Project Student Request" to give information and justification.(Two sides of A4 per studentship (max)).
The Case must include:
The Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) accredited pathway in which the student will be based.
The Principal and/or the Co-Investigators who will supervise the studentship.
The length of the studentship in years - include start and end dates.
A summary statement of the PhD topic to be undertaken and a justification for the length of the programme of study.
A clear statement of how this is independent from, but will add value to, the principal research objectives set out in the proposal
Where institutions are planning to co-fund the associated studentships this must be confirmed in the grant proposals and attachments included for the total number of students.
DTP or CDT letter of support (Proposal cover letter attachment)
It is essential that all project linked studentships are embedded within a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT). As such, applications must be accompanied by a letter of support from the DTP or CDT Director.
Further advice on adding the attachment information will be provided in the section on ESRC Attachments.