For Supervisors
Collaborative Doctoral Awards
Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) are doctoral studentship projects which are developed by a university-based academic working in collaboration with an organisation outside of higher education.
They are intended as a way of facilitating collaboration with a diverse range of partners including smaller, regional partners.
CDAs are mutually beneficial. CDA projects:
Encourage and establish links between organisations.
Provide access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that may not otherwise be available.
Build research capacity for organisations.
Can transform business practices and provide innovative skills and approaches for external partners.
Offer opportunities for doctoral researchers to gain first-hand experience of work outside a university environment.
Enhance researchers’ employment-related skills.
Submitting a CDA Proposal:
To host a CDA, collaborating organisations are required to submit a proposal for consideration by the CHASE Management Board.
The proposal should outline a research project, along with details of what each party will contribute to the project.
Please read below for more information about the application process, or click the link to download a copy of our CDA proposal form.
Sign up to the CHASE Bulletin to be notified of when the next round of applications will open.
Supervising a CDA
All research proposals must be submitted by a supervisory team. This consists of
A lead contact supervisor
A second supervisor
A supervisor from the partner organisation
The lead contact supervisor is responsible for overseeing the project and submitting the CDA proposal.
The second supervisor should be actively involved in the research project and/or have expertise in the research area specified in the CDA proposal.
Supervisors from partner institutions are responsible for providing access to resources at their organisation, such as archives, training, and office space.
The supervisory team should each contribute to the project and form a genuine research partnership that has measurable benefits for the doctoral researcher, the academic institution and the partner organisation.
The UK Council for Graduate Education has published a guide for how supervisors based outside higher education institutions can best support their doctoral researchers. The guide covers basic topics, such as the definition and benefits of doctoral education, as well as the challenges faced by external supervisors, especially during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
If you are interested in becoming a CHASE partner institution, please fill out our enquiry form.
For more information on the application process, including eligibility, please see our ‘How To’ Guide for CDA proposals, you can also watch our interactive webinar below.
“As a doctoral researcher I think you run the risk of having your work and thoughts dominated by academic requirements! [H]aving a non-academic partner keeps [my] research more varied and grounded, and gives [me] the space and support to think about [my] research from other perspectives.”
— Becky Winstanley, CDA student (Osmani Trust & SOAS, University of London)
“Having a supervisor at my partner institution is great because they offer a different perspective on my thesis, and provide access not just to research material but also to network of professionals who work with the collections.
Your partner institution can give you access to opportunities that you may not otherwise have had (or even known about), and to the knowledge and expertise of those working in its field.”
— Olivia Croyle, CDA student (Museum of London & University of East Anglia)
Placements
Doctoral researchers at CHASE institutions can undertake a fully funded placement with an external organisation.
Placements offer doctoral researchers a number of potential benefits, including:
A chance to develop transferrable skills by working in sectors of the economy beyond higher education.
An opportunity to develop research skills and access resources not otherwise available within a higher education organisations.
Financial benefits such as a stipend, expenses paid, and a tuition fee waiver.
Networking opportunities outside institutional boundaries.
The opportunity to take time away from their doctoral research and gain a sense of renewed confidence and perspective on their subject area.
Researchers are eligible if:
They are undertaking a PhD in an arts and humanities subject area.
The placement offers suitable training and development.
The placement lasts between one and six months - this can be either part-time or full-time.
They are in the second year of their PhD or later, although exceptions can be made.
The employer does not offer remuneration.
For further information on the benefits of hosting a placement, please see our dedicated ‘Organisations’ page.
For more information on the benefits of placements, including researcher testimonials, please see see our dedicated placements page on the CHASE website.
Supervising a Placement
Doctoral researchers undertaking a placement will be supervised by both their academic supervisor and an external supervisor at their placement host.
For Academic Supervisors:
You will not be expected to support researchers’ placement-related work, but researchers should discuss their placement with their you before beginning the application process.
Once a PhD researcher has secured a placement with an external organisation, academic supervisors are expected to write a short statement of support.
For further details, please see our ‘How To’ Placements Guide for supervisors.
For Placement Supervisors:
If you are interested in hosting a placement, but have not yet been approached by a CHASE doctoral researcher, please fill out our enquiry form.
If a researcher approaches you about undertaking a placement at your organisation and you would like to offer an opportunity, your organisation will be expected to provide a suitable placement supervisor.
The UK Council for Graduate Education has published a guide for how supervisors based outside higher education institutions can best support their doctoral researcher. The guide covers basic topics, such as the definition and benefits of doctoral education, as well as the challenges faced by external supervisors, especially during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
For more information on hosting and/or supervising a placement, please see our ‘How To’ Guide for Organisations.
The Barbican Centre, London (a CHASE partner institution).