Information for students and supervisors

The NERC Training Strategy

The four aims of the NERC Training Strategy are:

To recognize that postgraduate training is a crucial first step in the development of a research career and that it is important that early-career researchers have the opportunity both to pursue their own lines of enquiry and to learn how to do so.
To link training opportunities, particularly at doctoral level, to high-priority, high-quality research.
To ensure that we identify skills priorities and gaps within our research base, both now and in the foreseeable future, and reflect this in the training we support.
To ensure that the needs of employers for people with particular skills are taken into account in the training we support.

The full document can be found below.

Studentship Handbook

All NERC studentships are subject to the terms and conditions in the studentship handbook.

We will email students with other opportunities that arise during their studentship. Keep your email address updated.

NERC believes that all research students should receive appropriate training in technical and personal skills. The Researcher Development Statement (RDS) sets out the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of effective and highly skilled researchers appropriate for a wide range of careers. The RDS can be found on the Vitae website . The RDS is an evolution of the Joint Research Councils' Statement on Skills Training Requirements (JSS), which can be found below.
Skills training requirements for research students

Working with schools

We encourage students to undertake outreach activities aimed at school children to not only enthuse the next generation, but also to develop their transferable skills.