Changes to NERC CASE studentships
NERC is changing the closing date and name of its CASE studentship scheme, to be consistent with BBSRC, MRC and STFC. In future NERC CASE Studentships will be known as Industrial CASE Studentships, in line with other Research Councils.
The Industrial CASE Studentship competition will continue to promote collaboration between the research community and the end-users of research and will still aim to achieve a benefit to both the end-user and to the student.
To enable applicants to recruit the best students the competition closing date will be brought forward by three months to late-July 2013 with a panel meeting in November or December 2013. This will be a common closing date for all councils' Industrial CASE competitions. The common closing date will allow us to transfer any applications which are better suited to another council's remit.
The NERC eligibility rules for partners will remain unchanged. The CASE partner must be an end-user ie an organisation whose primary role is not research, but rather to use the outputs of research in developing business, technology, regulation, policy, or social / environmental enterprise, within the public, private or third sector. The CASE partner (or the principal partner if there is more than one) must have a base in the UK.
Impact will remain one of the CASE scheme's main criteria. Applications must demonstrate the potential for societal or economic impact through collaboration with the CASE partner and the provision of high quality training in research skills. The next call will be issued in May 2013.
NERC's investment in CASE studentships remains the same. The last round of Open CASE studentships, awarded in early 2013, will begin in the 2013-14 academic year, and represents an investment of £2·6m by NERC. PhD students involved in the scheme must spend at least three months on a placement at the partner organisation gaining broader skills and providing knowledge directly into the organisation.
CASE studentships are funded by NERC, with the partner organisations making financial and in-kind contributions to ensure success. In total NERC has funded more than 260 CASE studentships since the scheme began.
Mr Colin McKinnon, NERC Director, Innovation and Communication, said, "The CASE scheme lets students develop skills that wouldn't be possible to acquire in academic settings alone; it is a great way of cementing and driving forward current collaborations as well as catalysing future ones."
"The scheme allows students to directly apply their research and the partners get a fantastic opportunity to leverage NERC funding to address future needs and create impact. CASE students also get to develop essential skills for the workplace and for their future employment."
As well as CASE studentships, NERC has also doubled its investment in Research Experience Placements (REPs) following a successful three-year pilot of the REP scheme.
CASE studentships and REPs are just two of the training pathways supported by NERC. The overall aim of which is to increase the skills base and encourage skilled people into careers within the environment sector.
Contacts
Amy Vitale
Tel: 01793 442594