Engineering Doctorate Industrial Sponsorship Scheme

The University of Sheffield’s Industrial Doctorate Centre in Machining Science is seeking industrial sponsors to collaborate on four year Engineering Doctorate (EngD) research projects in the area of machining science. Projects will receive additional funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and sponsors may also be eligible for R and D tax credits.

This is an ideal opportunity for your company to be involved in creating and driving a research project tailored to your own company's development needs, with access to world class research facilities and experts in machining science. Joint industrial sponsorship of an EngD project is welcome where this is relevant.

List of current EngD projects and industrial sponsors

Why sponsor an Engineering Doctorate?

• A cost effective way for companies to get involved in relevant leading edge research which most companies would not have the funding, expertise or equipment to undertake alone.
• The EngD research project is based on a proposal from the sponsoring company, so the research is of real technical and commercial significance to the sponsors.
• The unique nature of the EngD means that Research Engineers are both academically strong and highly committed to solving real world research problems - and so are valuable asset to the sponsor.
• Through the EngD your organisation will have access to world-leading expertise in machining science and start-of-the-art equipment in the AMRC; your organisation will be part of an extended network of likeminded organisations.

What will it cost?

The standard industrial sponsor contribution for a four year EngD studentship is £68,000 (£17,000 pa), with ESPRC contributing the equivalent of £60,000 (see box below for more details). Sponsors may also be able to claim Research and Development tax credits. 

Standard EngD in Machining Science Sponsorship Package

Industrial Sponsor Contribution, £68,000* (£17,000 per annum):
£10k for project experimental costs
£10k for expenses relating to the studentship – eg conferences, travel, laptop, safety equipment etc
£32k contributions to student stipend (yielding a stipend of £18k pa) and academic fees
£16k contribution to administration costs of the EngD / IDC in Machining Science

* The standard sponsorship package assumes that project experimental costs will not exceed £10k; if this is not the case sponsors may need to provide additional funds /resources. Sponsors may also choose to top up the student stipend further to attract the most talented students.

EPSRC contribution
Equivalent to £60k per studentship, comprising contributions to the student stipend and academic fee, and to general IDC administration costs.

Alternatively, sponsors may fully sponsor the project, or sponsor a current employee through the EngD programme on a part time basis. Contact the Centre Manager for advice about these options and the costs involved.

How are projects selected?

Potential sponsors are asked to download and submit an outline using the EngD Sponsorship Proposal Form by the deadline indicated on the form.  The IDC Board will (after further consultation with you if necessary) evaluate the proposals against the criteria listed on the Proposal Form.

What about IPR?

The EngD project is a close partnership between the sponsor and the University, and there will be some joint outputs and publications. We can negotiate IP arrangements, and will follow a reasonable approach to publication (i.e. sponsor prior approval, removal of sensitive information, timing of publication etc).

How are students recruited?

The IDC advertises all EngD projects widely through the relevant channels, and sponsors are also encouraged to advertise the studentships. Candidates must have or expect to obtain a first or good 2:1 degree or strong Masters in a relevant subject. IDC manages the overall recruitment process, but sponsors are encouraged to participate at all stages, including the interview stage.

Recruitment cycle and EngD Project start dates

EngD projects attract interest from final year students, recent graduates and those already in employment. To maximise the number of strong applications, EngD projects should ideally fit in to the recruitment cycle pattern for final year students. Our experience shows that many final year students start looking for research study / employment between September and January in their final year.

From an academic perspective, the preferred start dates for EngDs are August/September, allowing the Research Engineer to bed into the project before the Autumn semester commences at the end of September. December/January is the second preference, however the programme is flexible and EngDs can in principle start at any time.

The indicative deadlines for project proposals below reflect these patterns.

Indicative deadlines

The IDC Board reviews EngD project proposals at regular intervals throughout the year, until the EPSRC co-funding is exhausted. The next review point for proposals for projects to commence in Aug/Sept 2014 is in August 2013, therefore the deadline for submissions is 5th August 2013. However we recommend that you contact the Centre Manager as soon as possible if you are considering submitting a project proposal.

Next steps

If you have a firm idea for an EngD project, please complete the EngD Sponsorship Proposal Form and submit it to the Centre Manager. If you wish to discuss potential project themes in more detail before submitting a proposal, please contact the Centre Manager in the first instance.

Further details

For more information about the IDC, the EngD and to discuss potential sponsorship, please contact the Centre Manager, Dr Andrea Haworth a.haworth@sheffield.ac.uk

To receive updates on the work of the IDC in Machining Science please send your contact details to idc-machining-science@sheffield.ac.uk with the message subject "Join IDC Mailing List", or follow us on Twitter @IDCMachSci.