Centres and partnerships

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) primarily fund studentships through Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).

DTPs which can be awarded to a single institution, or consortium of Universities, are generally multidisciplinary, covering a variety of research areas concerning a particular Research Council. Loughborough is currently part of  four DTPs:

1. Loughborough EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership

Recruitment to this Engineering and Physical Sciences grant remains open in 2024/25. Please check out our PhD Opportunities page.

2. Central England NERC training Alliance

The Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA), is a consortium of research intensive Universities and research institutes that are working together to provide excellence in doctoral research training. 

CENTA encompasses research activities within three broad themes:

  • Climate and Environmental Sustainability
  • Organisms and Ecosystems
  • Dynamic Earth

Further details of the programme and how to apply are on the CENTA website.  

3. ESRC Midlands Graduate School

Loughborough is part of a Midlands consortium to receive funding to train the next generation of world-leading social scientists.

Loughborough University offers research training and doctoral supervision in ten pathways:

  • Communication & Media and Museum Studies
  • Cross-disciplinary Methodologies and Advanced Data Analysis
  • Education
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Human Geography
  • Living in a Digital Society
  • Management & Business Studies and Finance
  • Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology
  • Sport & Exercise Science
  • Sustainable Development, Net Zero and Climate Resilience 

For more details see the Midlands Graduate School website.  

4. techne AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership

techne supports outstanding students pursuing the 'craft' of research through innovative, interdisciplinary and creative approaches across the range of the arts and humanities.

Loughborough University London is one of nine partners from London and the South-East of England. Opportunities may exist for students interested in Design Innovation or Media and the Creative Industries.

Full details are available on the techne website.  

CDTs have been established to support Doctoral Researchers at a single institution, or group of Universities, under a specific research theme in order to address a specific skills gap in the current market. Usually, these programmes are longer than the standard 3-year PhD to account for additional training provision.  

1. EPSRC Engineering Hydrogen Net Zero (EnerHy) CDT

The EnerHy Centre for Doctoral Training will play a central role in developing the skilled workforce needed for a hydrogen economy.

For further information, visit the EnerHy-CDT site.

2. NERC Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT)

The Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT) will train the next generation of research practitioners who will make a tangible difference to future flood management in the UK and internationally. 

For further information, visit the FLOOD-CDT site.

3. EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy

Doctoral research for a sustainable future for offshore wind energy.

For further information, visit the AURA-CDT site.

4. Loughborough Model-Based Systems Engineering CDT

The adoption of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is revolutionising industries that manage large, complex systems. Partnership between Loughborough and Industry has enabled this CDT to develop researchers with both the holistic thinking abilities to approach complex problems systemically and the engineering prowess to systematically formulate solutions to the problems of today and the complex - as yet unimagined - challenges of the future.

For further details see the MBSE webpage. 

The following CDTs are still active but no longer actively recruiting:

Loughborough is also involved in a number of key research programmes and networks:

East Midlands Doctoral Network (EMDoc)

The EMDoc consists of nine universities within the East Midlands region. Together we are united in our missions to share best practice, resources and insights into postgraduate research, as well as providing opportunities for collaboration and networking amongst the organisations’ students.

Every year EMDoc provides the opportunity for students from all organisations to participate and attend an EMDoc conference. The conference is a real highlight of the academic year, and an important opportunity for research students from across the region to share ideas and celebrate the quality of their research. Regional partnerships are very important; they make us both individually and regionally stronger, and there are already many collaborations between the universities represented at the conference. 

Visit the EMDoc website for more information.

Energy Research Accelerator (ERA)

The Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) is a cross-disciplinary and multi-partner research programme which focuses on the development of innovative low-carbon energy generation, distribution and storage solutions. ERA brings together world leading experts from eight research intensive Universities in the Midlands (Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, Warwick) and the British Geological Survey.

The ERA doctoral training programme is designed to provide scholars with a solid grounding in their research area during their PhD. This programme will enable high quality PhD students to address industry-led research challenges and is designed to broaden horizons and empower and support them in developing contacts and links within the broader energy environment.

ERA can offer:

  • Access to additional specialist training modules across 6 university partners and the BGS
  • A programme of specially tailored events, workshops and joint conferences
  • Field trips to other Institutions and ERA demonstration sites
  • Industrial and academic placements
  • Focus on industry-led research challenges
  • A network of like-minded researchers and entrepreneurs 

Visit the ERA website for more information.