Doctoral College Research Enhancement Fund
The Doctoral College Research Enhancement Fund (DCREF) supports PGR students at 缅北禁地 to take part in activities that enhance their research and professional development.
Important Update to Doctoral College Research Enhancement Funds
- From the 1st of August 2026 the Doctoral College will no longer offer funding for Travel and Conference activities or Additional Training through DCREF. PGR Students are advised to contact their School or Institute to enquire if any alternative funding is available.
- The Doctoral College will continue to offer funding support for Post-Submission Bursaries.
Post-Submission Bursary (PSB)
Purpose: This bursary supports students during the post-submission period to conduct activities that advance their professional trajectories, such as preparing and submitting papers to high-quality journals, delivering exhibitions or performances based on their research, or engaging in further dissemination or community outreach activities.
Funding: Stipend at current UKRI rate for a period of 6 weeks up to a maximum of 3 months depending on the impact and scope of the additional research needed. Please note that the bursary amount awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
We asked some of our other bursary recipients what the support meant to them. Here’s what they had to say:
- "The bursary gave me the space and financial stability I needed to concentrate on publishing my work, developing my research skills, and continuing to build my academic profile."
- "The period immediately after completing a PhD can be uncertain, so having the opportunity to dedicate time to publishing my work during this period has been instrumental, as these publications are essential for establishing my research profile and securing future opportunities."
- "It gave me opportunity to explore ways in which my research might make a meaningful impact on the museum sector. Without this financial support, I would not have had the time and space to undertake any of these activities."
Eligibility & Conditions
Please see here for important eligibility criteria and conditions:
- To be eligible, your thesis must be submitted and under examination by mid-April 2027. This requirement is due to the way our funding is allocated on a financial-year basis, with the financial year ending on 31st July 2027. This means that all PSB funding must be paid to recipients by this date and cannot be carried forward into the next financial year. As PSB awards are normally paid in instalments over a three-month period, mid-April 2027 is the latest thesis submission date that allows the full award to be paid before 31st July 2027. This also means that any activities you propose to undertake using PSB funding must be scheduled for completion by 31st July 2027.
- Applicants must apply for the PSB during the three-month period before their thesis submission date. If you provide a submission date earlier than the one recorded in S3P, we will contact your supervisor to confirm your intended submission date and check that satisfactory progress has been made and that you are within three months of submission.
- Applications must articulate how the bursary supports future career goals and professional development. Candidates should clearly outline expected outputs and outcomes, while demonstrating how the proposed work aligns with NU Research Priorities.
- Payments begin after the Doctoral College receives confirmation of submission and the student’s registration status is updated to “under examination” (this may take up to two weeks).
- Working during the bursary period may impact your eligibility. Employment may result in the cessation of payments, and any overpayments must be refunded.
- Payments will cease upon successful completion, as you will no longer be a registered student. If you receive payments beyond your eligibility period, you will be required to repay any overpayment back to the University.
- You will be expected to submit a short report outlining how the funding has been used and, where possible, provide evidence of the completion of your activities.
If you have any questions on DCREF eligibility criteria or application process, please contact the doctoralcollege@ncl.ac.uk
Post-Submission Bursary - 2026/27 Call Schedule
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis between 1st August 2026 to 31st March 2027.
Applications are reviewed in monthly batches. The table below shows the opening and closing dates for each application window, along with the expected notification date. Outcomes are normally issued by the last working Friday of the month following the relevant deadline. Please allow at least four weeks after each deadline before contacting the Doctoral College about the outcome of your application.
| Application window opens | Submission deadline | Decision notified by |
|---|---|---|
| 1st August 2026 | 31st August 2026 | 25th September 2026 |
| 1st September 2026 | 26th September 2026 | 30th October 2026 |
| 27th September 2026 | 31st October 2026 | 27th November 2026 |
| 1st November 2026 | 28th November 2026 | 18th December 2026 |
| 29th November 2026 | 19th December 2026 | 29th January 2027 |
| 20th December 2026 | 30th January 2027 | 26th February 2027 |
| 31st January 2027 | 27th February 2027 | 26th March 2027 |
| 28th February 2027 | 31st March 2027 | 30th April 2027 |
* Please note that decision making may take longer over holiday periods due to limited staff availability.
Decision Making Process
Once the monthly deadline has passed, applications move through the review process. First, the Doctoral College triage all submissions to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. This includes verifying proposed submission dates, ensuring costings are realistic, and confirming that proposals comply with the University Travel Policy. Applications are then assessed and ranked by a cross-faculty decision panel comprising Postgraduate Research Deans and Doctoral College representatives. You can view the specific scoring criteria in the Checklist for DCREF Decision Panel (available via the drop-down below).
Please note that funding is limited for each call and awards are competitive. Consequently, we may be unable to support all applications, or we may offer a lower level of funding than originally requested.
Successful applicants will then be notified via email and will receive further guidance on the actions to take post-award.
If you are unsuccessful and require any feedback to help inform future applications, please contact us at doctoralcollege@ncl.ac.uk.
Checklist for DCREF Decision Panel
Post submission bursary
- Well-presented and evidenced application with strong support from supervisor
- Demonstrates strategic alignment with NU research priorities and potential impact
- Academic Strength of the application/ Does the proposal have academic merit/ add to the research on the subject
- Clearly demonstrates outputs - including publications, blogs, workshops, outcomes such as networking/developing academic profile
- Has additional outputs beyond the student’s original research
- Will enhance the student’s personal development and support future career goals
Gustavo Aguilar received a Post-Submission Bursary to help transform his doctoral research into published scholarship and broaden its international reach. His research examines LGBTQ+ experiences and gendered power relations within the global maritime industry, contributing to debates on equality, wellbeing and inclusion at sea.
The bursary enabled Gustavo to prepare and submit a journal article to Maritime Studies (Springer Nature) and funded dedicated time to develop presentations for two international events: an invited presentation at the BlueRights International Conference, part of the COST Action Protection of Health at Sea, and a panel at the international workshop Fighting Discrimination in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chain, organised by Mulleres Salgadas, Universidade de Vigo and I Exist Too in Vigo, Spain. Having the time to refine his outputs and adapt them for diverse audiences proved especially meaningful, encouraging him to approach his work in new, more practical and policy-oriented ways. Reflecting on the opportunity, Gustavo said:
“This engagement enabled the dissemination of core research findings to academic and practitioner audiences, while refining the policy-oriented dimensions of the work.”
The bursary has increased the international visibility of Gustavo’s research within maritime governance and human rights networks, while helping ensure that his research reaches audiences who can influence both scholarship and practice, extending its impact beyond academia into policy and practice.
Rohan Rao received a bursary to finalise some research and share his findings. His research focuses on cognitive flexibility, adaptive decision-making and frontal cortical circuits in humans and mice. During the funded period, Rohan submitted a manuscript to Nature Communications and progressed a first-author study exploring how different brain networks contribute to individual differences in learning. This work will be presented at the University of Oxford’s Future of Psychiatry and Society for Neuroeconomics conferences before being developed for publication. Reflecting on the impact of the bursary, Rohan said:
“The bursary allowed me to maintain research momentum after PhD submission, rather than having to divide my attention between manuscript preparation and immediate financial or employment pressures. It therefore helped ensure that substantial intellectual and experimental investment made during my PhD could be translated into tangible research outputs.”
The bursary also gave Rohan time to apply for postdoctoral positions, ultimately securing one. Congratulations and good luck, Rohan!
