1. Collaborative Doctoral Awards
and
Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships
Paul McWhirter
Portfolio Manager
Cultures and Heritage Team

2. What is a CDA?
• 3yr FT or 5yr PT Doctoral studentship
• Genuine collaboration between University and Non-
academic partner
• Importance of the partnership beyond the
studentship itself
• Not just enhanced access to collections; Not a way of
doing cataloguing on the cheap!

3. The Historic Landscape of Arnos Vale
Cemetery, Bristol – University of Bristol
• Creating a Geographical Information System (GIS)
database using cemetery plans, site surveys, OS
Surveys and fieldwork, to match burial data,
surviving monuments and field ecology.
• Involvement in recent Research for Community
Heritage project: Know Your Bristol; engaging with
local understandings and contemporary uses of the
site; crowd sourcing social and oral history material
in partnership with the local authority

4. Historic Dye Analysis: Method Development and New
Applications in Cultural Heritage – University of
Edinburgh
• Awarded under joint AHRC/EPSRC Science and
Heritage Programme
• In partnership with National Museums of
Scotland/Glasgow Museums
• Seeks to sample and identify dyes and dye sources
used in the Burrell Tapestry collection
• Outcomes including new methods of extraction and
identification, reference database of non-European
and early synthetic dyes

5. CDA Scheme stats 2005-2012
• 2005 – 64 Applications – 41 Awards
• 2006 – 86 Applications – 49 Awards
• 2007 – 125 Applications – 58 Awards
• 2008 – 111 Applications – 60 Awards *1
• 2009 – 177 Applications – 67 Awards
• 2010 – 183 Applications – 74 Awards
• 2011 – 210 Applications – 77 Awards
• 2012 – 227 Applications – 69 Awards *2
*1 does not include strategic CDA calls
*2 higher proportion of awards with multiple studentships

6. What’s new for 2013?
• Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme launched;
operates alongside the CDA scheme; estimated
60/40 split of awards
• Interaction of the CDA and CDP schemes;
Universities should seek to develop partnerships as
normal
• Cap of 2 applications to the open CDA scheme per
RO; multiple studentships allowed per app; CDP
projects outside of this cap

7. Collaborative Doctoral
Partnerships
• Developed in response to feedback from applicants
and assessors
• Opportunity to change relationship with major Non-
HEI partners; to develop enhanced programmes of
doctoral study
• Non-HEI partners are the applicants/award holders,
but funding is routed to the Universities which host
the studentships

8. Collaborative Doctoral
Partnerships
• Non-NEIs need 5+ awards through the CDA scheme
between 2008-12 to be eligible to apply
• Non-HEIs can form consortia to meet eligibility
requirements, but only where there is a coherent
case for such a partnership
• CDP bids for min. of 3 studentships per yr over 3yrs;
nominating Universities to hold CDA studentships

9. Timeline for CDA/CDP 2013
• Aug. ’12 CDA/CDP call goes live in Je-S
• Oct. ’12 CDP call closes in Je-S
• Jan. ’13 Notification of CDP outcomes
• Feb. ’13 CDA call closes in Je-S
• CDP Award Holders agree which projects go
forward to nomination
• May ’13 Notification of CDA outcomes
• June ’13 CDP projects nominated via Je-S
• Oct.’ 13 CDA/CDP studentships commence

10. CDA contacts at the AHRC
• CDA/CDP Scheme guidance on AHRC website (
www.ahrc.ac.uk) - Postgraduate Funding Opportunities
• Natalia Rowlands – Programme Coordinator, Cultures and
Heritage Team (n.rowlands@ahrc.ac.uk)
• Paul McWhirter – Portfolio Manager, Cultures and Heritage
Team (p.mcwhirter@ahrc.ac.uk)
• Susan Hanshaw – Strategy and Development Manager,
Cultures and Heritage Team (s.hanshaw@ahrc.ac.uk)