Responsive studentships allow the student or supervisor to choose the research topic.
Students can draw on any topic from any area of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) science remit.
Responsive studentship funding forms over three quarters of all NERC studentship and training investment.
Students cannot apply directly to us for studentship funding. They need to apply to the institution where they want to study.
Responsive studentship schemes
Doctoral Landscape Awards
In 2024 NERC, with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), launched the BBSRC-NERC Doctoral Landscape Awards.
Together, BBSRC and NERC will invest £293 million in more than 2,300 studentships at 21 universities across five cohorts, with NERC funding 14 new Doctoral Landscape Awards.
Doctoral Training Partnerships
Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) are held by an institution or consortia and offer responsive mode NERC-funded studentships.
DTPs provide PhD training and offer studentships in a range of areas from the NERC science remit.
Large grant associated studentships
Large grant associated studentship discovery science (responsive mode) large (consortium) grants may also include funding for project students.
The research done through a project studentship will be aligned with, but independent of, the work carried out in the grant.
The research topic of large grants can be from any area of the NERC science remit.
Last updated: 5 November 2025