University News Last updated 15 October 2013
Birmingham City University will form part of a pioneering centre of excellence for arts and humanities research education in the Midlands.
The Midlands Three Cities consortium has scooped a £14.6m award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - which, after match-funding from partner organisations, will offer hundreds of doctoral studentship opportunities across the region.
In this pioneering partnership, Birmingham City University will work with five leading universities in Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester to provide exciting learning opportunities for students across the region, including fully-funded PhDs.
"The announcement of such a significant investment into postgraduate provision in our region is tremendous news," said Professor Cliff Allan, Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University.
Professor Mark Llewellyn, Director of Research for the AHRC, added: "This investment will not only support university researchers but also enrich the contexts in which arts and humanities skills and capabilities contribute to advancement and growth in sectors across the wider UK economy."
A key driver behind the scheme is to help postgraduate researchers find solutions to real world challenges and boost their employability.
"This partnership will revolutionise the way we teach our postgraduate students - it will open up so many doors to those who study as part of the scheme," said Professor Tim Wall, who represents Birmingham City University on the consortium's steering group.
"All six universities that form this consortium are equal partners; all sharing their resources, expertise and crucially, their partnership links, to help create a new generation of highly-skilled arts and humanities researchers. Each institution has its own academic strengths and links with cultural partners."
In support of the University's own ambitious research strategy, Professor Wall said Birmingham City University will be recruiting students to its strongest research areas, including:
- art and design
- English and linguistics
- media and cultural studies
- music and performing arts
The consortium brings together academic expertise led by the University of Nottingham and drawing upon academics in Birmingham City University, Birmingham University, the University of Leicester, De Montfort University and the Nottingham Trent University.
The Midlands group will form one of 11 new Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) announced by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) which, along with seven new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), will deliver postgraduate supervision, training and skills development from 2014.
The Midlands Three Cities DTP will have a strong emphasis on collaboration and will work closely with a number of partner organisations to offer exciting placement opportunities for postgraduate students.
All six universities will also provide additional match funding, which will increase the amount of available studentships to over 400 over three years and will include dedicated resources for placement opportunities and skills training.
The funding will cover the cost of fees and a stipend to cover living expenses while the student studies for a PhD. The project will also encourage the partner institutions to work closely together on development activities to support joint supervision of students, sharing of resources and further activities such as student events, conferences and the fostering of peer support network.
Central to the new DTP will be a focus on the development of broader skills for postgraduate students such as partnership working, language skills and experience of working outside academia to enhance their employability.
It will encourage students to consider the impact of their research and how it contributes to the wider world, right from the start of their postgraduate studies. The Midlands Three Cities DTP will also devote a portion of the funding to Masters training - aiming to effectively bridge the gap between BA and PhD.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for Birmingham City University to collaborate more widely with the Three Cities partners for the benefit of our research students and our staff," added Professor Keith Osman, Director of research at Birmingham City University.
"The successful consortium bid enables us to build on our demonstrable track record of research excellence in Art and Design, English, Media and Music as we grow both the quality our research and our research community over the next seven years."
For more information visit the website for Midlands Three Cities.