The Northern Ireland and North East (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership has opened its 2027/28 competition for fully funded ESRC PhD studentships across the social sciences, starting in October 2027. If you want to do a social science PhD in dementia, from psychology to social policy and social work, this is one to look at. Stage 1 nominations close at 4pm on 27 October 2026, and you need a supervisor on board to apply.
NINE DTP is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and runs one combined studentship competition each year for seven universities: Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside, Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast.
What the NINE DTP studentships cover
Awards are fully funded and can be taken full time or part time. Each includes:
- home tuition fees, with universities covering the gap for international students
- a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate, which is £21,805 for 2026/27
- extra funding for fieldwork, research activity and placements
- a three-month Research in Practice placement
- access to training across all seven universities, and a cohort of peers to work with
The length of the award depends on how much research training you already have. It ranges from three and a half years for candidates who only need PhD training, through 3.75 and four years for those who need some extra research methods training, to four and a half years for a full masters followed by the PhD. Part-time awards are pro rata. If you’re wondering how the stipend compares, our piece on PhD pay across Europe puts it in context.
Training pathways
Your project has to sit within one of NINE DTP’s 18 pathways. The 14 single-discipline pathways are Anthropology; Criminology, Prisons and Policing; Economic and Social History; Education; Environmental Planning; Human Geography; Language Based Area Studies; Law and Society; Linguistics; Management, Business and Economics; Politics and International Relations; Psychology; Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work; and Sport and Society.
There are also four interdisciplinary pathways: Environment, Climate and Sustainability; Conflict, Security and Justice; Children, Youth and Families; and Health, Well-Being and Society.
Why it’s relevant to dementia research
There’s no dementia-specific stream, but a lot of dementia research is social science. Psychology, Health, Well-Being and Society, and Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work are natural homes for projects on living well with dementia, carers, care services, inequalities and policy. If you’ve got a supervisor at one of the seven universities working on dementia, this is a route to a funded PhD.
Who can apply
You need an undergraduate degree and the backing of a supervisory team in a participating department. You don’t need a masters first, because any masters-level training you need is built into the award. If you’re weighing one up, our guide on whether a masters in dementia is worth doing may help.
International candidates are eligible, though no more than 30% of studentships can go to them. Your university decides your fee status before nominating you. Funded students must live within a reasonable travel time of their university or collaborative partner, except during fieldwork, and awards can’t usually be deferred. Getting a studentship doesn’t guarantee a place at your university, so you’ll need to apply there too.
The DTP also offers four Action for Equality scholarships for home-fee-eligible British or Irish applicants from Black, Asian, Roma, Traveller or mixed ethnic backgrounds. These have their own guidelines.
How to apply
This isn’t a call you can apply to on your own. It works in stages:
- Apply to the university where you want to study.
- With your proposed primary supervisor, submit a Stage 1 nomination through the nomination portal.
- The portal emails your supervisor to complete an approval form, and asks your referees and any collaborative partner for supporting letters. The supervisor’s form must be in by the deadline, but the letters don’t have to be.
- If your application gets through the department and pathway competitions, you’ll be invited to submit a Stage 2 application to the final studentship panel.
Applications are judged on the quality of the candidate and the proposed research and training programme. About 15% of studentships are collaborative awards with a non-academic partner, which need a letter of support from that partner.
Start talking to potential supervisors now, as they have to put their name to the nomination. Our blog on approaching a new lab covers what to ask. Stage 1 closes at 4pm on 27 October 2026.
NINE DTP has recorded an information session for applicants, and the policies and procedures document sets out the full rules and assessment criteria. For questions, use the NINE DTP contact page.
Full details are on the NINE DTP application process page.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.ninedtp.ac.uk/the-application-process/)