Leicester and De Montfort University Join forces to provide PhD training

University of Leicester

University bosses have secured a £14.6 million grant to create a groundbreaking arts and humanities partnership.

The University of Leicester and De Montfort University, along with universities in Birmingham and Nottingham, will share in the cash from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which they will match to provide training for 410 PhD student places during the next five years.

Professor Mark Peel, head of the University of Leicester’s college of arts, humanities and law, said: “This is tremendous news for all of the universities involved and is a credit to their vision and spirit of collaboration in developing a bid that the research council described as ‘outstanding’.

“It’s also tremendous news for the hundreds of students who will benefit from working closely with researchers who are at the forefront of their fields. With success comes a challenge: achieving a world-class training environment for postgraduate scholars. It is a challenge that the University of Leicester accepts with relish.”

PhD students will benefit from access to research experts, while the partnership will create inter- disciplinary collaborations with colleagues at other universities.

In addition, it will provide funding for students to spend time at overseas institutions and subsidise internships and partnerships with a wide range of organisations across the UK.

Professor Martin Halliwell, co-lead academic for Leicester on the project, said: “This marks an exciting new era for doctoral study across the whole region.

“The shared training facilities will provide unique opportunities for all postgraduates studying in Leicester, Nottingham and Birmingham, which make the next five years the perfect time also for international students to take a PhD with us.”