Postgraduate Study - PhD and Research Degrees

EPSRC DTP Summer Internships for Undergraduates

The EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) are providing up to 15 competitive internships this summer which offer you the opportunity to get a flavour of working in research or taking on a PhD, whilst being paid. 

Each bursary will last 10 weeks and must take place during the summer vacation. The award comprises an hourly rate of £13.45, and a total research consumables budget of £250 for the duration of the studentship. 

To be eligible for the vacation internship, you will be undertaking an undergraduate degree, which must be within EPSRC’s remit (chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences and physics), and be expected to graduate with a first-class or upper second-class honours degree, or equivalent. An internship normally takes place in the summer vacation before your final year of study and last ten weeks. The residency criteria are: 

  • You must have settled status in the UK, meaning there are no restrictions on how long you can stay (e.g. you are not restricted by a visa) 
  • You must have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for at least 3 years i.e. living in the UK with only temporary or occasional absences (e.g. holidays) 
  • If you are an international student, you must not have been residing in the UK wholly or mainly for the purpose of full-time education. UK and EU students are exempt from this clause 

For further information, please see the following pages on the EPSRC website: https://epsrc.ukri.org/skills/students/dta/vacation/   

How to apply 

The first step is to discuss your ideas with a potential supervisor at the earliest opportunity. The supervisor should be a member of academic staff, and the project within the EPSRC’s remit. 

You will find information about their general research interests on the DTP pages here: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-research/funding/phdfunding/epsrc-dtp-studentships/finding_a_supervisor/. 

If you agree on a project with a supervisor, then please complete the online form https://forms.office.com/e/ZzYXmQuRfJ  by 17.30 on Friday 8th March.

You’ll be required to provide your student details, a personal statement, CV (via a weblink), name of at least one referee, degree transcript (for non Exeter students only), and a description of the project Objectives (written with the help of your proposed supervisor).  

FAQs 

  • I'm not a University of Exeter student, can I apply? 
    • Yes but you would need to meet your own travel costs when you are required to be on campus. 
  • Does the supervisor have to be in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy 
    • No - provided the project itself sits within the EPSRC remit: chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences, physics. 
  • What is the shortlisting and ranking criteria? 
    • The criteria will normally include your academic record, your reference(s), your personal statement, and the quality of the objectives statement. You may be required to take part in an interview. The ranking is undertaken at department level, and then projects are prioritised by the recruitment panel of the University’s EPSRC Funding Advisory Network. 
  • What are the hours that I have to work for the internship? 
    • The working arrangements for the internship should be discussed with your potential supervisor but the maximum number of hours permitted per week is 36.5 hours and the maximum length of the internship is 10 weeks. 
  • Can I purchase my own materials for the project? 
    • Your supervisor is provided with £250 to help with expenses such as project materials. We do not expect you to have to purchase your own materials outside of this budget - we are not able to reimburse any such spend. 
  • What’s the word count for the form? 
    • There is no strict word count - please work to your own intuition. 300-500 words is typical.