Studentship Terms & Conditions

ADMISSION

By submitting an application for funding:
– the applicant is confirming that the information provided on their studentship application, and all supporting documents, is true and accurate, and
– the applicant consents to their funding application documents, including uploaded supporting documents and references, being released to their proposed supervisors and the studentship panel/s, and
– the applicant agrees to attending an interview in person (as far as is reasonably possible) should they be short-listed, and
– the applicant commits on a full-time or part-time basis to the training/study under the direction of their supervisor(s). Applicants undertaking study on a part-time basis agree to devoting the full amount of time deemed necessary and appropriate to their research, and
– the applicant agrees to informing the MRC LID administration team immediately of any change in information provided in the application form.

This funding is subject to compliance with all terms and conditions set out in the MRC LID Studentship Handbook and the guidance outlined in UKRI Training Grant T&Cs and Guidance. By applying to this studentship, the applicant has read and agreed to abide by these conditions.

FUNDING OFFER

The successful applicant(s) will be sent a funding offer by e-mail.

To accept the offer of funding the successful applicant must email the MRC LID Administration team: mrclid@lshtm.ac.uk as soon as possible, and by the deadline date stated on the email at the latest. If the MRC LID Administration team does not receive a response from the award recipient by this date, we will assume the nominated candidate is declining this award. Therefore, we will retract our funding offer and make an offer for the same award to the next reserve candidate.

This studentship offer is conditional upon the successful applicant submitting further documentation for admission to their primary institution.
– Awardees primarily based at St George’s, University of London (SGUL) will be advised of any actions and/or documents required by SGUL.
– Awardees primarily based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are required to submit a relevant application for study/admission to LSHTM (for 1+3 awardees this will initially be for the masters programme, followed by a research degree application the following spring; for 3.5 year awardees this will be for the appropriate Faculty’s research degree). The studentship offer is conditional upon the applicant satisfying all of the conditions stipulated in their formal offer of admission letter.

The following conditions apply where SGUL is an awardee’s primary institution:

  • The maximum period of registration for a full-time PhD student is 48 months, comprising 36 months registration, with a further 12 months ‘writing up’. Progression into a fourth ‘writing up’ year is not automatic and is conditional on satisfactory academic progress.
  • Students are expected to have completed their degree (including examination) within the 48 months.
  • Students will be expected to register for the degree of MPhil in the first instance and, subject to satisfactory academic progress, to transfer to PhD status after one year of study.
  • Students accept SGUL’s General Terms and Conditions for all students. Acceptance of the studentship will be construed as acceptance of the detailed terms as set out in that document.

Before the initial start date and induction awardees will be sent information about registration at both institutions, MRC LID induction, stipend payments, and general information about their award. In this communication awardees will also receive a bank account details form. The award recipient must complete the separate UK bank account details form and return this as per instructions in the email. MRC LID expects bank details for all students to have been provided within 2 weeks of initial registration day at the latest, to ensure that stipend payments can be made in a timely manner.

GENERAL

Accepting this award constitutes a legal signature that the award recipient acknowledges and agrees to the declarations, and terms and conditions set out in this document.

MRC LID expects students to adhere to the behavioural guidelines and regulations of their primary institution and – where applicable/appropriate – of the secondary institution. By accepting an award students confirm that they accept and will adhere to these. Funded students who do not do so may be at risk of losing their funding. For further information on these guidelines and regulations, please read through the following:

Funded students must maintain satisfactory academic progress at their primary institution and a good standing towards degree requirements for the duration of their enrolment.

The award recipient must inform the MRC LID Administration team (via mrclid@lshtm.ac.uk) and their primary institution immediately of any changes to their personal circumstances during the period of support which could affect the award. If an alteration in circumstances occurs and it transpires that excess grant funding has been paid, the award recipient agrees to refund the excess to the DTP.

The award recipient must inform the MRC LID Administration team of any changes to the research, as outlined in their Je-S student abstract, so the necessary amendments can be made on the UKRI/MRC’s database.

The award recipient must respond promptly to any requests for information from UKRI/MRC or either MRC LID partner institution.

Students on 3.5 year awards are required to undertake a 3 month placement not related to their research studies. Ideally, the placement should be outside of their primary institution. (The MRC LID Board is unlikely to approve placements at either partner institution, other than in exceptional circumstances.) By accepting an offer of an MRC LID Studentship students agree to engage with the process of arranging their own placements.

All MRC-funded students at either institution may apply for additional funding towards their research, training and travel costs. Details about the application process for this competitive fund can be found in the MRC LID Studentship Handbook and on the MRC LID ‘Current Students’ webpages.

Funds paid to the award recipient once the award has been terminated, or paid in error, or inappropriately, will be reclaimed. The award recipient must understand that the giving of any false information or withholding of relevant information may lead to the termination of any allowance granted and the institution of proceedings for the recovery of any amounts paid by the MRC.

The award recipient must submit their thesis no later than the expected submission date set by their primary institution or the MRC maximum expected submission date, whichever of the two comes first.

Award recipients agree to write a student profile for use in institution publications and on the MRC LID and/or partner institutions’ websites. They also give consent to the MRC LID and partnership institutions to announce their name and funding award and to use photographic images of the award recipient/s in their publications and on the websites.

Award recipients agree to acknowledge the funding body providing the funds for their research in all publications (including posters). Information on what information to include on publications can be found via the UKRI Training Grant T&Cs and Guidance Publications and other forms of media communication, including media appearances, press releases and conferences, must acknowledge the support received from the UKRI/MRC, quoting the Training Grant reference number if appropriate.

The award recipient agrees to the UKRI/MRC’s use of the information submitted through JeS Student Details (the UKRI/MRC’s web-based data collection system). Use of submitted data may include:
– Registration and processing of proposals;
– Operation of grants processing and management information systems;
– Preparation of material for use by reviewers and peer review panels;
– Administration, investigation and review of grant proposals;
– Sharing proposal information on a strictly confidential basis with other funding organisations;
– To seek contributions to the funding of proposals;
– Statistical analysis in relation to the evaluation of postgraduate training trends;
– Policy and strategy studies;
– Meeting the UKRI/MRC’s obligations for public accountability and the dissemination of information;
– Making it available on the UKRI/MRC’s web site and other publicly available databases, and in reports, documents and mailing lists.

Data that will be made available on the UKRI/MRC web sites and other publicly available databases, including Gateway-to-Research, and in reports, documents and mailing lists will include the following:
– Student name
– Name(s) of the project partner organisations and supervisors;
– Project titles and topics;
– Project summaries;
– Registration and expected submission dates;
– Number of students in particular regions, universities or departments in context of the Training Grant funding announced;
– Aggregated information regarding demographics, student numbers, stipend levels, qualifications, age at start, migration levels (from first degree university to another) etc.

The award recipient is aware that they are authorising:
– Their primary institution and/or the DTP to disclose to UKRI/MRC any information that UKRI/MRC requests regarding the progress of their studies, the submission of their thesis (where appropriate), and the completion of their studies;
– Their primary institution and/or the DTP to disclose student contact details to UKRI/MRC. This is to allow correspondence from UKRI/MRC to students. Correspondence is likely to be about funded courses or possibly asking for views about funded postgraduate training. Students may also be invited to events or conferences that UKRI/MRC fund;
– Their primary institution and/or the DTP to provide data on equality and diversity to allow UKRI/MRC to help assess how effective policies and procedures are in eliminating unlawful discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. This information may be used anonymously for statistical purposes. It will be treated in confidence and in line with UKRI’s protection procedures;
– Their primary institution and/or the DTP to provide any such information requested on the Research Council’s behalf to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) or any other organisation or agency empowered to act on the UKRI/MRC’s behalf or on behalf of the UKRI/MRC, including UK Shared Business Services (SBS) Ltd;
– The UKRI/MRC or a third party on behalf of the UKRI/MRC, to contact a studentship holder beyond the life of their studentship for evaluation purposes.

The award recipient agrees to submit research outputs and outcomes using their ResearchFish account during the ResearchFish submission window, when required to do so. For more general information about using ResearchFish please refer to the UKRI website.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

How we use your personal data
In awarding this grant, MRC London Intercollegiate DTP (MRC LID), the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and St George’s, University of London (SGUL) have collected and recorded data about you in connection with administering your application and awarding your studentship.

The legal basis on which we collect and process your data is that you have either provided your consent, it is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation or to perform our responsibilities under an agreement with you, or there is a legitimate interest in us doing so. We have a legitimate interest in administering and delivering our studentship awards, and the organisation and management of our MRC cohort work, and to that extent collect and process personal data of our awardees.

We will process your personal data in the future to administer your studentship and for managing the MRC LID current and future activities. This includes monitoring your studentship, making relevant payments, contacting you about the progress and status of the studentship and carrying out historical analysis of our studentship process. We will share your data between partner institutions and with the MRC and UKRI as part of managing your studentship. We will keep your data secure and retain it for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.

The retention period for UKRI studentship grants is 7 years from the end of grant date.

Our Data Protection Policy and your rights
The MRC LID grant is administered through LSHTM. Therefore, for more information about the way in which the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine processes personal data and your rights please see the LSHTM Data Protection Policy or contact the Data Protection Officer. 

If you are unhappy with the way in which we have handled your personal data, please contact us using the details above. You are also entitled to make a complaint to the Information Commissioners Office in the UK.

Last updated 18.03.2021

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