Information for potential supervisors

Want to submit a doctoral project for the next round?

2026-27 call for projects

Please check your eligibility, and prepare for the bid in advance, by ensuring that
(a) your supervisory team meets institutional requirements for supervisory teams (for example, institutional supervisory team composition and experience).
(b) every member of the team’s institutional RD supervision training is up to date.
(c) every member of the team has met MRC LID’s training requirements.

Some key points to highlight:

  • A proposed project must fit within one or more of the DTP2 themes and offer research that supports training in one or more of the MRC core skills.
  • MRC LID is particularly keen to encourage projects which involve collaboration between LSHTM and City St George’s, University of London (CSG).
  • UKRI allows up to 30% of awards to be offered to international students only (up to two of the nine studentship awards available).
  • All student awardees must be based in the UK (within commutable distance of the primary institution, and working at their primary institution) for the duration of the studentship, excluding fixed periods of fieldwork and placement.
  • Because of commitments made on our grant MRC LID cannot consider project bids without specified training having been completed by every member of a potential supervisory team. Other training cannot be used as an alternative to DTP requirements.

Further information (guidance; project bid link and deadline) will be shared later in the year. In previous years this has been sent out via email to all academic staff at both LSHTM and St George’s around the start of September. (Most recent previous MRC LID Project Bid Guidance & Information is still available for reference and an overview. Please be aware that there may be some additions for the next round, and/or some details may be amended or updated.)

MRC LID’s training requirements

All supervisors named on a project bid, regardless of their institution or organisation, must complete the specified training courses at LSHTM.

  • NEW/INITIAL prospective supervisor training for MRC LID = Courses 1, 2 and 3 listed below.
  • REFRESHER training for MRC LID prospective supervisors = Courses 1 and 4 listed below. (Refresher training is due every two years following completion of new/initial mandatory training. It is only for staff who have previously undertaken courses 2 and 3 at LSHTM).

Required courses (as they are named in the LSHTM Talent & Development Programme):

1. Overview of MRC LID DTP
2. ‘Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at LSHTM workshop’
3. ‘Challenging microaggressions and being an active bystander’
4. ‘Inclusive behaviours for PhD supervisors workshop’

    For all initial/new training courses, please book via LSHTM Talent Development (TD).
    – LSHTM-based supervisors should use the links provided (TD booking system on the LSHTM intranet)
    – CSG-based supervisors should send an email booking request to staffdevelopment@lshtm.ac.uk
    – Supervisors based outside of LSHTM and CSG should send an email booking request to staffdevelopment@lshtm.ac.uk

    Places on each course are limited. Please book for the earliest available opportunity that you can make, through to the MRC LID project bid training deadline.

    1. OVERVIEW

    Supervisors are asked to watch the recording made for DTP2 (starting 2023-24), so that you have some background and understanding of the scheme. Whilst the principles and general information remains the same, updated details and timelines specific to this project bid round will be highlighted in the relevant MRC LID Project Bid Guidance document.

    MRC LID DTP2 Overview Recording 

    2. EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AT LSHTM WORKSHOP

    (For a short period in 2024 this course was previously called ‘An Interactive Introduction to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at LSHTM’. If you undertook that course you do not need to repeat it again.)

    3. CHALLENGING MICROAGGRESSIONS AND BEING AN ACTIVE BYSTANDER

    4. INCLUSIVE BEHAVIOURS FOR PHD SUPERVISORS WORKSHOP

    • Courses and links for bookings will be added here once they have been confirmed (all options will be between June and October 2025).

    Contact

    If you have any questions about the project bids, required training, or any other aspect of the studentships please contact the MRC LID Manager by email: mrclid@lshtm.ac.uk. 

    If – once the project bid call is open – the training you require is not available or all available options are full please contact MRC LID (by email: mrclid@lshtm.ac.uk) as soon as possible to indicate your interest and join a waiting list. This will help us to gauge demand and try to meet it within the studentship recruitment timeline.

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