Available support
There are a wide range of support options available to you as a postgraduate student at CENTA. Some information on specific support available, depending on circumstances, is provided below. This information is mostly a summary from the terms and conditions specified by UKRI, and the full document is available here: https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/
Part-time study
CENTA offers the option for you to study for your PhD on either a full-time or part-time basis. If you are studying part-time then a minimum of 50% of the full-time equivalent is required.
https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/
Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Parental Leave
A range of support options for students having children during their PhD is available, a summary from the UKRI guidelines is below:
- 52 weeks maternity or shared parental leave – first 26 weeks at full stipend rate (pro-rated for part time). The following 13 weeks paid according to statutory maternity pay, and the final 13 weeks are unpaid
- Partners – 10 days full pay leave, and may be entitled to up to 50 weeks of unpaid parental leave
- Adoption leave is on the same basis as maternity leave
Please note that for international students, maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave is subject to any visa constraints and the above entitlements may therefore not apply.
Sick leave
Paid medical leave can be granted for up to 13 weeks within any rolling 12-month period and must be covered by a medical certificate. The minimum and maximum registration dates are then extended to reflect the time taken off (please note there may be some host institution exclusions to this for shorter periods of medical leave not taken as a leave of absence. For medical absence beyond 13 weeks the studentship must be suspended and is not funded, and the minimum and maximum registration dates are then extended accordingly.
All requests for medical / sick leave are handled by the host institution and not by CENTA, however CENTA should be kept informed of any leave.
Disabled Students Allowance
Support, based on a needs assessment, is available for all UKRI students with a disability to help cover the cost of certain expenses and equipment related to disability support.
https://www.ukri.org/publications/disabled-students-allowance-dsa-framework/
If you have, or think you may have, a Disability or Neurodivergence (even if not formally diagnosed yet) it is in your best interests to let your host institution’s Disability Support Office aware at the earliest possible opportunity.
Further support
In addition, each university in the CENTA DTP has a range of support services available to assist students during their PhD. Specific links to the support available at each institution is provided below:
University of Birmingham
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/graduateschool/pgr/support/index.aspx
University of Leicester
https://le.ac.uk/study/wellbeing
Loughborough University
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/student-services/
University of Warwick
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss
Open University
http://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/services
Cranfield University
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/study/life-on-campus/support-services
Further information
For informal enquiries about our research projects please contact the relevant supervisors or for general queries about the DTP please contact CENTA at [email protected].