Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards
Fully-funded and jointly supervised studentships across four developing research areas.
Photo by Sam Walton
We now welcome applications from academics currently employed at UK universities/Higher Education Institutions who would be interested in joint supervision of collaborative doctoral projects beginning in October 2027.These studentships are fully-funded for four years through the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award scheme.
We are seeking proposals for four PhD projects, to start in October 2027, developed on the basis of specially selected research themes (see below).
Before submitting your application, please refer to the project outline below and the relevant research theme profiles, and ensure you are aware of the specific characteristics of the AHRC Collaborative Doctorial Landscape Award scheme, the selection criteria and the envisaged timetable.
Applicants must be academics of postdoctoral standing employed at UK universities or HEIs for the entire duration of the studentship, and be supported by the applicants’ institutions.
The award is funded through the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards scheme. The awards are designed to support the next generation of arts and humanities researchers through partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and non-HEI organisations such as galleries, libraries, archives and museums. The training partnerships aim to identify and address short and long-term skills challenges and foster interdisciplinarity between the cultural, creative and heritage sectors, academia and other employers.
Project outline
The Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award scheme offers PhD studentships fully funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and supervised jointly by a university/Higher Education Institution (HEI) and an Independent Research Organisation such as the British Library. The Library receives an allocation of studentships for doctoral research projects that draw directly on its collections, expertise and resources. CDP students spend a substantial amount of time working on their projects directly with the Library.
Academic partners provide the lead supervisor and an additional academic supervisor for the studentship. The HEI is also the registering body for the studentship and receives and administers the AHRC grant. The Library provides two co-supervisors, to facilitate access to the Library, advise on collections and resources and offer additional training.
British Library Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award research themes are selected through internal competition and closely aligned with our Knowledge Matters vision, key programmes and overall purpose as a national library. For this round of studentships, we are continuing to develop four priority research areas:
- Collection histories
- New narratives
- Innovations in library and research services
- Policy and practice.
Higher Education Institutions are invited in an open competition to submit proposals to further develop and bring their own expertise and perspective to our research themes.
Benefits of the collaborative model
Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award students become part of the British Library’s cohort of collaborative doctoral researchers and benefit from staff-level access to its collections, resources and development opportunities, such as the Digital Scholarship Training Programme. Students also benefit from the dedicated cohort development programme delivered by the Library in tandem with other museums, galleries and heritage organisations in the broader scheme Consortium.
The AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award scheme offers a unique opportunity to experience work and practice-based research behind the scenes of a major cultural institution and gain a wide range of transferrable skills, complementing the academic research training and specialist expertise provided by the HEI. Further information about collaborative doctoral research with the British Library is available through a range of short films on our institutional YouTube channel.
Research themes
The British Library now welcomes applications from academics of postgraduate standing currently employed at universities or HEIs in the UK and interested in joint supervision of Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award studentships beginning in October 2027.
We are inviting research proposals that develop one of the following themes:
Research theme 1
Classical Music Performance in Mid-20th-Century Britain: New Networks and Narratives (PDF, 127.6KB)
British Library co-supervisors: Dr Frankie Perry (Digital Music Collections) and Dr Rupert Ridgewell (Printed Music).
Research theme 2
Collecting the Taboo: Library Practice and the J. B. Rund Collection (PDF, 145.7KB)
British Library co-supervisors: Dr Reed Puc (Americas Collections) and Jean Petrovic (Knowledge Literacy).
Research theme 3
British Library co-supervisors: Dr Catherine Angerson (Modern Archives and Manuscripts) and Susan Reed (Germanic Collections).
Research theme 4
To be confirmed.
Funding, outputs, eligibility and how to apply
Funding
Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award studentships will be funded by the AHRC for 4 years full-time or part-time equivalent.
In addition to AHRC funding for the studentship, the British Library provides financial support directly to the student for agreed research-related costs of up to £1,000/financial year.
Eligibility
Applicants must be academics of postdoctoral standing, employed at UK universities or HEIs for the entire duration of the studentship, and be supported by the applicants’ institutions.
How to apply
To apply, please email pgr@bl.uk stating the research theme you are interested in. You will then be sent an application pack to complete. When completing your application, please:
- refer to the detailed research theme descriptions on our website;
- ensure that your application has the support of your Head of Department and institution;
- include a short CV (max. 2 pages) for each academic supervisor;
- return your full application to pgr@bl.uk by the deadline.
The deadline is 17.00 on Friday 27 November 2026. Late applications cannot be accepted.
How we will assess your application
The selection of academic partners (one for each of the research themes) will take place in December 2026, overseen by a panel of Library staff and one or more external academic representatives.
The assessment panel will consider the following criteria:
- Development of the research theme and how well this complements British Library collections, resources or expertise
- How well the proposal fits the overarching aims and objectives of the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award Scheme
- How well the proposal fits with the four priority research areas outlined by the Library
- How well the proposal fits the applicants’ research interests and expertise
- Ability to manage co-supervision with the Library, and the track record of collaborating with non-HEI partners
- Ability to support the student’s academic progress, and promote research engagement and impact
- Ability to support the student’s wider training and development needs and offer overall support and pastoral care
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in student recruitment processes.
Once selected, the joint supervisory team may further refine the research topic in order for each partner to gain maximum benefit from the collaboration. Once recruited, the successful PhD candidate will contribute to the development of the final agreed research project.
Outputs, training and development
The provision of additional professional development opportunities to the student is an integral condition of the Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award training grant. The student will spend 3 to 6 months of the funded period on development activities: this may include placements, training or delivery of impact activities. The supervisory team will be required to support students to plan and undertake development activities within Year 1 to 3, with the last phase of the studentship focused on completion of the doctoral thesis by the end of Year 4.
Timeline
Open call for HEI partners published: September 2026
Application deadline: 27 November 2026 (17.00)
HEI selection panel: December 2026
Nominations submitted to AHRC: by end of January 2027
TFS submission window: Spring 2027
Student recruitment: Spring/Summer 2027
Studentship agreements: Spring/Summer 2027
Studentships start: 1 October 2027.
