Cambridge Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership

The Cambridge Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership funds postgraduate training for the next generation of social scientists across the university. This grant addresses a structural gap in the UK research system: how to train doctoral students effectively across multiple disciplines and institutions. Social science research depends on skilled researchers who can design rigorous studies, analyse complex data, and communicate findings to policymakers and the public. Without coordinated training infrastructure, individual departments may struggle to provide the breadth of expertise students need. If this partnership succeeds, it will produce cohorts of researchers equipped to tackle pressing societal challenges—from economic inequality to public health, climate adaptation to digital governance. The impact is indirect but systemic: better-trained social scientists produce more reliable evidence, which in turn informs better decisions in government, business, and civil society. This is a capacity-building investment rather than a single research question. The training itself is the output, and its effects will ripple across UK social science for decades.