South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership

The South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership will fund and train a new generation of social science researchers across multiple universities in southern England. This grant addresses a structural gap in the UK research system: the need for sustained, high-quality postgraduate training that produces skilled researchers capable of tackling complex social and economic questions. Without dedicated funding streams, early-career researchers face fragmented training opportunities and limited institutional support. If successful, the partnership will create a pipeline of trained researchers who go on to work in universities, government, policy units, and the private sector. These individuals will produce evidence that informs decisions on education, employment, housing, public health, and community development—areas that directly shape how people live and work. The training itself strengthens the research infrastructure that underpins evidence-based policy, a system most people never see but rely on. This is primarily a capacity-building and training grant rather than a single research project with a defined outcome. Its impact will be measured by the quality and career trajectories of the researchers it produces, not by a specific discovery or invention.