South & East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) Doctoral Training Partnership

The South & East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) is a consortium of universities that trains doctoral students in social science research methods and practice. This funding supports the next generation of social scientists—people who will study how societies work, from economic behaviour and public policy to migration, education, and inequality. Without dedicated training partnerships like this, the UK would lack a coordinated pipeline for producing researchers equipped to tackle complex social questions. The problem SENSS addresses is the need for structured, high-quality postgraduate education that connects students across institutions and disciplines. If successful, SENSS will produce skilled researchers who go on to work in universities, government, think tanks, and the private sector. Their work can directly inform policies on housing, healthcare, employment, and community development—systems that quietly shape everyday life. The training also strengthens the UK’s social science infrastructure, ensuring that evidence-based decision-making has a steady supply of qualified experts. This is a capacity-building grant rather than a single research project. Its impact is indirect but foundational: without such training partnerships, the fundamental science of human behaviour and society would lack the skilled workforce needed to advance.