Dear all,
Please see link to the report of initial review of the Doctoral Training Centres below. You might remember that the SPA submitted a response to the consultation. The summary of the summary is as follows:
'The aims of the review were to assess the extent to which the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) network, launched in 2011- 2012, is meeting its core objectives. The full terms of reference are at Annex 1. The findings and recommendations will inform the design of the next round of network commissioning, and the call specification.
The DTC network has only been in existence for a short time. It is too early to be able to draw very robust conclusions about its overall impact. Metrics need to be agreed to assess its longer term impact and the success of each DTC. DTCs are, however, making good progress in improving the quality and flexibility of training, fostering greater interdisciplinarity and building a strong sense of a national cohort of highly-skilled and motivated social science researchers. They are using the new flexibilities in funding in innovative ways. The leveraging in of co-funding, primarily from the DTC institutions themselves, has been a significant achievement, increasing significantly the total number of students benefiting from ESRC awards.
There remain significant issues still to address. The Advanced Training network is not yet working as intended. More needs to be done to foster collaborations with non-academic partners and especially the private sector. The boundaries created between those universities who are part of the DTC network and those who are not, are currently too impermeable, limiting the wider diffusion of the many positive benefits of the initiative.' (Summary report)
Tina Haux
Honorary Secretary of the SPA
Dear colleague,
You will recall that in 2014 ESRC commissioned an independent evaluation of the Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) network to assess the extent to which the DTC network is meeting its core objectives. The evaluation was undertaken by a panel chaired by Richard Bartholomew.
During Summer 2014 you kindly participated in the Review process. The contributions received were very helpful and the Review Panel’s report has now been published. The full report, along with an Executive Summary, can be found here.
This evaluation of the DTC network was one of the core evidence strands which has informed the development of the ESRC’s postgraduate training strategy 2017-2022. A summary of this strategy can be found here.
The resulting call for the next phase of the Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTSs) will be released in September 2015. Further information on the call can be found here.
For further information on any of the above, please contact [log in to unmask]
Best regards
Ellen Doran
DTC Network Review Team
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