The main sources of funding for UK research degree students (and in some circumstances students from other EU countries) are the Research Councils. These are funded directly by the government, and each Council is concerned with a specific area of research, which it supports by offering research studentships as well as research grants and fellowships to established researchers.

The three most relevant Research Council funders are the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC); the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The AHRC funds high-quality research and postgraduate training in a range of subjects from history and English literature to design and dance. No precise definition of the subject domain of the arts and humanities is possible and the Council is liberal in its interpretation of its domain. Subjects and disciplines are continually evolving, and there are inevitable overlaps and boundaries that the Council shares with other award-making bodies, especially the Research Councils.

Please note that in most cases Research Council funding must be secured before you begin your studies at the RCA.

The Royal College of Art and System Simulation, a central London software engineering company, seek to recruit a student to undertake a PhD on the visualisation of cultural data with particular emphasis on time‐wise interactive visualisations such as timelines. This studentship is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ICASE scheme.

The studentship will be supervised by Dr Stephen Boyd-Davis, Research Leader, School of Design.

Start date: The successful applicant must take up the studentship before 30 September 2012. An earlier start is preferred where possible.

Deadline for applications: 17th May 2012

For further information, please click here.

The Royal College of Art is seeking to recruit four PhD students to participate in an exciting collaborative project with a range of academic and industrial partners in the creative and digital industries. The four studentships are funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council via The Creative Exchange, one of four Knowledge Exchange (KE) Hubs for the Creative Economy established in January 2012 by the AHRC. The focus of the programme of project and practice-led work will be on expanding the creative economy through innovation and knowledge exchange in the digital public space.

Start date: October 2012

Deadline for applications: 31st May 2012

For further information on how to apply, please click here.

Awards for the acdemic year 2013/14 will be advertised in Autumn 2012.

Further details on funding available for research students can be obtained by contacting the Research Office (research@rca.ac.uk).