Please read the following guidance before submitting the CASE Project Proposal.

• PDF of the Expression of Interest form questions
• PDF of the Expression of Interest assessment criteria
• PDF of previously awarded CASE projects and partners

Academic applicants are limited to ONE CASE application in which they are the named primary supervisor.  It is possible to be listed as a second supervisor on multiple CASE applications.

Applicants for the CASE studentships must meet these minimum criteria:

• Project proposal must be at least 50% social science.
• Primary supervisor must be an academic based within one of the LISS DTP partner institutions (KCL, QMUL, Imperial) and meet their home institutions requirements for PhD supervision for the duration of the studentship.
• CASE partner organisation must be a non-academic organisation based in the United Kingdom. In exceptional cases, organisations based overseas may be eligible, but they must show that equivalent training is not available in the UK.
• Primary supervisor must not have been awarded a LISS DTP CASE studentship in 2026.

CASE Expression of Interest deadline: 9 September 2026

Complete the Expression of Interest form within the Flexigrant application portal. Select ‘CASE studentship 2027 – Expression of Interest” in the ‘Available grants’ or ‘My applications’ section.

You will need to register the first time you use the LISS DTP application portal.

PDF of the Expression of Interest form questions.

All LISS DTP funded studentships must be at least 50% social science. Use the ESRC definition of social science as your reference point to ensure that your project is aligned to this requirement.

• Non-academic partners can be private sector companies, public sector bodies or voluntary organisations based in the United Kingdom.
• In exceptional cases, organisations based overseas may be eligible, but applicants must demonstrate that the partner provides training or opportunities that cannot be accessed in the UK.
• The partner must add clear value to the studentship (e.g. access to data, placements, specialist expertise, or impact opportunities).
• The non-academic partner can contribute financially or in kind.
• LISS DTP is unable to offer any financial contribution to the CASE partner.

Examples of CASE non-academic partner organisations

Examples of CASE partner training and development activities

Examples of CASE partner funding or in-kind support

PDF of previously awarded CASE projects and partners

Proposal Review

• The Expression of Interest stage is competitive; only a subset of proposals will be invited to submit a full application.
• The Expression of Interest applications are reviewed by the LISS DTP Director and Deputy Directors.

Assessment Criteria

Expression of Interest Assessment Criteria

Applicants for the CASE studentships must meet these minimum criteria:

• Project proposal must be at least 50% social science.
• Primary supervisor must be an academic based within one of the LISS DTP partner institutions (KCL, QMUL, Imperial) and meet their home institutions requirements for PhD supervision for the duration of the studentship.
• CASE partner organisation must be a non-academic organisation based in the United Kingdom. In exceptional cases, organisations based overseas may be eligible, but they must make the case that they provide training that cannot be provided in the UK.
• Primary supervisor must not have been awarded a LISS DTP CASE studentship in 2026.

Outcome Notification

Expression of Interest applicants will be informed of the outcome by 2 October 2026.

LISS DTP is subject to UKRI/ESRC restrictions on the proportion of studentships that can be awarded to international (overseas fee status) students.

International students (including EU students) are eligible for ESRC studentships. The ESRC will only fund the Home Fee and LISS DTP institutions will fund the difference between the home and international fee for a limited number of international students.

Across both Open and Collaborative CASE competitions, no more than 30% of the total ESRC-funded studentships can be allocated to international students.

As a result:

• Applicants must design projects that can be undertaken by Home fee status students and should plan to recruit Home students wherever possible.
• Approval for recruitment of an international student is not automatic and will only be granted for a limited number of the highest-scoring CASE proposals, within the overall 30% cap.

Importantly:

• The ESRC cap applies to the number of international studentships awarded, not to how fees are funded.
• It cannot be bypassed by:
  • students self-funding the fee difference
  • departments contributing additional funding
  • partner organisations covering fees
• Projects that cannot be delivered by a Home student may therefore be at a disadvantage.

Imperial supervisors should also discuss the international fees with their institutional LISS DTP Administrator.

Please read the following guidance before submitting the CASE Project Proposal.

• PDF of the CASE application form questions (coming soon)
• CASE proposal assessment criteria (coming soon)

PDF of previously awarded CASE projects and partners

Details of the non-academic partner will have been provided at Expression of Interest stage. The full proposal should now expand on the nature and quality of the collaboration, demonstrating how the partnership will support the student’s research, training and development.

• The involvement of the partner institution should add value to the studentship (e.g. distinctive opportunities for analysis, dissemination, research management, placement, networking and/or knowledge transfer).  The PhD project should also enhance the partner institution’s activities by offering the potential for societal or economic impact.
• The non-academic partner can contribute financially or in kind. In kind contributions include providing access to data and resources, office space, specialist training courses, placements, etc. Financial contributions are not compulsory, but can have positive benefits should it contribute to a higher stipend attracting higher quality candidates. Should the partner wish to contribute financially, arrangements for payments should be made in advance with the supervisor’s home department/school and should form part of the formal collaboration agreement.
• LISS DTP is unable to offer any financial contribution to the CASE partner.

Examples of CASE non-academic partner organisations

Examples of CASE partner training and development activities

Examples of CASE partner funding or in-kind support

PDF of previously awarded CASE projects and partners

Please note that all LISS DTP students are expected to undertake a 3-month placement during their PhD. All studentships commencing after October 2024 include three months’ funding intended to support this placement period. Any students who do not complete a 3-month placement within the first three years of their PhD will have their studentships shortened by three months accordingly.

Placements can take place with the CASE non-academic partner and be detailed in the CASE project proposal. However, the placement can also be developed during the PhD with the CASE partner, with a different non-academic organisation or a Research Assistant Internship within an academic organisation.

All placements should enable students to develop a sharper sense of the wider relevance of their research as well as professional and transferrable workplace skills in line with the LISS DTP Development Needs Analysis that students complete annually.

LISS DTP is subject to UKRI/ESRC restrictions on the proportion of studentships that can be awarded to international (overseas fee status) students.

International students (including EU students) are eligible for ESRC studentships. The ESRC will only fund the Home Fee and LISS DTP institutions will fund the difference between the home and international fee for a limited number of international students.

Across both Open and Collaborative CASE competitions, no more than 30% of the total ESRC-funded studentships can be allocated to international students.

As a result:

• Applicants must design projects that can be undertaken by Home fee status students and should plan to recruit Home students wherever possible.
• Approval for recruitment of an international student is not automatic and will only be granted for a limited number of the highest-scoring CASE proposals, within the overall 30% cap.

Importantly:

• The ESRC cap applies to the number of international studentships awarded, not to how fees are funded.
• It cannot be bypassed by:
  • students self-funding the fee difference
  • departments contributing additional funding
  • partner organisations covering fees
• Projects that cannot be delivered by a Home student may therefore be at a disadvantage.

Imperial supervisors should also discuss the international fees with their institutional LISS DTP Administrator.

Projects can be listed as 3.5 years, 1+3.5 years or either. There is a question within the application form where this can be indicated. The final duration of the CASE award may depend on the student that is recruited to the project.

• ESRC will provide 3.5 years of funding as standard which includes time for a 3-month Research in Practice placement.
• For students awarded 3.5 years funding it is expected that they will have a strong grounding in the core conceptual, general research and subject/field knowledge skills required to start their PhD.
• Funding for training at a master’s level will not normally be available to support students who already have a master’s degree in the social sciences.

Students must submit their thesis within the funded period, therefore the project must be designed in such way, that students are able to submit their thesis by the end of their funded period. 

CASE project – full proposal deadline: 6 November 2026

Successful applicants at the Expression of Interest stage will be invited to complete the full CASE project proposal form within Flexigrant.

Upload the following documents to your application within the application portal. These can be uploaded to your flexigrant application, or you can send a flexigrant link to the letter author.

1. Letter of support from non-academic partner: All letters of support should be submitted on letter headed paper and include the following:

• Organisation name
• Name and contact details of the person who will be the point of contact at the non-academic partner for the duration of the CASE studentship
• Outline of existing collaboration between the non-academic partner and the supervisor(s) and/or academic department
• Details of the collaboration, support, development/training opportunities, data-sharing, etc., that the non-academic partner will provide during the CASE studentship
• Confirmation of the value (including in-kind) of the support as outlined by the supervisor(s) in the application.

2. Letter of support from Head of Department/ School/Institute: All letters of support should be on headed paper and be signed by the Head of Department/School, with contact details for follow up if required. They should include:

• Clear endorsement of the proposal and named academic lead(s).
• Confirmation that the department will host the student.
• Relevance of the project to departmental research and priorities,
• Training and support available to the student (e.g. seminars, networks).
• Value of the CASE partnership and how it enhances the project.

Please note:

• Project proposals must be submitted without a nominated student.
• Primary supervisor must be an academic based within one of the LISS DTP partner institutions (KCL, QMUL, Imperial) and meet their home institutions requirements for PhD supervision for the duration of the studentship.
• Academic applicants are limited to ONE CASE application in which they are the named primary supervisor.  It is possible to be listed as a second supervisor on multiple CASE applications.
• Supervisors from Imperial College must contact liss-dtp@imperial.ac.uk to discuss match funding and international fee waivers before project submission.

Each CASE projects is reviewed by two academics from across our partner institutions. The reviews are then sent to the CASE Review Panel which meets in early December.

CASE Project Proposals are evaluated according to following criteria:

1. Quality of the project (40% weighting)
2. Quality of the collaboration proposed (30% weighting)
3. Potential for societal and/or economic impact (15% weighting)
4. Suitability of the project team (15% weighting)

Full details of the assessment criteria: coming soon.

Outcome Notification

Supervisors will be informed of the outcome of their proposal in the w/c 14 December 2026.

Successful projects:

• Supervisors are responsible for advertising, shortlisting, interviewing and nominating candidates, in line with LISS DTP and institutional requirements.

Unsuccessful projects:

• Information on your proposal can be requested and the CASE Review Panel will provide brief feedback.

• LISS DTP will list successful CASE projects on our web pages.
• Supervisor(s) should liaise with their home department/school to arrange for CASE projects to be advertised (e.g. on department web pages, on FindAPhD, Jobs.ac.uk, on social media)
• Funding for advertising successful CASE proposals should be discussed with the lead supervisor’s Department/School in advance, as LISS DTP does not have funding for advertising studentships. Academics should also utilise their own contacts, disciplinary mailing lists and social media to advertise their studentship.

• Applications from candidates should be sent directly to the supervisor(s) or their home department and should include the CASE application form, academic references and academic transcripts
• A PhD central admissions application form for the institution can also be completed at this stage.
• Applicants must meet the ESRC eligibility criteria.

• Supervisor(s) select applicants to be invited for interview and should complete the CASE Interview Form form for any shortlisted candidates.
• LISS DTP expectation is that where possible, the interview panel should consist of the supervisor(s), an independent departmental academic representative and a CASE partner representative.
• Interviews should also follow the guidance and regulations of the home institution of the first supervisor.

• Supervisor(s) should send a ranked shortlist of selected applicants, along with CASE Application Form, CASE interview form, transcripts and references, to LISS DTP by 31 March 2027.
• Applicants nominated by the supervisor(s) should also complete a PhD central admissions application for the Institution and home department/school of the academic supervisor(s).
• LISS DTP carries out ESRC eligibility and training checks on shortlisted applicants.
• The LISS DTP ratification committee makes a final selection and approval of offers in April.

The LISS DTP Ratification Committee meets in April to review all CASE and Open nominations and makes a final selection and approval.

Formal studentship funding offers are made to applicants by LISS DTP after the Ratification Committee in April.

LISS DTP is subject to UKRI/ESRC restrictions on the proportion of studentships that can be awarded to international (overseas fee status) students.

International students (including EU students) are eligible for ESRC studentships. The ESRC will only fund the Home Fee and LISS DTP institutions will fund the difference between the home and international fee for a limited number of international students.

Across both Open and Collaborative CASE competitions, no more than 30% of the total ESRC-funded studentships can be allocated to international students.

As a result:

• Applicants must design projects that can be undertaken by Home fee status students and should plan to recruit Home students wherever possible.
• Approval for recruitment of an international student is not automatic and will only be granted for a limited number of the highest-scoring CASE proposals, within the overall 30% cap.

Importantly:

• The ESRC cap applies to the number of international studentships awarded, not to how fees are funded.
• It cannot be bypassed by:
  • students self-funding the fee difference
  • departments contributing additional funding
  • partner organisations covering fees
• Projects that cannot be delivered by a Home student may therefore be at a disadvantage.

Imperial supervisors should also discuss the international fees with their institutional LISS DTP Administrator.

The final duration of the CASE award may depend on the student that is recruited to the project.

• ESRC will provide 3.5 years of funding as standard which includes time for a 3-month Research in Practice placement.
• For students awarded 3.5 years funding it is expected that they will have a strong grounding in the core conceptual, general research and subject/field knowledge skills required to start their PhD.
• Funding for training at a master’s level will not normally be available to support students who already have a master’s degree in the social sciences.

Students must submit their thesis within the funded period.

• All LISS DTP CASE awards require a Collaboration Agreement with the non-Academic Partner covering intellectual property and any in-kind or financial contributions is signed before the studentship commences. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring this is in place.
• The supervisor should contact their home institution research contracts team to discuss this as soon as possible after the LISS DTP has approved their proposal for funding.  Signed collaboration agreements should be sent to liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk.

To be a first supervisor on a LISS DTP-funded studentship, the individual must hold a contract with one of LISS DTP partner institutions (KCL, QMUL, Imperial) for the duration of the PhD.

The specific requirements for the rest of the supervisory team depend on the academic regulations of the student’s home institution. For example, some partner institutions require both first and second supervisors to be current academics at the enrolling institution, while others permit external second supervisors. These arrangements are managed by the home department to ensure compliance with institutional regulations.

The best approach is to check your home institution’s PhD supervisory requirements and ensure the proposed team aligns with those.

No, this is not a requirement. If your home institution’s academic regulations allow it, second or additional supervisors may be from across LISS DTP partner institutions, or beyond.

The best approach is to check your home institution’s PhD supervisory requirements and ensure the proposed team aligns with those.

No. The LISS DTP CASE studentship competition is open to academics at any career stage, as long as they are based at one of the LISS DTP partner institutions. Please ensure that the proposed supervisory team meets the PhD supervisory requirements of the student’s home institution.

While it is recommended that a financial contribution to the studentship be negotiated with the non-academic partner, this is not essential if the value of the partnership can be shown in-kind, for example through student access to partner data, office space, resources and equipment, training, field sites, research subject communities etc. 

The involvement of the partner institution should add value to the studentship (e.g. distinctive opportunities for analysis, dissemination, research management, placement, networking and/or knowledge transfer) and a financial contribution (though this is not essential).  The PhD project should also enhance the partner institution’s activities by offering the potential for societal or economic impact.  

International partners will be considered; however, they must make the case that they provide training that cannot be sourced in the UK.

For a list of previous projects, please visit our CASE for Students page which lists past approved CASE projects.

PDF of previously awarded CASE projects and partners

Past and current CASE Project providers include:

• The Royal Academy of Arts, London
• United Nations Environment Management Group
• Maritime UK
• London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• Public Health England
• UK Department for International Trade
• International Institute for Environment and Development
• Universities Space Research Association (USRA) – NASA
• Natural History Museum, London
• The Environment Agency
• Cisco Systems
• Age UK
• Eastside Community Heritage
• The British Library
• Lloyds of London
• National Centre for Social Research
• Westminster City Hall
• Talking Therapies Southwark
• Runnymede Trust
• The GAVI Alliance & VIMC
• Disability Rights UK
• Army Families Federation & Navy Families Federation
• MindWave
• Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
• Entelechy Arts
• Beat – the Eating Disorders Charity
• Autistica & Meet Me At The Albany
• Canal & River Trust + Geffrye Museum
• Electronics Watch
• The National Association of Head Teachers
• East End Trades Guild (EETG)
• NHS England
• Student Minds
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Catalyst 4 Change & Black Thrive
• Rethink Mental Illness
• IOTA Foundation
• Baringa Partners LLP
• Pembroke House
• Hubbub Foundation
• Maternity Action
• Health Promotion Bureau of Sri Lanka
• Passio
• Centre for Mental Health
• Korean Cultural Centre
• Black Country Radio
• Shaping our Lives
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity (GSTT)
• South East London Clinical Commissioning Group
• Sanofi Pasteur
• Conservation International
• Beta Technology LTD
• The Edge Foundation
• Endeavor Egypt
• Tower Hamlets Education Partnership
• Falls-Prevention Services, University College London Hospitals
• The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
• Young Brent Foundation
• Hammersmith & Fulham Partnership
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
• Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)

The LISS DTP will award up to 20 CASE Studentships for 2025-26. We received around 55 project proposals last year. For a list of previous projects, please visit our CASE for Students page which lists past approved CASE projects.

Academics may be named as the primary supervisor on one CASE proposal. They may be included as a second supervisor on multiple proposals.

Please note that CASE project proposals must be submitted without a nominated student. Successful projects should be advertised with a clear and fair recruitment process.

The LISS DTP will not vet project proposals before the submission deadline. We encourage project proposers to check against the guidance and information provided here on this webpage. Once all applications have been submitted, projects will be considered against the published assessment criteria, ranked, and the final selection will be made by the CASE Review Panel.

Yes, it is possible to return to the project proposal on flexigrant. Once you start the online form, please save your answers as you go. You can access the application you are working on and edit answers at any point before submitting it through the flexigrant application portal (by the application deadline). PDF of CASE applicaiton form questions.

We require letters of support for the non-academic partner(s) and the Head of Department/Scool/Institute.

These can be uploaded to your flexigrant application, or you can send a flexigrant link to the letter author.

Letter of support from non-academic partner: 

All letters of support should be submitted on letter headed paper and include the following:

• Organisation name
• Name and contact details of the person who will be the point of contact at the non-academic partner for the duration of the CASE studentship
• Outline of existing collaboration between the non-academic partner and the supervisor(s) and/or academic department
• Details of the collaboration, support, development/training opportunities, data-sharing, etc., that the non-academic partner will provide during the CASE studentship
• Confirmation of the value (including in-kind) of the support as outlined by the supervisor(s) in the application.

Letter of support from Head of Department/ School/Institute:

All letters of support should be on headed paper and be signed by the Head of Department/School, with contact details for follow up if required. They should include:

• • Clear endorsement of the proposal and named academic lead(s).
  • Confirmation that the department will host the student.
  • Relevance of the project to departmental research and priorities,
  • Training and support available to the student (e.g. seminars, networks).
  • Value of the CASE partnership and how it enhances the project.

Major changes to a project proposal will need to be reviewed by the LISS DTP Team to ensure it aligns to the ESRC’s research aims. 

Applicants should complete the CASE application form and send it together with listed documents to the CASE supervisor(s). They may also complete a central admissions PhD application for the Institution of the academic supervisor(s). This step may be completed after you have shortlisted applications, but should be completed before sending the shortlist of applicants to LISS DTP.

As per UKRI regulations 30% of LISS DTP awards can be made to international applicants. Please note that if your preferred candidate is an international applicant you should also submit details of a home reserve candidate in case more than 30% of the nominated CASE applicants are international. 

The deadline for supervisors to confirm the details of a student they would like to appoint to their project is 31st March 2026. If supervisors have been unable to find a suitable candidate by the deadline for student nominations, the award may be withdrawn and reallocated to the LISS DTP’s Open Competition Studentships. Please contact LISS DTP to discuss any issues in identifying suitable candidates. 

If your project is selected for funding, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to advertise the project and recruit a student. LISS DTP will list successful CASE projects on our web pages. Supervisor(s) should liaise with their home department/school to arrange for CASE projects to be advertised (e.g. on department web pages, on FindAPhD, on social media). LISS DTP cannot provide further support or funding to advertise approved projects. We expect transparent recruitment process to be followed.

The supervisor is responsible for ensuring this is in place and should contact their home institutions research contracts team to discuss this as soon as possible after the LISS DTP has approved their proposal for funding.  Signed collaboration agreements should be sent liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk.