Sponsor Benefits

Providing a cost-effective solution for companies of all sizes to engage in high-level R&D, EngD improves the relevance of research degrees to industry, and increases the exploitation of engineering research.

Sponsors select candidates with the help of the EngD centre and appoint an industrial advisor to oversee the student’s work and maintain an overview of the programme. Companies pay c£10Kpa to sponsor research. The key benefits include:

• Government-funded support for industry
  • Grant worth ~£80K over four years, comprising student stipend, payment of the annual academic fee and support costs for conference attendance/training
• IP Ownership
  • Sponsor owns the Foreground IP generated by the Research Engineer
• Commercially valuable research
  • Sponsor drives the direction of the research, ensuring real commercial value from the project
• Portfolio Thesis
  • New style thesis allows a series of linked, themed projects over 3 years
  • Designed to allow the companies to react to market pull and change project direction over time, and allowing companies capitalise on IP and research at an earlier stage
• Recruitment and Retention
  • Motivated graduate on site to work exclusively on research
  • Excellent value for money given the cost of hiring a new graduate
  • REs are never part of the company’s headcount; no employer contributions for student REs
  • REs observe the same working hours and holiday entitlement as other staff
• Academic Links
  • Academic research provided by a research group within the partner universities
  • Allows informal links to other university research groups
• Tax Credits
  • Potentially fiscally neutral for eligible sponsors; companies may claim tax credits of up to 150% for funds spent on R&D
• Flexible
  • Provided an RE is available, the project can start any time
• Minimum Administration
  • REs are managed by the EngD Centre; administrative load for the sponsor is minimal

For companies interested in career development and retainment of key technical staff, EngD offers an opportunity for secondment to EngD, bring the following advantages to the company and employee:

• REs remain with their existing employer as long as the company continues the EngD sponsorship
• The major part of their job is now given over to EngD research
• Employed REs continue to receive their existing salary and benefits package
• The employer receives a financial contribution from the EngD Centre to offset against the RE’s salary

For companies looking to recruit new members of staff, particularly graduates looking for a long-term career in industry, the benefits for the student RE include:

• A long-term placement with an industrial sponsor (~75% of their time working on site with the sponsor)
• A substantial, tax-free student stipend for the duration of the programme, much higher than a standard PhD stipend
• Opportunity to undertake a research project of genuine commercial and industrial relevance to the sponsor
• Gaining a doctoral qualification examined by industrial and academic terms, and offering excellent long-term employment and career development prospects following graduation

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