Staff and student opportunities: career development and funding

The Ashfords Research and Training Bursary enables undergraduate students to undertake an external placement, research visit, expedition or training course that is related to their degree and to the marine/maritime sector, either in the UK or overseas.

Note that the University also offer overseas mobility grants through various schemes, which are handled by the Global Opportunities team.

The Plymouth Marine Science and Education Foundation (PlyMSEF) provides travel grants to enable research students to attend academic conferences and symposia or to attend advanced training courses or workshops in marine disciplines. Applicants must be registered PhD students or postgraduate scientists within four years of graduation employed in marine-related research projects and have a strong affiliation with one of their partner institutions.

Established in 2021, the Marine Research Plymouth Alliance (MRP) is a collaboration between the Marine Biological Association (MBA), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the University of Plymouth (UoP). Led by the Marine Institute, the partnership offers an annual PhD studentship scheme that brings together research staff from all three partners, harnessing the full range of expertise and facilities available within MRP, providing a great springboard for collaborative research excellence and for student prospects in their onward career.

For full information, visit the MRP PhD studentship page.

The SERVO (Solutions for thE maRine enVirOnment) PhD studentships have been developed by the Marine Institute to deliver progress on key global challenges that align with the Marine Institute’s research priorities: towards net zero, sustainable blue economy, safe seas, healthy oceans, and digital ocean. It seeks to harness global expertise in pursuit of world-leading, high impact marine and maritime science for a sustainable future.

For full information, visit the SERVO PhD studentships page.

The Marine Institute is offering funding towards travel and subsistence to explore opportunities for building lasting networks and strengthening emerging collaborations. The bursary scheme enables current PhD students working on marine/maritime projects to visit another research organisation or industrial innovation partner to complete work towards a defined research goal related to their PhD.

For full information, visit the Collaborative Research Visit Bursary page.

The Marine Institute can provide limited financial support to staff that do not have access to suitable research budgets or other funds to cover costs associated with travel to policy-related meetings and thus to help maximise impact from research. Contact the Institute to submit a request for support.

Research and Innovation (R&I) also offer the Policy Engagement Travel & Subsistence Fund, which is a discretionary fund to support staff policy engagement activity and networking. It is offered to staff that have previously taken part in Policy Engagement Training offered by R&I (see Career Development section). The fund could support travel to, e.g., report launches, roundtables, All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meetings. The fund is limited and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. The below criteria apply:

If you are interested in applying to this fund, please contact policyengagement@plymouth.ac.uk providing: details of the event; how it will contribute to your policy engagement goals; estimated costs.

The School of Biological and Marine Sciences (SoBMS) offers assistance to PhD students wanting to attend a conference if they are not funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in the first instance. Awards of £300 are given towards travel expenses if students apply to do a poster/talk. More information and an application form can be found on the school's DLE under postgrad matters.

Undergraduate students in SoBMS completing a final year research project can request a limited amount of funds from the school towards expenses. Request details from your project supervisor.

Various external funding opportunities are available to students and ECRs/staff for activities such as research projects, training courses or conference attendance. A selection of marine-related opportunities is provided here, but this is by no means intended as an exhaustive list, nor is the Marine Institute in any way responsible for the content of these external websites. Ensure to carefully check the eligibility criteria of any funding scheme before applying.

The PlyMSEF Annual Postgraduate Student Conference showcases work undertaken by postgraduate and early career researchers associated with Plymouth-based institutes, with a focus on the marine environment.

Check the PlyMSEF page for details.

WorkingAbroad is a not-for-profit company, established in 2002, working with international NGOs at the forefront of marine conservation volunteering, wildlife and habitat conservation volunteering, environmental education and ecology volunteer programmes and internships. Several of their projects are particularly suitable for marine biology and conservation students: Marine Conservation, Turtles and Reptiles, Dolphins and Whales, Coral Reefs.

Ocean Warrior, part of the Global Warrior Project, is an expedition to remote regions of the Arctic Ocean repeated annually over the course of ten years, focusing on climate change. Starting in 2024, the expedition will call into ports in Norway, the UK, Iceland, Greenland and Canada. The exploration will be conducted by sailing boat and is designed to gather oceanographic scientific data that will help to build an improved picture of the changes taking place due to climate change and other factors, and also to help ‘ground-truth’ data collected using satellites. Supported by the UoP, MBA and PML as scientific partners, the expeditions are open to anyone wanting to contribute directly to climate science. Ten fully funded places are available each year.

Note that the Marine Institute is not responsible for the content of the external websites featured here and also does not exercise quality control over the experiences offered. If you take part in any of the opportunities listed, we would be very keen to learn about your experience.

The Ocean Giants Programme for Conservationist Development is an initiative coordinated by the Manta Trust, in collaboration with the University’s School of Biological and Marine Sciences. This partnership enables students to gain training and work experience in international marine conservation charity operations through a two-year apprenticeship alongside their studies, and to actively participate in working to protect threatened marine megafauna.

First-year students studying marine sciences at the University and planning to incorporate a placement year can apply at the start of Semester 2. Further information is provided to students during the course.

Research and Innovation (R&I) offer workshops around policy engagement, provided by external consultant Jo Clift, who has also authored some THE Featured Resources.

The four workshops available are as below and further details of content and 2024 dates can be found on SharePoint (log-in required). R&I also offer some 1:1 coaching and mentoring around policy engagement. Enquiries should be directed to policyengagement@plymouth.ac.uk.

Frontline researchers from across the UK are able to discuss their findings relevant to newly emerging policy issues with MPs and Peers during Evidence Week in Westminster, organised by Sense about Science, which can help establish vital relationships and enable them to work together to inform future policies and legislation. Participants are supported in producing a short film on their research and a policy brief.

The Marine Institute facilitated successful participation in 2023 and 2024/25. Local organisation of the event now sits with Research and Innovation (R&I). Contact policyengagement@plymouth.ac.uk to find out more.

Follow the links to find out more about the University's delegation and past events.

Topics featured and outputs produced:

More policy briefings are collated in the University repository .

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) run a Research & Development Fellowship Programme. Fellows use their scientific or analytical skills to work alongside Defra policy and evidence teams on a range of priority and strategic policy issues. Appointments are for up to one year and applicants will need undergraduate and postgraduate degrees or equivalent experience to be eligible.

More information on the programme and how to apply is available on the Fellowship 2025 website, which will be live until at least the closing date of 4 November 2024.