Call for joint PhD projects 2025 Melbourne Birmingham Priestley Scholars

Eligibility criteria

The supervisory team must consist of at least two Principal Investigators (PIs), one from Melbourne and one from UoB. The two PIs must have capacity to be the primary supervisor for one (1) jointly enrolled PhD candidate. Each PI must meet the supervisor eligibility criteria set by their own institution and each PI is responsible for checking their own eligibility to apply.

This call is open to proposals from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) and the Schools of Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, and Metallurgy and Materials, and the Departments of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

The University of Melbourne

Melbourne academics must be registered to supervise as per the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321). Primary supervisors should be employed at Melbourne beyond the envisaged submission date of their PhD candidates (2030). If their employment contract does not extend beyond the candidates’ submission date, then alternative arrangements must be in place, by either having:

1. a named co-supervisor employed at Melbourne beyond the envisaged submission date of their PhD candidates (2030); or
2. a letter of support from the respective Head of Department/Head of School detailing the arrangements in place to ensure continuity of supervision.

For more information, please consult the information for supervisors section on the Graduate Research Hub.

Honorary employees whose primary academic affiliation is with Melbourne are eligible to lead an application as a PI if they are a registered Principal Supervisor at Melbourne, and either:

1. their primary employer has entered into a written agreement for this call to fund the Melbourne lump sum of the cash component of the collaborative activity; or
2. they participate at their own expense if they are otherwise unaffiliated (for example, they hold an emeritus position).

Melbourne academics must not have outstanding Progress Reports or Final Reports from any other University of Melbourne Researcher Development or IRTG Scheme.

The University of Birmingham

UoB academics must be eligible to supervise PhD candidates as per the relevant UoB regulations for research students.

Additional notes for all applicants

Applicants who have previously received funding are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Additional colleagues (including other partners in Australia, UK or internationally) are not eligible to apply as PIs or primary supervisors, although they can participate in the co- supervision of joint PhD candidates.

However, involvement of shared external partners that benefit the project, for example through translation support or providing internship opportunities, is encouraged. PIs cannot submit more than one proposal for one (1) joint PhD candidate as part of this call but can co-supervise other projects. Adherence to respective equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies are a core feature of this program to ensure that all participants can do their best work, thrive and succeed. Applicant teams should consider how they can take meaningful steps in their future collaborations to foster an environment that values, supports and respects a diverse range of views, knowledge and experiences. Applicants should consider EDI as it applies to gender, Indigenous peoples, disabilities, career stages and sectors.

Applications that do not satisfy these criteria will not be eligible.

Funding and program overview

Up to four proposals will be funded, with each proposal supporting one (1) joint PhD project. Melbourne will fund up to two PhD scholarships and UoB will fund up to two PhD scholarships. Funding also includes support for additional collaborative activities, including supervisor and home candidate travel.

Each project must identify UoB or Melbourne as the Home Institution. The Home Institution is where the candidate spends most of their research time and is likely to commence and conclude their degree. The Host Institution is where the candidate spends the remainder of their candidature as part of a research stay. Candidates must spend at least 12 months at each institution. Each PhD scholarship will be awarded to the recruited Home candidate at their Home institution’s standard living allowance (stipend) rate.

• For Melbourne PIs: Scholarships will be funded according to the conditions of the participating Faculty for this scheme.
• For UoB PIs: All scholarships will be funded according to the conditions of the participating School for this scheme.

Each candidate must spend at least 12 months at each institution during their candidature. The time spent at UoB and Melbourne can be determined depending on the needs of the project, ensuring it is designed to be completed within 3.5 years.

Summary of funding for each project:

*The funds provided by the Faculty is pooled and allocated to the Academic Lead of the joint PhD program. The Academic Lead is responsible for the funds for the uses described.

**Please note that ineligible costs include: directly incurred staff (e.g. Research Assistants), replacement research/teaching costs, directly allocated costs including applicants’ time, indirect costs/estates costs, publication costs, equipment, consumable costs, scholarships, conference attendance, tuition fees and honoraria. Melbourne and UoB reserve the right to determine the eligibility of expenses.

Evaluation of project proposals

Melbourne and UoB will rank the proposals against selection criteria and select up to four (4) proposals for funding.

The selection criteria are as follows:

• Project design and rationale – How clearly presented and justified is the basis for, and design of, the joint PhD project? What are the anticipated benefits of involving joint PhD researchers in the collaboration? What is the benefit of the candidate spending a minimum of 12 months at each institution?
• Potential impact – What is the level of originality and innovation in the research proposal? To what extent does the research proposal plan to address significant challenges and what is the anticipated benefit to local or international communities?
• Collaborator complementarity – What is the evidence of an existing research relationship or added value of a new collaboration? How does the collaboration combine mutual areas of interest and strength?
• Quality of supervision – How will the PIs work together effectively in jointly supervising their shared PhD candidates? What are the beneficial learning outcomes and experiences for the joint PhD candidates? Have the PIs accounted for any challenges that may arise when supervising a joint PhD candidate?
• Capacity for expanded collaboration – What is the extent of the planned collaboration between the PIs beyond joint supervision? How well does the proposal plan to leverage external funding? To what extent are future collaborations made possible as a result of the proposed activities? How could this project seed the development of a larger network of researchers?

Project proposal guidelines

Before preparing a proposal, please note the following about the structure of the program: 

• Up to four (4) applications will be successful as part of this call. Projects should be co-designed by the participating PIs. 
• PIs should ensure that they have the capacity to take on a new PhD candidate in line with their institution’s policies and meet the eligibility requirements to participate in the scheme.  
• Projects should be designed for a duration of 3.5 years, with at least 12 months of the project to be spent at each institution.
• Supervisors who already have a suitable future candidate in mind are encouraged to submit a proposal. The candidate will be able to apply and, if eligible, commence prior to the end of the year.

The application form requests:

• The details of the PIs/research groups involved, including, CVs and links to each PIs website
• An abstract for the PhD project, which will be used for recruitment if the proposal is successful
• An overview of the PhD project, providing:
  • A supervision plan, highlighting why the project requires time to be spent at the partner institution and benefits of doing so
• A GANTT chart showing the division of time to be spent by the candidate at both institutions.
• A summary of the collaboration value and potential impact, noting:
• The extent of the planned collaboration between the PIs beyond joint supervision
• How the proposal could lead to the development of a larger network of researchers across both institutions
• A plan for leveraging future external funding, if applicable
• Export controls advice and assessment from OREI: https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/funding-contracts-and-ethics/ethics-and-integrity/international-safeguards/export-controls
• All Melbourne applicants must attach an endorsement from the respective Head of School/Department and Associate Dean (Graduate Research). Endorsement must include the commitment of a scholarship.
• All UoB applicants must attach approval from their Head of School.

It is recommended that applications are written in lay terms for reviewers to better understand the project’s potential impact and its anticipated outcomes.

Supporting  Documents

Melbourne-UoB-Call-for-Joint-PhD-Projects-2025-Guidelines

HoD and Associate Dean (Graduate Research) approval form

Honorary declaration form

Application preview form

Key dates, submission and contacts

PIs must select a joint PhD candidate by 31 December 2025 for commencement no later than the end of 2026. If the PIs do not meet this recruitment deadline, the scholarship and mobility funding will be recalled for use in a future call.

SUBMISSION AND CONTACT INFORMATION

PIs must submit a single, jointly prepared application via the Microsoft form by Friday 2 May at 5.00pm AEST/8.00am BST. Applications should be written for an audience proficient, but not expert, in the field. The Melbourne administration team will transfer all submitted applications as pdf to the UoB research co-ordination office after the deadline. There is no need for UoB PI’s to submit an application directly to the UoB administration in parallel. 

All applications must attach endorsement from the respective Head of School/ Department and Associate Dean (Graduate Research) [Melbourne] and the respective Head of School [UoB]. Melbourne applicants must ensure that the endorsement is attached to the application using the approval forms provided on the website. Endorsement must include the commitment of a scholarship. Melbourne applicants who hold an Honorary position must also complete the Honorary declaration form.

Application form

Microsoft form

UoB PIs; to request access to the form please contact jointphd-admin@unimelb.edu.au

Contact details:

The International Research Training Group (IRTG) Team

Graduate Research, Student and Scholarly Services  
The University of Melbourne  
jointphd-admin@unimelb.edu.au

EPS Graduate School

The University of Birmingham

epsgraduateschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk