In 2010 we established a new national network of 21 institutional and consortia level Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs)  through which we now deliver all our studentship funding. Our DTCs cover the full disciplinary range of the social sciences as well as areas of interdisciplinary research.

We support postgraduate training to help ensure the flow of highly qualified people into research careers both within and beyond academia. We support around 3,000 PhD students each year with an approximate funding total of £40 million. The PhD is the first step towards a career in research and provides training for a range of opportunities.

• Update on the DTC funding call and more about monitoring and evaluation of the DTCs