Please note this timeline is a guide for reference purposes and may be subject to change depending on the ongoing Covid situation.
| 1st November 2021 | Call for applications opens |
| 13th December 2021 23:59 | Call for applications closes |
18th January 2021 | Shortlisted applicants are invited to interview |
| 9th & 10th February 2022 | Face-to-Face panel interviews take place in Bristol |
| 16th February 2022 | Applicants are notified of the outcomes of the interviews |
| w/c 14th March 2022 | Mandatory introductory week for new GW4-CAT HP cohort |
| February – July 2022 | GW4-CAT HP fellows liaise with potential supervisors and write their project proposals with assistance from a GW4-CAT HP Director and the Programme Manager |
30th August 2022 | GW4-CAT HP fellows submit their project proposals |
| 13th September 2022 | Project proposal interviews take place |
14th October 2022 | Any amendments to project proposals are completed and signed off |
| September – October 2022 | Most GW4-CAT HP fellows will commence their PhD (start dates are negotiable) |
November 2022 | Mandatory induction week for GW4-CAT HP fellows |
After appointment on the GW4-CAT HP programme, a typical journey is as follows:
- 3-5 applicants per cohort are appointed to the programme
- Offer letters will be sent to successful candidates
- Once you have accepted this formal offer, it is expected that you will withdraw from any other PhD applications, you have pending
- References will then be requested
- You will have the opportunity to meet with the GW4-CAT HP administrative team to discuss initial PhD ideas, potential lead supervisors, preferred start-date and working pattern, and any obstacles you foresee to writing a PhD proposal prior to commencing your PhD
- A compulsory GW4-CAT HP introductory week is held for all new fellows, where you will have the opportunity to meet the management team, potential supervisors and explore the equipment and resources that each of our institutions has to offer
- With the support of a member of the board of directors and the GW4-CAT HP Programme Manager, you’ll hone your project ideas and decide on your cross-institutional supervisory team
- Your supervisory team, and the relevant GW4-CAT HP director, will help you to develop a project proposal and an itemised budget request
- Registration at your primary institution commences
- At a formal PhD proposal interview your project plan will be scrutinised and advice and feedback will be provided
- The interview panel will consist of members of the Board of Directors, or appropriate substitutions if required
- This interview will be a part of an iterative process, rather than a ‘pass or fail’ situation, so you will have the opportunity to amend your proposal for resubmission if necessary
- You will have the chance to address the feedback from the project proposal interview and resubmit your project plan and budget request if necessary
- If the concerns of the directors are satisfactorily addressed at this point, they will officially approve your project and budget proposal
- GW4-CAT HP is the acting funder for your grant, so this final approval is an essential aspect of the proposal process. If they still have concerns, they will provide action points that they think are crucial to address before they are able to sign-off on your project plan and your requested grant budget
- Most GW4-CAT HP fellows will commence their PhD projects between September and November
- There will be a compulsory induction week to attend GW4-CAT HP induction
PhD Year One
- You will likely be undertaking research and honing the focus of your project
- There will be the opportunity to have a welfare meeting with the Programme Manager. This informal meeting is an opportunity to check that you have settled into your team and are happy with the progress you are making with your PhD studies. Here you can also discuss any potential issues that may have arisen in the early stages of your PhD work
- At the end of year one, any institutional progress monitoring processes will be completed
- You will also meet with a GW4-CAT HP director for a programme review. The director will ensure that any stop:go points you identified in your project proposal have been met, that you are working well with your supervisory team, and they will discuss with you how the project has evolved and any challenges that you have faced.