Dual awards

The University of Melbourne and the University of Manchester  support research collaboration and the development of globally engaged researchers through The Cookson Scholars. Established in 2019, annual calls for joint PhD project proposals have provided funding for many supervisory teams to recruit talented candidates across the humanities and sciences. Jointly awarded/dual PhD programs provide candidates with access to complementary facilities, expertise and field environments; a global perspective and an international fluency that will enable future developments in their field and provide a pool of talented employees for global academia and industry.

Melbourne and Manchester are calling for project proposals to establish pairs of jointly awarded/dual PhD research projects. Each successful team of collaborating Principal Investigators (PIs) will receive funding for two jointly awarded/dual PhD candidates, one based in Manchester, and one based in Melbourne. Funding for each candidate will include tuition fees, a full living stipend allowance, research training support, health insurance and travel allowance.

Project proposals are open to all research areas at Melbourne and all three faculties at Manchester. At Manchester, please note the Faculty of Science and Engineering particularly encourages applications in AI, Health, Sustainability, Quantum and Digital, Advanced Materials and Discovery Science, and Engineering, and the Faculty of Humanities particularly encourages applications in Digital Futures (including Data Science, AI and Society), Creativity (including Creative Health, Creative Economy), Inequalities, and Resilient Communities.

Proposals that involve Early Career Researchers (ECRs) as either Principal Investigators or co-investigators are strongly encouraged.

 In 2025, up to six teams of PIs will be funded for proposals that include two joint/dual PhD projects. The PhD candidates, that are subsequently recruited to the twelve successful projects, will become Cookson Scholars and together with their supervisors join an established network of researchers.

At the end of the successful completion of the programme, each candidate will be eligible to receive a PhD, recognised by two award certificates, one from Melbourne and one from Manchester, stating the joint nature of the award and name of the partner institution.

How to apply

1. Review the Manchester Melbourne project proposal call guidelines
2. Complete and submit the SmartyGrants application form‌
   The application form should be prepared jointly by the Primary Investigators from both Manchester and Melbourne.

Deadline for project proposals:  Friday 10 October 2025 at 5pm AEDT (Melbourne) / 7.00 am  BST (Manchester)

Previous recipients may not reapply to the scheme for a period of two years after the round in which they were initially awarded [recipients from cohort 5 2023 (also named 2024/2025 call for proposals) and cohort 6 2024 (also named 2025/2026 call for proposals] but may participate in projects as a co-investigator.

External collaborators (including academic researchers in Australia, the UK, other countries, or regions; or those working in non-academic contexts such as industry or government) that are not affiliated with  Melbourne or Manchester are not eligible to apply as PIs, 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.

Adherence to respective equality, 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 from PIs who do not satisfy these criteria will not be eligible.

The University of Manchester and our external partners are fully committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Contacts

Amanda Aspinall
Postgraduate Research Coordinator
The University of Manchester
amanda.aspinall@manchester.ac.uk

The Researcher Development Schemes Team
Research, Innovation & Commercialisation (RIC)
The University of Melbourne
res-devschemes@unimelb.edu.au

Further information can be found on the University of Melbourne website