Project Call

The Barts Charity Doctoral Training Programme exists to develop outstanding, independent researchers whose work addresses health inequalities and major causes of poor health affecting the populations of East London. The programme is committed to excellent research, high‑quality training, and a supportive cohort environment.

We are guided by the following values:

• Impact – research that has relevance to underserved communities.
• Excellence – scientifically robust, ambitious, yet achievable PhD projects.
• Inclusion – a positive, safe, and collegiate research culture.
• Development – recognising the PhD as a training vehicle for research professionals.

The DTP will provide a generous Materials and Consumables grant of up to £35,000 for projects selected by students, to be applied across the full duration of the PhD. All submitted projects must be fully and accurately costed at the application stage by the supervisory team and not via the Joint Research Management Office. The grant is intended to cover the total eligible costs of the proposed project. In cases where project costs exceed the maximum award, it is the responsibility of the supervisor(s) to identify, secure, and apply additional funding from independent sources. This information must be included in the project proposal.

By submitting a project to the DTP, supervisors commit to:

• Providing high‑quality academic supervision and research leadership.
• Supporting the student’s training, cohort engagement, and career development.
• Fostering open communication, mutual respect, and ethical research practice.
• Prioritising the student’s development and wellbeing alongside research goals.
• Actively contributing to the wider DTP community where required.

• Barts Charity DTP Requirement: The supervisory team must demonstrate an established track record, with the first and second supervisors collectively having supervised a minimum of three PhD students to successful completion.
• Both primary and secondary supervisors must be research‑active, primarily appointed by Queen Mary University of London, and based within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, in accordance with Section 44 and 46 of the QMUL Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.
• If a project is selected by an incoming student, the primary supervisor must confirm that, from the student’s date of entry, they will not exceed the maximum supervisory load of eight students as primary supervisor, in line with Section 47 of the QMUL Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.
• The supervisory team are required to have read, reviewed, and commit to upholding Section 55 (“Responsibilities of Supervisors”) of the QMUL Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.
• The supervisory team must have completed, or be registered to complete, the required PGR Supervisor Training and are responsible for ensuring their training remains current: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/supervisors/training/

PhD project proposals will be evaluated in two parts against the following criteria.

Alignment with Barts Charity's Vision and Mission

• Alignment: Does the PhD project focus on biomedical research addressing the health inequalities and major health morbidity and mortality experienced by the underserved East London population.
• Community: Has the project addressed the importance and relevance of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), including how community links will be established.
• Future: Does the project demonstrate a clear pathway for the student’s future career development.

Scientific Quality and Training Potential of the PhD Project

• Clear, important research question: Addresses a meaningful gap in current health-related knowledge.
• Strong conceptual framework: Hypothesis-driven, mechanistic, not purely descriptive.
• Originality and novelty: Advances the field rather than incrementally repeating known work.
• Feasibility with impact balance: Ambitious but realistically achievable within 3.5 years.
• Technical skill development: Opportunities to master relevant experimental and/or computational methods.
• Transferable skills acquisition: Training in data analysis, scientific writing, presentation, and critical thinking.

• Can I submit more than one project proposal?

Answer: Supervisors may submit only one project proposal as the primary supervisor. However, a supervisor may be listed as a secondary supervisor or as part of the supervisory team on multiple projects.

• Can I submit a project proposal if I currently supervise a Barts Charity DTP student?

Answer: Yes. Supervisors who currently host a Barts Charity DTP student remain eligible to submit a project proposal; however, they may do so only in the role of secondary supervisor.

• If my project is not selected, will it be carried forward to the following year?

Answer: Yes. Projects that are not selected will automatically be carried forward to the next year. You will have the opportunity to make minor amendments. Any significant changes will require resubmission of the project proposal.

• I am not primarily employed by FMD or the Trust. Can I still submit a project proposal?

Answer: No. Barts Charity funding can only be awarded to Principal Investigators who are employed by FMD or the Trust.

• I already have a project listed in the 2026 project catalogue. Will it automatically carry over to the next catalogue if it isn’t selected by a 2026 entry student?

Answer: Yes, the project will automatically run over. You will be contacted by a member of the team to request any additional information needed or updates.