Royal Holloway, University of London, has led a consortium which has secured support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to fund the TECHNE Doctoral Training Partnership for a further five years.

Royal Holloway University Founder's Building

The TECHNE consortium was originally established in 2014 to provide scholarships which fund research across a range of arts and humanities disciplines. The latest round of funding will enable the consortium to continue this work.

The funding will support 57 studentships per cohort. TECHNE is one of 10 Doctoral Training Partnerships receiving funding from the AHRC as part of their commitment to postgraduate funding in the arts and humanities. 

TECHNE Director, Professor Katie Normington, Senior Vice-Principal (Academic) at Royal Holloway said: “We are thrilled to receive this endorsement from the AHRC of TECHNE’s vision for its development over the next five years.  We will build on the strengths of the original Doctoral Training Partnership, and our collective commitment to valuing interdisciplinary research, to deliver a rich, diverse and stimulating environment for doctoral students in the arts and humanities.”

Professor Edward Harcourt, the AHRC’s Director of Research, said: “The AHRC is delighted to announce its renewed commitment to the Doctoral Training Partnerships model. Our support for the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector, which accounts for nearly a third of all UK academic staff, is renowned the world over for its outstanding quality, and which plays a vital part in our higher education ecosystem as a whole.

“We were extremely pleased with the response to our call, which saw high-quality applications from across the UK from a variety of diverse and innovative consortia, each with a clear strategy and vision for the future support of their doctoral students.”

TECHNE – as the DTP is named in reference to the Greek term for craft – will build on its track record of supporting outstanding doctoral students pursuing the ‘craft’ of research through innovative, interdisciplinary approaches with an emphasis on creativity and practice.

TECHNE brings together nine higher education institutions in London and the south-east. Previous members Royal Holloway University of London, University of Brighton, Kingston University, University of Roehampton, University of Surrey and the University of the Arts, London, will be joined by Brunel University, London, Loughborough University, London and the University of Westminster.

The vision and the training offered by TECHNE emphasises the interweaving of critical thinking, making, and reflexive action in the craft of research.  Non-university Partners are integral to this vision:  TECHNE’s emphasis on postdoctoral careers beyond HEIs will nurture supportive exchanges with staff in a variety of Partner organisations ranging from The National Archives to Heathrow Airport. Twenty-percent of TECHNE studentships will involve collaboration with, and joint supervision by, non-university partners.