Internships & PhD Studentships

The Science, Innovation and Technology (ScITech) directorate within DfT aims to enable the successful delivery of DfT's Strategic Priorities through timely, usable and impactful Science, Innovation and Technology in the form of solutions, advice and challenge. It achieves this through a focus on the three pillars of the DfT Science Plan: people, partnerships and purpose.

As part of a ScITech's programme to broaden access to expertise across DfT to support policy making and delivery, as well as to help grow and support the academic transport community, we are establishing a programme of postgraduate internships and PhD studentships. These will provide:

Interns: to conduct short, independent research projects of between 3-6 months on key areas of departmental priority

PhDs: programmes of focused study on areas of particular need within DfT or in a specific area where DfT is keen to grow capability.

These two routes to work with early-stage academic researchers will provide DfT with access to a wide pool of academic expertise and support the development of the talent pipeline for DfT and the wider transport Research & Development sector.

The aim is for this work to benefit both DfT and the academic student and their institution. DfT will have access to expertise and talent not otherwise available, and work on topics that might not otherwise be taken forward. The student in return gains an insight into how government works, how policy is developed and implemented and the types of evidence and research needed. They will experience working life for civil servants, including communicating to senior policy officials for impact and working at pace.

The Authority seeks to develop, manage and deliver the process on the department's behalf. This will include recruiting and placing interns with teams across DfT and developing and recruiting PhD studentships. We need a supplier who can reach out across a wide range of academic institutions, ensuring fairness and allowing DfT to better meet our diversity and inclusion goals

Additional information: This requirement is being managed by the Department's Procurement Portal (MyCommercial).

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