Originally published 31 October 2000

The University of Warwick has announced a new million pound Warwick Postgraduate Research Fellowship Scheme to attract more of the brightest students to undertake PhD study before they are snatched away by the allure of the high starting salaries available in industry. Mr Ken Sloan, from the University of Warwick's Graduate School said:

"We have woken up to the fact that our biggest competitors are not just other universities, but are other graduate employers, if we do not improve the financial package we offer and provide a real professional career path it will be increasingly difficult to persuade the best graduates to stay on in the University system and provide the next generation of researchers and teachers."

The new Warwick Postgraduate Research Fellowship Scheme will award AT LEAST 35 fellowships a year to PhD students, paying their academic fees in full and providing a maintenance allowance of £8,000 a year (which is £1000 more than the normal rate currently offered by UK Research Councils to PhD students). In return the Fellows will undertake 110 hours of research, teaching or academic administrative work within their department - for which they will be trained. This development follows national calls for a better deal for PhD students in the face of growing competition for the brightest minds from Graduate recruiters. See for instance the report of the UK Life Sciences Committee detailed on the BBC Education News web site

Further information about the above press release and all other media services at the University of Warwick can be obtained from:

Peter Dunn, Press Officer
Public Affairs Office
Senate House
University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL
West Midlands
Tel: 024 76 523708
Email: puapjd@warwick.ac.uk