Guidance

Open Innovation Team (OIT) PhD Placement Scheme – Additional information for applicants

Published 11 May 2023

We’ve gathered together useful information about our PhD placement scheme for anyone interested in applying. If you have a question about the scheme that’s not covered here, please contact chantelle.currah@openinnovation.gov.uk.

Application process

There is a three stage application process for our placement scheme. Step one is to complete the application form, which focuses on why you are interested in working with the Open Innovation Team (OIT). Applicants who are successful at this stage will then sit a written test. Applicants who pass this written test will then be invited to a short online interview, during which they are invited to deliver a five minute summary of their research, with a few follow up questions. The interview is not an assessment of your academic knowledge, but rather a chance to demonstrate your presentation and communication skills.

Placement duration

Our placements usually last three months. You should have completed your placement before your viva.

Part-time placements

We are open to the possibility of placements being done on a part-time basis, provided the following conditions are met:

• the student must already be doing their PhD on a part-time basis
• a placement cannot extend over a period longer than six months from start to finish
• a placement must involve a minimum of 50% FTE equivalent work per week (2.5 days a week), although it can also be more (e.g. three or four days a week with OIT)

Institutional approval

Applicants should ensure they have the approval of their PhD supervisor(s), their funding body or Doctoral Training Partnership, and/or their university to take the necessary time out of their PhD.

Visas

To apply for the OIT PhD placement scheme you typically will be studying on a PhD programme at a UK university. Different requirements can apply for individuals without UK permanent residence and are usually unique to the individual. We would recommend you email us to discuss your circumstances.

Identity checks and residence documentation

If you are offered a placement, we will need to see your passport (or identity card) as well as supporting documents that confirm your residence. We usually also require your sponsoring organisation to confirm your status as a student.

BPSS security clearance

As part of this placement you will be working on live government projects,  and will therefore be required to apply for Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) security clearance. You will only be required to apply for security clearance once your placement has been accepted. Our HR team will go through the necessary documentation with you as part of the application process. It is generally very rare for anyone to ‘fail’ this security check, so this isn’t anything to be worried about!

Funding

On receipt of a placement offer, applicants are expected to identify and secure funding to cover day-to-day living expenses during their time on the placement. This is usually expected to be at an equivalent or higher rate to the UKRI national minimum stipend level, pro rata, and we will ask for evidence of this prior to take up of the placement.

A variety of funding sources now exist for PhD placements in the UK. Common sources of funding can include:

• Doctoral training partnerships/centres etc
• Universities
• Other discretionary funds covering research and career opportunities

Working in the office

Placement students are not required to work from our London office, with many now choosing to work remotely or with the occasional visit to London. Students do report to us that working or visiting us at our main office is a positive experience, though, and we will cover reasonable travel expenses.

Expenses and travel

We aim to cover reasonable costs incurred by students as part of their placement. For example, if a student is on a remote placement living in Edinburgh, but attends the London office several times during the placement, the OIT usually covers travel expenses.

Continuing your studies while on a full time placement

We ask that students commit themselves fully to the placement, and as a result, we require students to refrain from working on their PhD for the three months of their time with us. However, occasional commitments associated with your PhD, such as presenting at conferences, can usually be accommodated by prior agreement.

Supervision and support

Every PhD student doing a placement with us is assigned a line manager prior to the start of their placement. Normally line managers check-in with their assigned students on an agreed schedule throughout the placement. We also undertake a mid-point review and an end-of-placement summary.

Policy work

There are a lot of transferable skills between a PhD and research-based placements like ours. Most PhDs will have had experience scoping a topic when developing their PhD proposal, assessing academic work relevant to their project, prioritising which pieces of literature to read, and using research questions to guide their reading to make sure it was efficient. It is not essential for applicants to have experience in policy-related subjects to do a placement with us. Many of the best students have no experience in policy, but strong transferable skills.

Office hours

We work closely together on collaborative projects, and therefore generally ask that PhD students on placements with us work within ‘core hours’ of 10-4pm, with flexibility to start and end earlier. For example, you could work 9-5pm, but 8-4pm, or 10-6pm are also acceptable.

Civil service code

Whilst on your placement, you should abide by the Civil Service Code. All successful applicants are expected to sign a non-disclosure agreement, covering the disclosure of sensitive government information relating to project work during the placement.