PGR Communities in and with non-HEI organisations

The event was opened by UKCGE’s Director Owen Gower, who introduced Dr Helen Robertson and Dr Fiona Wilkie, explaining that they were building on the presentation that they gave at the 2026 UKCGE Annual Conference, this time joined by colleagues representing four further research institutes. Together, the presentations introduced the scale of PGR provision in the non-HEI sector, sharing how they are building communities for students within their organisations, and reflecting on both the advantages and challenges experienced by non-HEI PG cohorts. 

Dr Robertson (Head of Postgraduate Programmes and Partnerships, Natural History Museum) welcomed attendees and set the scene regarding UKRI’s aims for non-HEI engagement, which are as follows:

“To provide opportunities for students, preparing them to follow a diversity of career paths within and beyond academia”.

“To enhance collaboration and knowledge exchange within and between academia and other sectors for the benefit of students, collaborative partners, award holders and, if applicable, wider society”.

After this introduction, she handed over to Dr Wilkie (Doctoral Programmes Manager, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), who emphasised that they are all contributing to doctoral partnerships not as ​‘industry partners’ but as research institutions (e.g. Independent Research Organisations or Public Sector Research Establishments) who do not have degree-awarding powers.

Each speaker then gave an overview of their organisation’s PhD provision, covering the scale of this work and some of the initiatives they had established to help build a sense of community. There were different approaches across the institutions. UKCEH, for example, co-supervises with 63 universities, whereas all of the PhDs at the Francis Crick Institute are registered at one of only three universities. The National Physical Laboratory does a significant amount of its PhD work with industry partners, and 40% of its PhDs are funded by third parties, whereas the Institute of Zoology develops most of its PhD projects within UKRI-funded doctoral schemes.

The presentations revealed many similar themes. One was the potential for isolation amongst PhD students, exacerbated when they have to navigate between more than one home institution, and how fostering meaningful connections between researchers and organisations is vital to their success. Another theme was the breadth of opportunities available for students within non-HEIs, not least because many institutions have unique facilities, collections and ways of working that wouldn’t be encountered in a university environment. As Dr Robertson stated of the Natural History Museum: ​“We’re well known for our galleries, our exhibitions and for our dinosaurs too – and we have over 80 million specimens in our collections. This is a fantastic resource for researchers all over the world.” In all six organisations, students are typically involved in public-facing activities, advocating for the mission of the non-HEI partner.

Wrapping up, Dr Robertson observed that – taken as a whole – the six organisations represented in the webinar are currently co-supervising over 1,000 PhD students, which is a significant contribution to the doctoral landscape. ​“Our students say they feel more like researchers than ​‘students’ working at non-HEIs”, she said, adding that they all hoped that their PhD graduates would go on to be ​“great ambassadors for all of our institutions”. The presenters concluded by posing some questions emerging from the webinar, focusing on how HEIs and non-HEIs can best work together to support both students and supervisors, reduce administrative barriers and create mutually beneficial models for future collaboration.

The session concluded with a lively discussion with participants from both universities and non-HEIs, which was held under the Chatham House Rule.