PIPS Q&A for Students

Yes: the PIPS placement is mandatory for all DTP students.  The only exception is for the DTP iCASE students, as they will already be spending time on placement with their industry partner.

PIPS is one of the benefits of a BBSRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) research PhD.  We often get feedback from students saying how much they enjoyed taking a break from their studies to do something completely different and that it gave them a different perspective. The placements are very flexible: you can choose to undertake your PIPS almost anywhere to suit your own interests and career ambitions. Regardless of your career aspirations, PIPS are intended to provide you with an early opportunity to develop a broader understanding of how your research training can have an impact in the wider economy and society. They are also intended to widen your horizons to the range of careers open to you and to help develop your broader work-related skills.

The needs of students with disabilities should be considered during the organisation of internships within institutions. All students funded from the DTP Training Grant are expected to carry out an internship at some point during their PhD.

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (iCASE) and National Productivity Investment (NPIF) studentships have their own funding conditions and arrangements for industrial placements.  These are not classified as PIPS.

iCASE and NPIF funded students should refer to their PhD offer letter and contact their academic supervisor for further information about industrial placements.

PIPS are not about doing more research. For all internships, the experience may not be directly related to the your PhD project. PIPS are intended to help you understand how your research and professional skills can be used in a more broadly relevant context. Research roles in academia or research institutes are generally not appropriate, even in an area unrelated to your PhD project. However, a predominantly research-based placement in an industry setting may be suitable, provided it offers a sufficiently differentiated environment.

You will be eligible to start your placement once you have successfully passed your transfer viva and upgraded at the end of your first year.  The timing of your PIPS should be agreed with your supervisor to ensure that it causes minimal disruption to your research.  The ideal time to undertake PIPS is towards the end of the second year / beginning of third year.  Your PIPS must be completed by the end of your third year.

In certain cases, and with the agreement of your supervisor, it may be possible to continue a placement into the final year – but this is not encouraged.  Your final year should be left as free as possible so you can concentrate on finishing your PhD, writing your thesis/papers and exploring career options.

PIPS must be the equivalent of 3 months. You have the option to do the placement in either a 3-month block or as a series of shorter blocks over a longer period of time. This can be agreed through a discussion between yourself and your supervisor to minimise disruption to your PhD.  It will also be dependent on the nature of the placement and the needs of the host organisation.

Our PIPs scheme is organised by all three White Rose Universities. You will be invited to annual PIPS Information Sessions organised locally in Leeds, Sheffield and York.  These sessions will be co-ordinated by the PIPS Contacts.  in each University.

PIPS are student-led.  We will work with you to help you find your own placement opportunity, as this allows you to choose a PIPS which best meets your requirements. There is plenty of support available from your local training managers to help you select and secure your placement. In addition, there are a number of high quality PIPS opportunities which are alerted to us throughout the year.  These are added to this website – See list of PIPS Opportunities on the right-hand-side of each page.  Students will be alerted via email each time a new opportunity is added.  Please look out for these. If you are not receiving these PIPS alerts then please contact the DTP Co-ordinator, Catherine Liddle c.m.liddle@leeds.ac.uk

PIPS are expected to be discrete projects (or a series of smaller projects). They should be planned to provide you with experience at a level appropriate for a postgraduate student. The following are common PIPS experiences, but could be in any suitable field so don’t feel constrained by these suggestions:

• A well defined desk-based research project
• Review or analysis of manufacturing, processing or production techniques
• Marketing, publishing or sales
• Business development or project management
• Legal offices
• Internal audit or consultancy
• Teaching – in schools, using the Researchers in Residence scheme 1, or through other mechanisms
• Policy – developing policy or working in a related setting, such as a government department, parliamentary select committee, local authority, non-departmental public body, professional association, charity, research funder or medical organisation (such as NHS Primary Care Trust)
• Public engagement
• IPR
• Media, e.g. press office, science publishing company, public organisation

Contact your local Training Manager for all the latest information regarding possible PIPS host organisations and to discuss how to arrange a placement with a host organisation of your choosing.

Find out about your options using the link below:

• PIPS Opportunities

There are different documents that you need to complete before, during and after PIPS.

Click the following link to go to the PIPS Paperwork page, which explains the process

CLICK HERE for the PIPS Paperwork page

You will still be paid your stipend (salary) whilst on PIPS.

A PIPS allowance is available to reimburse you for reasonable travel and/or accommodation costs – up to a maximum of £2050 – to give you flexibility in choosing your PIPS.  It can be used only for travel and accommodation.  It cannot be used for other items, such as, work clothing or equipment you need to purchase for your placement.  If you are likely to incur any of these other costs, it is worth asking your PIPS host if they are willing to cover the costs, make a contribution or perhaps purchase the items on your behalf.

We anticipate that most PIPS placements will be completed within the £2050 standard PIPS allowance.

PIPS Additional Funding Requests can be made up to a maximum of £1,500 (over and above the standard £2050 allowance).  However, these extra costs need to be agreed before committing to the placement.  Applications need to be received in advance for consideration at the DTP Management Board meetings.  See ‘How to Apply’ below.

Please note: there is limited additional funding available and there is no guarantee that additional funding requests will be approved.

You can apply for extra funding for particularly expensive placements – to cover accommodation and travel.   However, note that there is no separate pot of additional funding.  The only reason we can offer additional funds in some cases is that other students do not spend all of their PIPS allowance.  The ‘surplus’ is what we use for additional funding requests.  Your request may therefore not be successful because there are no available surplus funds.

If you do decide to apply for additional funds, your request will need to be supported by your supervisor and will need to demonstrate a clear business case, including accurate costings. 

You must demonstrate that you have explored all other potential additional sources of funding and identify where additional support is being gained or has been requested but has not been granted.  Your host organisation, for example, may be willing to contribute to your additional expenses or may be able to provide a benefit in kind, for example, company accommodation.  Your supervisor may be able to help you secure additional funding from your research institution or other grant funding.

PIPS abroad

PIPS Additional Funding Requests are not for the purpose of funding placements abroad.  If you are planning to undertake your PIPS abroad, the expectation is that you can achieve this within the standard PIPS allowance of £2,050.  If you do apply for additional funding for a placement abroad, this will only be considered if you can demonstrate without doubt that you could not gain a similar type of experience in the UK (which would be covered by your standard PIPS allowance).

How to apply

An application form is available from the DTP Co-ordinator, Catherine Liddle, email: c.m.liddle@leeds.ac.uk 

PIPS Additional Funding Request Forms must be submitted in advance for consideration at a DTP Management Board meeting.  These are held in March, June, September and December each year.

Please note:

• Applications that miss the deadline for one Management Board meeting will be put forward for consideration at the next meeting, so long as there will be at least 3 months before your planned PIPS start date.
• If an application is submitted with less than 3 months’ notice, it will not be considered.
• You are advised to submit any request for PIPS Additional Funding as far in advance as possible e.g. you can submit it 6 months in advance.  The deadlines below are the latest dates that applications should be received.

The annual deadlines for submission are as follows:

Deadline for PIPS Additional Funding Requests to be received by DTP Co-ordinator	For consideration at DTP Management Board meeting held in…	For PIPS starting in…
1st March	March	June, July or August
1st June	June	September, October or November
1st September	September	December, January or February
1st December	December	March, April or May

Receipts

It is vital that you keep all receipts and other evidence of expenditure for accommodation and travel whilst you are on your PIPS.  Expenditure cannot be reimbursed without sufficient evidence.  Evidence for accommodation will include things like a formal rental agreement with your landlord and receipts for payment, either monthly or in one lump sum.  Evidence for travel includes things such as confirmation of payment of train fares and copies of tickets or car mileage and petrol receipts.  An additional piece of evidence useful for all types of expenditure is a scan of your bank statement – make sure you only show us the items we need to see and that you cover up any information that is not relevant to your PIPS claim.

If you are undertaking your PIPS abroad, you will need to convert your expenses payments into pound sterling (£/GBP).  In this case, you need to provide evidence of the exchange rate at the time of the financial transaction.  This evidence could be, for example, a screenshot of a currency converter website, including the date.

Claim Form

Collect a claim form from your Finance Office or PIPS Contact.  Complete the form and submit it to your Finance Officer or PIPS Contact , together with your receipts and other evidence.  The exact process may vary depending on your University.  If in doubt, check with your PIPS Contact.

If you are happy to pay all your expenses then claim them back at the end of your placement, you can complete the claim form when you get back.

If it helps your cash-flow, you can submit your claims monthly during your PIPS.  In this case, ensure you collect 3 claim forms before you go on your PIPS, particularly if you will be living away from your normal university base.  Complete a claim form at the end of each month and post it back to your PIPS Contact, or Finance Officer as relevant, together with your receipts and other evidence of expenditure for that month.

For any other queries about claiming PIPS expenses, get in touch with your PIPS Contact. 

You need to check the rules for your University with your PIPS Contact.

If you are allowed to, and you choose to, stay with family or friends during your PIPS, please note that you will not be able to use your PIPS allowance to claim rent.  This is because we cannot provide an audit trail for such arrangements that will satisfy University and BBSRC financial regulations.

In order to claim back your rent from your PIPS allowance, you must stay somewhere which has a formal rental agreement from an established landlord or a hotel.

Of course, there is nothing stopping you choosing to donate some of your stipend to your family / friends to make an informal contribution to the cost of your stay, if you wish to do so, but you cannot claim this back.

You must use University approved accommodation.  The exact policy will depend on your University.  Some do not allow the use of Airbnb or similar accommodation in any circumstances.   Other Universities may advise against using such unregistered accommodation and, if you choose to go ahead, you must provide proof of valid homeowner insurance as specified by the University purchasing and health and safety regulations.   

You therefore need to plan your PIPS accommodation well in advance and check with your University PIPS Contact before you book or pay a deposit. 

Case studies are very helpful to our DTP.  They allow us to showcase the PIPS scheme and let our other students see the sorts of placements that have been undertaken and the benefits you have gained.  Please take as many photos as you can of yourself whilst on PIPS – ensuring you have permission of your host and any other individuals who will appear in the photos – and send them to the DTP Co-ordinator with a quick quote on how you found your PIPS.  Send to Catherine Liddle email: c.m.liddle@leeds.ac.uk