Become a CDT NLP Partner

How to get involved with the CDT NLP

Every industry partnership is tailor-made with options for the staff or students involved, IP licensing, and confidentiality depending on the project and level of funding.  Some successful modes of collaboration are:
  • PhD studentships on a topic mutually agreed between a company and a supervisor, typically for a longer-term project
  • Contract research for shorter-term projects involving new research
  • Consultancy to bring existing research into your company or train staff
  • Donations targeted at a project without IP licensing (but often open source), or to support students (eg student visa fees)
  • Internships by PhD students
  • Guest lectures and seminars that get people interested in working on your problems
  • Industry days to share practices, find collaborators, and recruit students
  • Research visits where company staff embed in a research group to learn skills or advise on using the company’s technology, possibly on a part-time basis.

Packages for PhD studentships

In the UK, the cost of a PhD studentship depends on the residency of the student.  We attract applications from all over the world but government funding is mostly limited to UK-resident students.  Hence overseas studentships provide access to the larger pool of talent that could not otherwise be admitted.

Sponsor Level
Student Residency
Topic
Total Cost over Four Years*
Included IP Licence
Gold
Overseas Agree with Supervisor c.£188,000 Unlimited non-exclusive
Silver
UK/EU Agree with Supervisor c.£95,000 Internal R&D non-exclusive
Bronze: 50% studentship
UK Partially relevant; other 50% funding must be approved by CDT management C£50,000 Internal R&D non-exclusive

*Subject to inflation

All packages can be negotiated, including embedded internships, changes to licensing, and level of company involvement in the projects.  PhD studentships run for 4 years and start in September.  Costs are based on a 2021 start.

Below £50k, we recommend a donation.  Donations involve a one-page letter from the company and can be targeted towards a supervisor, a particular project, or CDT-wide events and projects.

To explore possible connections with the Centre, please direct enquiries to the CDT's External Engagement Manager, Ken Scott who will help align your needs with the best collaboration option(s).

Email Ken Scott

View CDT NLP OutputsAn accessible alternative (= Word document) is available by contacting: cdt-nlp-info@ed.ac.uk

UKRI CDT in Natural Language Processing — University of Edinburgh Research Explorer