Written question asked by Lord Dykes (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Triesman (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 October 2007.

Universities: Research

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to increase the Doctor of Philosophy maintenance grant conferred by Research Councils UK from the current £12,300 per annum to increase incentives for scientific research in United Kingdom academic institutions.

Answer: The current national minimum doctoral stipend stands at £12,600 for the 2007-08 academic year. This will rise to £12,940 in 2008-09. As a result of increased investment, the research councils now pay enhanced stipends to attract students to areas such as engineering, statistics and informatics, economics, veterinary science and studentships in collaboration with industry. Actual stipends are increasingly set by universities responding to the availability in the market of suitable students. The tax-free stipend now stands at over £13,000 on average, meeting the Government's expectations while maintaining student numbers. This is equivalent to the purchasing power of an employee receiving £20,000 a year.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 5128; 695 c50WA
Session: 2006-07
Subjects: Grants Research Students Science Postgraduate education Research councils
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk