Partners

We have formed a number of strategic partnerships for running the programme

Core Programme Funder

The UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Natural Language Processing is largely funded by a grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the umbrella organisation of the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The Centre commenced in September 2019 and receives funding for five cohorts over an eight-year research study.

A unique and exciting four year PhD programme with integrated studies, it has been designed to meet the UKRI's vision and training needs described within its 'Applications and Implications of Artificial Intelligence' and 'Enabling Intelligence' priority areas. 

The UKRI CDT in NLP's objectives are:

  • To create the next generation of NLP experts, stimulating the growth of NLP in the public and private sectors domestically and internationally. 
  • To deliver a programme which will have a transformative effect on the students it trains and on the field as a whole, developing future leaders and producing cutting-edge research in both methodology and applications.
  • To give students a firm grounding in the challenge of working with language in a computational setting and its relevance to critical engineering and scientific problems in the modern world. The Centre will also train them in the key programming, engineering and machine learning skills necessary to solve NLP problems.
  • To attract students from a broad range of backgrounds and provide an interdisciplinary cohort training approach.  This involves taught courses, hands-on laboratory projects, research-skills training; cohort-based activities such as specialist seminars, workshops, and meetups; and public engagement and outreach.
  • To train students with an awareness of user design, ethics and responsible research to design systems that improve user satisfaction, treat users fairly, and increase the uptake of NLP technology across cultures, social groups and languages.

Other Partners

We have formed strategic partnerships with a number of partners. This includes blue-chip companies, large media organisations, and an array of SMEs and start-ups.  The input of our partners has informed our research training approach, ensuring that the CDT produces graduates with the skills expected by our partners and the NLP industry in general.

Most students undertake at least one internship during their PhD. This is an important aspect of training as it provides experience in teamwork, project management, and software engineering. It also exposes students to a company-focused research culture and provides them with valuable contacts for future job searches. Many of the CDT's industry partners have agreed to host students as interns.

Adeptmind logo

Adept Mind

BBC logo

BBC

Dmetrics logo

DMetrics

Meta logo

Meta

Nvidia logo

Nvidia

Sicsa logo

Sicsa

The Alan Turing Institue logo

The Alan Turing Institute

Charisma AI logo

Charisma AI

Emotech logo

Emotech

Microsoft logoi

Microsoft

Rasa logo

Rasa

Toshiba logo

Toshiba

Amazon logo

Amazon

Cereproc logo

CareProc

Huawei logo

Huawei

Naver labs logo

Naver Labs

Sertis logo

Sertis

Becoming a Partner

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 LevelStudent ResidencyTopicTotal Cost over Four Years*Included IP Licence
GoldOverseasAgree with Supervisorc. £188,000Unlimited non-exclusive
SilverUK/EUAgree with Supervisorc. £95,000Internal R&D non-exclusive
Bronze: 50% studentshipUKPartially relevant; other 50% funding must be approved by CDT managementc. £50,000Internal 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 who will help align your needs with the best collaboration option(s).