STFC Core Summer Schools 2027: Up to £500,000 for UK Science Training Events

STFC Core Summer Schools 2027: Up to £500,000 for UK Science Training Events

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is accepting applications from accredited UK universities and research organisations that want to organise one of five recognised core summer schools in 2027. The scheme is designed to support broad, high-quality scientific training for students in the STFC community, with particular emphasis on STFC-funded PhD students. It is a host-organisation opportunity rather than a general student scholarship: the applicant is the institution or organising team responsible for designing and delivering the school.

The total fund listed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is £500,000. The official opportunity does not promise a fixed amount for each school, so applicants should not treat that figure as an automatic award or divide it into an assumed per-event entitlement. STFC will assess applications against breadth, scientific fit, programme quality, skills development, inclusion, risk management and value for money.

The deadline is 17 September 2026 at 4:00 p.m. UK time. Applications must be sent by email to [email protected] using STFC’s official format and templates. The 2027 schools are expected to take place during the 2027 calendar year, while successful organisers will be notified after an assessment meeting expected in late November or early December 2026.

Key details

What this opportunity supports

STFC’s call is deliberately narrow. It supports only the five named core summer schools for 2027. The page says applications for other summer schools will not be considered, and online training events are not supported under this opportunity. That means a university cannot use this route for a new general astronomy workshop, a departmental retreat, or an unrelated virtual course simply because the subject is scientifically interesting.

The purpose is to maintain a reliable training route for the STFC community. A supported school should give students exposure to a coherent area of science, contact with experienced lecturers and tutors, and training that complements doctoral research. The programme should also include public engagement and broader professional development. STFC specifically asks for content on public engagement and broader issues of undertaking a PhD, including mental health. Introductory courses should also include careers advice covering academic and non-academic options.

The five approved areas cover astronomy, theoretical elementary particle physics, solar and solar-terrestrial physics, nuclear physics and high energy physics. The call describes the schools as a core part of the STFC studentships programme, so the proposal should explain how the event will serve that community rather than presenting the school as a standalone conference.

The opportunity is especially useful for an institution that already has the scientific network and administrative capacity to convene a national or UK-wide course. STFC encourages prospective hosts to contact previous organisers of the relevant school. That continuity can help an applicant understand what has worked, identify reasonable costs, preserve established training value and make a credible case for improvements.

Who can apply and who the event should serve

The eligible applicant is an STFC-accredited UK university or research organisation. This is an organisational call, not an individual award. A named academic may lead the preparation, but the institution must be able to accept and administer the funding, manage the event and provide the required financial and risk information.

The school must be aimed primarily at STFC-funded PhD students. The official guidance says every student should have an opportunity to attend an STFC-supported summer school. That does not mean the applicant can promise unlimited places or ignore capacity; it means the programme should be designed as a community resource, with a clear access rationale and a fair approach to participation.

The proposed organiser should be able to show that it can provide suitable lecturers, tutors, facilities and administration. STFC does not prescribe a single host model, venue or teaching format in the opportunity summary. It does, however, expect a high-quality application with a detailed justification, course aims, a programme, a budget, risk management and evidence of alignment with the STFC science programme.

Applications should also address equality, diversity and inclusion. Organisers must ensure that arrangements comply with UKRI’s key EDI principles and do not create barriers for students from protected groups, including in relation to gender, disability and race. The selection of lecturers must not discriminate or introduce bias. Where early-career researchers deliver content or supervise students, they should receive training or a formal briefing for those responsibilities, particularly when they are placed in positions of authority.

The five approved summer schools

The first approved option is the Introductory Course in Astronomy. A proposal for this course should make clear how it introduces a broad cohort to astronomy within the STFC remit while giving students enough scientific depth to be useful. The word “introductory” should not be treated as a reason for a generic survey: the application still needs clear aims, appropriate teaching and a defensible connection to the needs of STFC-funded doctoral students.

The second is BUSSTEPP, the British Universities Summer School in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics. The programme should explain how it will support the theoretical particle physics community and how lecturers, sessions and skills activities fit together. A credible proposal will make the progression through the material visible rather than presenting a list of famous topics without a teaching plan.

The third is the Introductory Course in Solar and Solar-terrestrial Physics. Here the application should connect the course content to STFC’s solar and solar-terrestrial science interests, explain the intended student audience and show how the programme will build useful understanding across the community.

The fourth is the Nuclear Physics Summer School, which STFC says is held every two years. The biennial context makes continuity and timing important. An applicant should explain why the proposed 2027 programme is the right point in the cycle, how it will maintain scientific quality and what students will gain from the event.

The fifth is the High Energy Physics Summer School. Its application should show how the course contributes to high-energy physics training and how the programme balances scientific content with broader doctoral development, public engagement and career advice.

These descriptions are not substitutes for the official templates. The applicant should use the school-specific context, previous organiser feedback and the current STFC guidance to construct the final programme.

Funding and cost rules

The published total fund is £500,000, but the opportunity page does not state that every school will receive the same award or that a particular percentage of requested costs will be funded. Build the budget around the actual event rather than around the headline total. If costs exceed the limits or assumptions accepted by STFC, the organiser may have to meet the excess from other sources.

STFC gives several specific cost limits. Organisers should aim to keep the cost per student below £150 per day. Higher costs may be considered when there is a clear and specific justification. Lecturer fees are limited to £170 per day or £85 per half day. A conference dinner or excursion, or both, is limited to £50 per delegate, or £60 in London. The management fee is a one-off £1,000, and contingency is capped at 5% of total cost or £1,500, whichever is lower.

Accommodation should not exceed £170 per night including breakfast and VAT in Edinburgh and London, or £120 per night elsewhere. These limits make location and residential planning material parts of the proposal. A venue that looks attractive but pushes accommodation beyond the permitted rate needs either a documented reason and a fundable plan or a different delivery model.

Applications may include reasonable-adjustment costs. STFC says those costs should be accepted as eligible without comment, which is helpful for planning accessible participation. They should still be identified clearly so the budget demonstrates that accessibility is part of delivery rather than an afterthought.

The official page also says organisers are expected to seek commercial sponsorship where possible while retaining the scientific ownership of the school. If sponsorship is part of the plan, explain what it contributes, how conflicts will be avoided and how scientific independence will be protected. Do not rely on an unconfirmed sponsorship promise to make an otherwise incomplete budget appear balanced.

What to include in the application

Applications must provide course organiser details, proposed dates and venue, a detailed justification in terms of the STFC studentships programme, the number of STFC PhD students who will benefit, and a detailed budget using the summer school costs template and guidance on costs. The official supporting documents include “Organising a summer school,” the summer school costs template and the travel and subsistence policy.

The justification should answer a practical question: why does this particular school need STFC support in 2027, and what will students be able to do or understand as a result? Connect the answer to the named science area, the needs of the STFC community and the proposed programme. A general statement that the subject is important will be weaker than evidence about the training gap, the course’s expected reach and the specific contribution of the proposed teaching team.

The budget should be itemised enough for an assessor to test value for money. Link each major cost to a programme component, number of participants, delivery requirement or accessibility need. Show other contributions and distinguish cash support from in-kind support. Keep the daily per-student calculation visible so the reviewer does not have to reconstruct it.

The risk management plan must cover potential risks to programme delivery and the corresponding mitigations. If the school is residential or includes excursions, add a separate risk assessment for those activities. STFC also asks for contingency arrangements for remote delivery if a residential school cannot take place. This is not permission to apply for an online event; it is a resilience plan for a supported school whose normal delivery is disrupted.

How applications are assessed

The Education, Training and Careers Committee will assess applications against seven published areas: breadth of subject and fit with STFC objectives; equity, diversity and inclusion among speakers, lecturers and tutors; quality of subject matter; school programming; skills-building content; risk management; and value for money.

That list gives applicants a useful review structure. Ask one reader to test the science and programme, another to test the student experience and inclusion, and a third to test the budget and operational risks. The final proposal should make it easy to see who the school serves, why the sessions belong together, how students will participate, what staff are responsible for and how the organiser will know the event worked.

The assessment is not only about scientific prestige. A proposal with excellent speakers but weak student access, unclear learning goals or an unrealistic budget can underperform. Likewise, a careful cost plan cannot compensate for a programme that does not fit one of the approved schools. The strongest application will connect scientific breadth to a practical course design and a credible delivery plan.

Timeline and submission process

The opportunity opened on 4 June 2026. STFC must receive applications by 17 September 2026 at 4:00 p.m. UK time. The application must be sent by email to [email protected] using the official format and templates. The page warns that applications cannot be submitted after the deadline and that submitted applications will not be returned for amendment.

Applicants should set an earlier internal deadline. The institution will need time to confirm accreditation, check the budget, review the venue and dates, approve the risk plan and make sure the templates have not been reformatted. A late email is especially risky when the application includes spreadsheets or other required attachments.

STFC expects the Education, Training and Careers Committee to consider applications in late November 2026 or early December 2026. Organisers will then be told whether the proposal is successful, unsuccessful or requires improvement before funding. STFC may require a revised application if amendments are needed. The funded schools themselves will take place in 2027, with the exact dates supplied in each proposal.

Preparation strategy and common mistakes

Start by choosing one approved school and identifying the person or team responsible for its academic direction. Contact previous organisers early. Their experience can help validate the format, costs, lecturer pool, student demand and likely operational risks. It can also show where a new proposal is improving the course rather than merely repeating an old agenda.

Next, map the programme to student needs. For each major session, write down the intended learning or professional-development outcome, the audience level and the reason the session belongs in this school. Include public engagement, mental health or broader PhD development, and careers advice where the guidance requires it. Keep the programme broad enough for the STFC community while preserving a coherent scientific centre.

Then build the budget from the programme. Count students, days, lecturers, accommodation nights and travel needs. Apply the published limits before selecting a venue. Record sponsorship and institutional contributions separately. Include accessibility and contingency planning from the start.

Common mistakes include applying for an unapproved subject, treating the £500,000 total as a guaranteed award, omitting the number of STFC PhD beneficiaries, using a budget template with a changed layout, and presenting a residential plan without a remote-contingency or excursion risk assessment. Another mistake is making inclusion a broad promise without describing how students, lecturers and tutors will be selected and supported. Finally, do not leave the email submission until the final hour; the official route is simple, but the compliance burden sits with the organiser.

Frequently asked questions

Can an individual student apply for this funding?

No. This is an application by an STFC-accredited UK university or research organisation to organise a core summer school. Students are the primary beneficiaries, not the direct applicants.

Can a university propose a new summer school in a related field?

No. STFC says it will support only the five named core schools in 2027 and will not consider other summer schools or online training events under this call.

Is £500,000 the amount each successful school receives?

No. £500,000 is the total fund stated on the UKRI opportunity page. The page does not set a fixed award per school. Request only the costs supported by a detailed, justified budget.

Does the event need to be aimed at PhD students?

Yes. STFC says summer schools must be aimed primarily at STFC-funded PhD students and that every student should have an opportunity to attend an STFC-supported summer school.

Can the application include accessibility costs?

Yes. The guidance permits reasonable-adjustment costs and says UKRI will ensure they are eligible. State what is needed and connect it to accessible participation.

Where should questions go?

Questions about this opportunity should be sent to [email protected]. For advice about public engagement content, the page lists [email protected].

Official links and next steps

Read the official STFC core summer schools 2027 opportunity before preparing the application. Download the supporting documents linked there, especially “Organising a summer school,” the costs template and the travel and subsistence policy. Do not change the layout of the costs template.

An eligible organiser should now confirm which of the five schools it is proposing, contact previous organisers, reserve a realistic planning window, count the expected STFC PhD beneficiaries and draft the programme justification. Complete the budget and risk plan early enough for institutional review. The final application must reach STFC by 17 September 2026 at 4:00 p.m. UK time.

This is a strong fit for an established UK research organisation with a credible scientific network, an inclusive training plan and the capacity to manage a multi-day school. It is not a flexible general education pot. The proposal needs to serve one named STFC community, stay within the published cost rules and show that students will receive a coherent, accessible and valuable 2027 training experience.