Information for prospective supervisors

EastBio is delighted to open the project call for a 2026 intake of students.

EastBio runs a joint recruitment and we make every effort to provide plain and clear guidance on our recruitment process. We strongly advise that, before you submit your project, you make sure you read the relevant guidance: 

Supervisor Eligibility

  1. Lead supervisors of existing EastBio students are not eligible to submit a project (unless thesis submission is before October 2026). In other words: you can only have one EastBio student in your lab at any one time. It would be wise to only submit a project if this is the right time for your lab to do so. This restriction does not apply to CASE projects.
  2. Lead supervisors to more than three (3) PhD students in October 2026 (not counting students who are yet to be recruited) are not eligible to submit a project. This restriction does not apply to CASE projects.
  3. Lead supervisors must be on campus.
  4. Supervisors can only propose one project as Lead supervisor.
  5. All supervisors must be up to date with supervisor training within their institution. 

How to Submit Your Project Proposal

We are asking eligible staff of the partner institutions to submit your PhD project via an online form relevant for your Institution: 

University of Aberdeen:  https://forms.office.com/e/JVLETW1eJQ  

University of Dundee:  https://forms.office.com/e/R3gQf2LM3V  

University of Edinburgh CMVM: https://forms.office.com/e/H38DqpzfF8  

University of Edinburgh CSE:  https://forms.office.com/e/J2Vm0ASc94  

University of St Andrews: https://forms.office.com/e/VkdezC6WtW  

University of Stirling:  https://forms.office.com/e/QUA6uawvdh  

SRUC:  https://forms.office.com/e/243ZRZKFbx  

Moredun Research Institute:  https://forms.office.com/e/Nf9Tg2HLzg  

James Hutton Institute:  https://forms.office.com/e/M7U7rDrnFP 

IBioIC:  https://forms.office.com/e/DGkC6FjeFw  

We recommend that you work on your responses offline before you start filling in this form. A pdf preview can be found here: EastBio Project Call 2026 PDF Preview.pdf (214.43 KB). 

If you need to edit the form after you have submitted it (before the closing date), make sure you select 'save my response' when you submit. You will then be able to access your form by going to your 'Filled forms' on Microsoft Forms. Note that we will not consider projects that are incomplete (for example, projects that lack details on the second supervisor and their involvement in the project). We cannot send individual acknowledgment of receipt. 

If you are submitting a CASE project, you must also separately submit a CASE Project Support Letter (see guidance for the template), signed by the CASE partner’s representative, to your local academic lead for EastBio and to recruitment@eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk.

 

The deadline for projects is noon Monday the 20th of October 2025. 

Timeline

Project submission deadline20 October

Projects approved (local level) 

10 November 

Projects advertised by (local level) 

21 November

APPLICATIONS CLOSING 

15 December

Nominations submitted (local level) 

2 February 

Shortlisting completed by (local level) 

23 February 

Interview invites sent from (local level) 

2 March

Interviews held  

w/b 16 March 

Allocation meeting (EastBio Management Group) 

 w/b 30 March

Candidate Nominations

Each project supervisor is to nominate one candidate who represents the best fit for their project by submitting the EastBio Candidate Nomination Form to their local graduate school by the 2 February (the form must be signed by the lead supervisor and, when relevant, the CASE partner supervisor). No application will be considered without this form. 

Nominated candidates will be shortlisted locally aiming for two candidates per studentship award, as per the partner institutions' quotas. The selection is conducted by each partner institution according to the same EastBio guidance.  

The shortlisted candidates will be invited to an EastBio interview by one of the panels chaired by an EastBio academic lead and 3 PIs from partner institutions. 

Candidate Nomination Form.docx (153.78 KB)

 

If you have further questions on the PhD Project Call or our recruitment, please email the EastBio academic representative at your local institution or recruitment@eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk.

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