The health and wellbeing of our students is of paramount importance to us, and as such each university offers a wide range of support services which are readily available to you. Below we link to the support services available at each institution, and through NERC and UKRI. Please visit the webpages of the institution you are registered at to see the full extent of the resources that are available to you.
University of Aberdeen student support services
Student Helpline – Available 24 hours a day
Student Advice and Support Office
Postgraduate Research School: maternity/paternity & absence policies
Queen’s University Belfast student support services
Family policies (maternity/paternity)
Email: studentwellbeing@qub.ac.uk or qubstudents@inspirewellbeing.org
Phone: 0808 800 0016 (24hr Freephone)
NERC Disabled Students’ Allowances
If a student has a long-term disability, and as a result of that disability they are obliged to incur additional expenditure in connection with their studies, they may be eligible for extra allowances, known as Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). All research council funded students are eligible for these allowances.
Disabled Students’ Allowances cover costs relating to additional general expenses, items of equipment, or non-medical assistance during the term of the studentship. Research councils will consider meeting only those costs that are incurred directly and solely as a consequence of taking up a studentship to pursue postgraduate study.
For more information, see the funding for research training page of the UKRI website.
Please note: the research organisation hosting the studentship applies for DSA and not the student themselves. If you believe you are eligible for DSA, please discuss this with your supervisor and QUADRAT Partnership Coordinator (quadrat@abdn.ac.uk).
For more information please visit the following webpage and scroll down to the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) section: https://www.ukri.org/skills/funding-for-research-training/
Please also view the UKRI Framework Document for further details.
Contact: researchcareers@nerc.ac.uk
