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2025 Studentship data collection has been paused

UKRI has traditionally asked for a submission of research outcomes from holders of doctoral studentships from the third year of their studentship, and for three years after it ends.  For the 2025 Research Outcomes submission period, UKRI are pausing the collection of studentship data and will not be adding any new students to Researchfish.

Any studentships already on Researchfish will remain on the system for the usual duration and UKRI welcome the submission of any new outcomes on a non-mandatory basis.

FAQs

  • Which students need to submit outcomes?

    UKRI will only be asking for students who are in the third or later year of their studies to submit their outcomes, i.e. students whose awards started on or before February 2020.

    Students who are in their first or second year of study at the time of the data collection period are excluded from the exercise (excepting a small number of cases where students were included in the submission period last year).

    Students who are co-funded by two Research Councils will only need to provide details for one Research Council – the name of the lead Research Council is provided in Researchfish® and can be seen after logging in.

    Students who are funded by other organisations that also use Researchfish® to collect outcomes information (including a number of medical charities) will be contacted by them directly.

  • Is it mandatory?

    There is a UKRI Sanctions Policy which applies to all Research Council funded award holders, but it does not apply to PhD students or their supervisors. However, if you are a PhD student whose award started on or before February 2020, you are strongly encouraged to participate as overall institutional compliance may be considered in making future doctoral training awards and the University will therefore be monitoring submission levels throughout the submission period.

  • What do I need to do?
    • Register your details using the login details provided by Researchfish
    • Ensure your main supervisor is added as a 'Team Member' on your award.
    • Add any other supervisors as appropriate
    • Enter your outcomes, e.g. publications, collaborations, public engagement
    • Submit your outcomes during the submission period (next submission period to be advised)
    • Repeat every year until three years after your studentship has finished
  • How do I login to Researchfish?

    If you have any problems logging on, or have any questions about the awards / data in your profile, please contact the help desk at support@researchfish.com.

    Researchfish® includes the ability for you to manage your profile information (including making changes to your password and email address). You can do this via the “My account” section of the system.

  • What do I need to report and how do I do it?

    When you log on to Researchfish® you can click the “My Awards” button on the left-hand menu. Click an award then you can enter details of outcomes by clicking sections on the left of the page (publications, collaborations, etc.), and following the instructions. It is important that you then associate each outcome with the relevant award(s) as shown in  this PI Interface Overview video.In this section your studentship will be listed on the right of the screen.

    There are a whole range of outcomes that can be reported on Researchfish®; however, many will not be relevant to you as a student. The most likely sections of relevance to you include:

    i. Publications – papers you have published as part of your PhD

    ii. Collaborations – any work completed in collaboration, e.g. with another academic group

    iii. Engagement Activities – instances where you communicated your research to a non-academic audience, e.g. presentations at science fairs or schools

    iv. Other Outputs & Knowledge / Future Steps – anything else you think is an important outcome from your research

    v. Secondments, Placements and Internships – time spent at other organisations

    Please remember, do not add any confidential, sensitive or personal information to Researchfish® as outcomes submitted may be made public (e.g. through Gateway to Research).

  • What happens if I don’t have any outcomes to report?

    It is very common for most impacts to occur towards the end of a project or after it has finished. Therefore, do not worry if you have nothing to report until towards the end of your PhD, just submit a blank response. You are still expected to complete the submission process, however, even if there are no outcomes to report.

  • What do I do and what does my supervisor do?

    UKRI has had supervisors added to studentships as Team Members so they have the ability to help you add attributions if they so wish. Please note that the supervisors will not be able to submit the return, this is the responsibility of the student. Additional supervisors can be added to your studentship details as ‘team members’.

    However, the SUBMIT button is only available when the submission period is open. Only you can see and click on the SUBMIT button.

  • When do I have to finish entering data?

    You can enter data at any time but you will need to confirm that all of your information is accurate and complete during the annual submission period. The next submission period is to be announced. You will receive a reminder email to finish entering and submit your data. Successful submissions will be confirmed by the system via email.

  • Where can I find further information?

    For general guidance and support please contact your supervisor.

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