South & East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS)

What South & East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) does

South & East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) that brings together eight UK universities across the south and east of England — City St George's, Cranfield, the University of East Anglia, the University of Essex (coordinating institution), Goldsmiths, the University of Lincoln, Middlesex University, and the University of Roehampton — to deliver fully-funded social science doctoral training. The partnership is administered through a small core team of approximately eight personnel, with Professor Fragkiskos Filippaios as Director and Professor Mark Johnson as Deputy Director. SENSS recruits PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows through annual competitive funding competitions covering student-led studentships, collaborative studentships with external partners, joint SENSS-CAM studentships with the Cambridge-led CAM DTP, ADR UK administrative-data studentships, and ring-fenced positions tied to advanced quantitative methods and interdisciplinarity, with active cohorts in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

SENSS's offering is structured around six interdisciplinary research themes: Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research; Digital Social Sciences; Health, Wellbeing and Social Care; Justice, Institutions and Social Change; Resolving Uncertainty and Addressing Crises; and Sustainability and Climate Emergency. Infrastructure consists of the HEIApply online application portal for submissions and a Squarespace-hosted Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for training delivery; the partnership holds no proprietary technology and operates as a virtual consortium. All funded PhD students complete a mandatory three-month integrated placement with an academic supervisor team and/or an external partner (industry, government, or NGO). Named external partners active in collaborative studentships include SOMNOmedics (sleep/medical technology), the Fawcett Society (gender equality), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Marine Biological Association, Feathers Futures (domestic abuse support), the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, People's Palace Projects, and Redes da Maré in Brazil.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. SENSS receives ring-fenced funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which finances PhD tuition plus a £20,780 annual stipend for 2025-26 (with an additional £2,000 London Weighting at London-based partner universities) and postdoctoral fellowships providing up to nine months of salary plus up to £7,500 in research support. Revenue is undisclosed, governed by multi-year ESRC DTP funding cycles (currently DTP2), and customers in a commercial sense are absent: doctoral researchers are programme recipients rather than paying users, and pricing (stipend and tuition structure) is set centrally by UKRI.

Name

South & East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS)

Legal name

South and East Network for Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership

Website

https://senss.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SENSS is an ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership consortium of eight UK universities delivering fully-funded PhD studentships and postdoctoral fellowships across six interdisciplinary social science themes, coordinated by the University of Essex.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Doctoral Research Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA), University-Affiliated Pathway & Foundation Programs (EDAIAJAA)

Keywords

• Doctoral training partnership
• PhD studentship funding
• Postdoctoral fellowships
• Social science research
• Research council funding

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership Funding: SENSS receives core funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to provide fully-funded PhD studentships, postdoctoral fellowships, and research training for social science doctoral researchers across its eight partner universities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SENSS is an ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership consortium of eight UK universities that delivers fully-funded PhD studentships and Post-Doctoral Fellowships in the social sciences, alongside a mandatory three-month placement programme and six interdisciplinary research themes. The partnership recruits doctoral researchers and early-career researchers through competitive funding competitions and supports their training via a Virtual Learning Environment and partner university supervision.

Product overview

SeNSS is a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) consortium of eight universities across the south and east of the UK, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Rather than a traditional software product, SeNSS offers a portfolio of research training programs including student-led and collaborative studentships, joint SENSS-CAM studentships, post-doctoral fellowships, and six interdisciplinary thematic research areas. Key platforms include the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for training delivery and the HEIApply online portal for applications. The consortium supports research across social science disciplines through structured funding programs with mandatory placement components, advancing interdisciplinary research addressing grand societal challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student-Led Studentships Fully-funded PhD studentships in which doctoral researchers work on a research project they have developed themselves, guided by an expert academic supervisory team, with optional collaborative partner involvement. Open to prospective doctoral researchers at SENSS's eight partner universities.
• Collaborative Studentships Fully-funded PhD studentships where doctoral researchers join expert teams including an external partner (industry, government or NGO) to work on a research project developed by an academic team. Up to eight ring-fenced collaborative studentships are available per year.
• SENSS-CAM Studentships ESRC-funded PhD studentships offered jointly by SENSS and the CAM Doctoral Training Partnership, requiring supervisory teams from each DTP with a genuine cross-DTP and cross-disciplinary approach. Up to two joint studentships are available per round.
• Post-Doctoral Fellowships Funding awards providing early-career researchers (within 15 months of PhD completion) the opportunity to consolidate their PhDs through developing publications, networks and research/professional skills, for up to nine months full-time (or up to 18 months part-time in exceptional circumstances). Includes a salary plus up to £7,500 for research support such as conference attendance.
• ADR UK PhD Studentships Funding for PhD studentships using ADR UK's linked administrative data spanning education, justice, employment and health datasets. Up to five studentships are available through the SENSS application round.
• SENSS Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Online learning platform providing training resources, student profiles and academic support for SENSS doctoral researchers and postdoctoral fellows.
• Placement Programme Mandatory three-month integrated placement requirement for all SENSS PhD students, offering experience with academic or non-academic partners (including industry, government and NGOs) during the studentship.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SOMNOmedicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman manufacturer of medical technology providing collaborative PhD studentship on sleep research. Supervises 3-month placement for doctoral researcher. Project examines relationship between REM sleep, eye movements, and distressing memories combining psychology research methods with state-of-the-art sleep technology.
• The Fawcett SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's leading membership charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights. Provides collaborative partner supervisor and 3-month placement for PhD research on impact of Generative AI on Gender Pay Gap in Creative Media Industries.
• Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK government agency providing collaborative partnership for PhD research on diversifying UK seafood choices from recreational angling perspectives. Provides placement supervision and research expertise in fisheries science and policy.
• Marine Biological Association (MBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK charity advancing marine biology research and knowledge. Provides 3-month placement for doctoral researcher working on sustainable seafood consumption, with opportunities for fisheries and community engagement initiatives in South West England.
• Feathers FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-led women's organisation specialising in supporting survivors of domestic abuse. Provides collaborative supervision and placement for PhD research on heat and violence against women and girls in the UK.
• Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for NorfolkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatutory body commissioning domestic abuse services in Norfolk. Provides collaborative supervision and placement for PhD research on climate change impacts on violence against women and girls.
• People's Palace ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational arts and social change organisation. Collaborative partner for PhD research on climate change mental health impacts on young people in coastal communities, with placement opportunities in UK and Brazil.
• Redes da MarécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organisation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. International partner for comparative research on youth mental health and climate resilience in coastal communities.
• Administrative Data Research (ADR) UKflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of ESRC providing access to linked administrative datasets spanning education, justice, employment, health, and more. Offering up to 30 PhD studentships across DTPs for research using administrative data.
• CAM Doctoral Training PartnershipflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint DTP consortium between Anglia Ruskin University, University of Bedfordshire, and University of Cambridge. Co-funding studentships with cross-DTP supervisory teams for interdisciplinary social science research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CAM Doctoral Training Partnership: Existing SENSS partner consortium combining Anglia Ruskin, Bedfordshire, and Cambridge. SENSS co-funds joint studentships with CAM, and CAM is one of SENSS's closest operational peers within the ESRC DTP network.
• Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS): ESRC-funded Scotland-wide DTP delivering social-science doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowships. SENSS and SGSSS are sister ESRC DTPs with parallel structures, funding streams, and competition formats.
• Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (Wales DTP): ESRC-funded DTP providing social-science doctoral training across Welsh universities. Shares SENSS's cohort-based, placement-supported model and competes for the same ESRC doctoral-training pot.
• Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE-DTP): ESRC-funded DTP offering social-science doctoral training across Northern Ireland and the North East of England. Comparable in structure, funding model, and cohort size to SENSS.
• North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP): ESRC-funded DTP consortium coordinating social-science doctoral training across North West England universities. Operates the same studentship-plus-placement model as SENSS and competes for the same ESRC allocation.
• London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS-DTP): An ESRC-funded DTP consortium of London universities delivering fully-funded PhD studentships and postdoctoral training in the social sciences. LISS-DTP is SENSS's most direct comparator, competing for the same ESRC doctoral-training funding pool and serving a closely overlapping applicant base.
• Midlands Graduate School DTP: ESRC-funded consortium of Midlands universities delivering social-science doctoral training. Operates the same studentship competitions and ADR UK cohort model as SENSS, and is a direct peer in ESRC funding rounds.

Broad incumbents

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Umbrella organisation that includes ESRC and sets the strategic direction for all UK doctoral training partnerships. UKRI's funding decisions directly determine SENSS's annual cohort size and programme scope.
• Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK): Flagship ESRC partnership providing SENSS-affiliated researchers access to linked administrative datasets. As a UK-wide programme offering ADR UK studentships across multiple DTPs, ADR UK is a major structural peer influencing SENSS's research capacity.
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC): Primary funder of SENSS and the broader UKRI umbrella organisation responsible for all social-science research training. As the overarching body that defines DTP policy and funding allocations, ESRC is the closest incumbent stakeholder to SENSS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/senssdtp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South & East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS)