We provide organisations with a wide choice of ways to engage with students to benefit from their up-to-date skills and knowledge.

Organisations can access expertise from across our science and technology disciplines. These include biological and environmental sciences, communications systems, chemistry, a range of engineering disciplines, geography, mathematics and statistics, physics, and psychology.

As well as their chosen degree subject, our students are skilled in problem-solving, analysis, critical reflection, oral and written communication, and negotiation.

Student engagement varies in duration from five days to five years. We evaluate the needs of each organisation and match these to the appropriate student through a competitive process.

Over 200 students a year support a wide range of organisations.

How you can benefit

Ways to Engage

• 1-3 month internships in your business
• Part-time research projects supervised by leading experts
• Postgraduate researchers in industry-led collaborative PhDs

Benefits of Student Engagement

• Access a broad mix of expertise
• Flexible range of engagement options
• Save valuable staff time with a low-cost resource
• Give a student valuable industry experience

Types of engagement

Engagement: from 5 days to 6 month projects

Businesses are able to access students via dedicated placement programmes available in a variety of durations and formats from short five-day consultancy projects, three-five week mini-projects to six-month dissertation based projects.

Our business development staff will work with each company to develop a brief and recruit the right student for each project. Companies are not charged for these projects but are asked to reimburse any out of pocket expenses, e.g. some travel and any specialist resources purchased specifically for the project.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships 1-3 year projects

A KTP is a relationship formed between a company and an academic institution which facilitates the exchange of knowledge, technology and skills to which the company partner currently has no access. Each partnership employs a recently qualified graduate to work in a company on a project of strategic importance to the business, whilst also being supervised by the academic partner. KTPs last between 1 and 3 years with the graduate normally based at the company for the duration although employed by the university.

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering 3-5 year projects

CASE offers a way for businesses to develop an extended partnership with the university through a heavily subsided long term R&D project.

Awarded by the UK Research Council, CASE Studentships provide funding for the ablest students to undertake three years of study for a PhD degree (five years for part-time awards) and work on a project jointly designed and supervised by a university department and a company. Companies can be from the public, private or voluntary sectors, ranging from multinationals, SMEs, local authorities and registered charities.

The student will be specially selected in collaboration with the company and will spend at least 3 months during the period of the award at the company's premises. The company partner is required to contribute a minimum of a third of the Research Council's contribution.

Doctoral Training Centres 6 months-3 year projects

DTCs represent a new approach to postgraduate study, with the aim of attracting and nurturing talented and skilled researchers. DTC-based students carry out a PhD-level research project together with taught coursework in a supportive and exciting environment.

The key aspects of DTCs are the industry focus, collaboration and the impact the research has on the UK's economy. All PhDs through the centres have the integral involvement of an industrial partner both for training and in determining the scope of the research.

Lancaster's DTCs include:

• STOR-i (statistics and operational research)
• North West Nanoscience (nanoscience in partnership with Manchester University)
• Nuclear EngD (nuclear engineering)