The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership
Excellence and Innovation in Social Science Research Training
An ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership uniting Brunel University London, The Open University and the University of Oxford
Our 'Grand Union' is a Doctoral Training Partnership between Brunel University London, The Open University and the University of Oxford. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), we are one of 15 ESRC Doctoral Training Partnerships across the UK, providing our postgraduate students with high-quality social science research training.
From 2017 to 2028, we will be offering more than 35 ESRC studentships each year for doctoral study on 23 pathways across our partner institutions. We are committed to a student-centred approach to research training, to widening access to postgraduate study, and to disciplinary and interdisciplinary research excellence.
Our Grand Union scholars are at the heart of our community of students and early career social science researchers. We are proud of the support we give this next generation of social scientists, and we work hard to give them every opportunity to develop as future researchers and professionals.
Applications now open for 2026-27
Student News & Activities
From the Web
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Deepti Ramaswamy, 18 February 2026
Methodological Innovations
Border Backdrop: Shifting Visibility Along the Buffer Zone in Nicosia
Ibrahim Ince, 20 January 2026
Journal of Borderlands Studies
What US Intervention Could Mean for Displaced Venezuelans
Alessandra Enrico Headrington, 19 January 2026
Refugee Studies Centre
Why It's a Bad Idea to Triage Refugee Food Aid When Everyone Is Hungry?
Madison Bakewell, Vittorio Bruni, and Olivier Sterck, 7 November 2025
The New Humanitarian