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Access, Support and Wellbeing
1 Priory Road – SWDTP Hub
Each participating SWDTP institution provide facilities for PGRs. In addition, there is a dedicated SWDTP building at 1 Priory Rd, Bristol, available with hot desks and basic kitchen facilities for all students to use. The building is open at 8am until 6pm Monday to Fridays (excluding bank holidays). It is not a 24-hour access building and entry is via a Bristol U-card. Bicycles are not permitted in the building but can be locked in the cycle racks outside. Non-University of Bristol students can request visiting student registration to access 1 Priory Road, re-registration is required at the beginning of each academic year to maintain access.
Students can also make use of the two meeting rooms at the SWDTP office for reading groups, seminars etc. The rooms can be booked via swdtp-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk. Both rooms hold around 20 people.
Site Access
For visiting and accessibility issues for each university, please see the following links:
Library Access
The libraries at partner institutions all have informative web pages, containing information about opening times, dedicated PG areas (where relevant) and helpful contacts. Please see:
The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), operates various reciprocal access schemes between many higher education libraries of the UK and Ireland. All partner universities are members of this scheme. This scheme allows postgraduate students to borrow material from other SCONUL access member libraries. Students must first register with SCONUL by applying online, and be authorised by their home institution. Both home ID card and SCONUL Access authorisation must be presented on each visit.
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
If you have a disability which means that you incur additional expenditure in connection with your studies, then you may be eligible for an allowance. The allowance can cover costs such as daily expenses and equipment (photocopying and consumables to be claimed through your RTSG), and for non-medical helpers such as support workers, specialist tutors, library assistance and note-takers. The amount of each allowance is not fixed and is determined according to the individual needs of each student. Please discuss your additional support needs with your home institution in the first instance and let the Disability Officer know that you are ESRC funded. Please note, if a laptop is purchased through DSA, you are expected to pay a £200 contribution. For students commencing 2017-2023, the ESRC grant reference is ES/P000630/1. For students commencing 2024, the ESRC grant reference is ES/Y001575/1. For further information, please visit the UKRI Standard Terms and Conditions.
Student Wellbeing and Counselling Service
Each institution offers information and support to student wellbeing. Please follow the links below for your home institution
The University of Bath runs a Researcher Wellbeing Group that aims to offer a safe space for PhD and early career researchers to discuss the tolls that researching a sensitive topic can take. Anyone is welcome to join regardless of area of research, department, university or country of study.
Specialist Supervision Support
Unless an exceptional case has been discussed and agreed at the point of application, for cases where specialist supervision support and / or counselling is required due to the nature of your PhD research, we strongly advise you to identify sources of departmental / institutional funding and support.
Mature Students/Parents and Carers
Each institution offers information and support for mature students and students who are parents and carers. Please follow the links below for your institution.
The SWDTP has a student-led Parents and Carers Network. The network meets a couple of times a year, but has a WhatsApp group for informal/ ad-hoc meet ups: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LA6D8dSKzDCEu7lEPTpVUF