---
title: "PhD bursary call 2026"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING AUTHORITY"
published: "2026-04-22"
---

# PhD bursary call 2026

Buyer: NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef

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## Summary

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the "PhD bursary call 2026" aimed at furthering research and development within the civil nuclear decommissioning industry. This open procedure procurement process involves a financial commitment of up to £750,000, with a submission deadline for proposals on 31st August 2026. Located in Cumbria, the NDA is seeking applications from UK academic institutions for research projects that will lead to the award of a PhD. The initiative is intended to support the NDA's mission to ensure safe and sustainable decommissioning solutions while fostering the development of key skills and technologies needed across the NDA estate.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for universities and research institutes focused on nuclear technology, decommissioning research, and skills development. Businesses and academic organisations with expertise in research and development services, particularly those looking to engage in early-stage technology development and knowledge transfer, are well-positioned to compete. The call for applications encourages collaboration between academic and industrial communities, providing a chance for growth within the nuclear sector. The stipend offered is aligned with UKRI standards, ensuring competitive compensation for postgraduate researchers involved in these projects, further enticing institutions to participate in this valuable initiative.

## Notice

The NDA is requesting applications to its bursary call, to support the NDA mission to deliver safe, sustainable and publicly acceptable solutions to the challenge of decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy. The NDA's goals from the call are as follows: *Maintain and develop the key skills that will be required to help us carry out the mission over the coming decades *Provide fundamental understanding of technologies and processes across the NDA estate *Develop early-stage technologies (TRL 1 - 3) *Encourage two-way knowledge transfer between the academic and industrial communities working on nuclear decommissioning What is not covered under the call is R&D focused on site-specific challenges such as improving the efficiency of an existing plant or process or on training resource in a specific capability. Those research areas are the responsibility of the individual subsidiaries and SLCs. Applicants are advised to seek advice on the structure and content of their proposal prior to submission. Contact details can be found at the end of this document. The call is open to UK academic institutions for projects that will lead to the award of a PhD. This year, up to PS750,000 is available from the NDA PhD bursary to support projects that will lead to the award of a PhD. Universities and Research Institutes are invited to make proposals up to a value of PS155,000 per project under the thematic areas outlined below. NDA recognise that increases in the cost of living have impacted postgraduate researchers. In line with the recent UKRI announcement, NDA expect students funded through the NDA PhD bursary call to receive a stipend that is at least equivalent to those paid by UKRI as of 1/10/26, i.e. PS21,805 FTE. NDA will not object to a stipend increase for the purposes of ensuring the stipend is competitive with your departmental guidance. Further detail will be available on how to apply from https://ndaphdbursary.co.uk/ via the NDA's University Interactions partner, The UK National Nuclear Laboratory.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036766-2026 |
| Notice type | UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Future notice date | 1 May 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 |
| Recurrence | 2027-04-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £750,000 |
| Lots value | £750,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING AUTHORITY |
| Locality | CUMBRIA |
| Post town | Carlisle |
| Postcode | CA24 3HU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD1 Cumbria |
| ITL 3 | TLD13 Cumberland |
| Local authority | Cumberland |
| Electoral ward | Egremont North and St Bees |
| Westminster constituency | Whitehaven and Workington |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 22 Apr 2026 at 15:01 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036766-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036766-2026
  22nd April 2026 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://ndaphdbursary.co.uk/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/nuclear-decommissioning-authority
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0688ef.json.