Bradford 2025: Exploring community engagement in a UK City of Culture

One highly competitive scholarship is available in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds. Funded by the Cultural Institute, the scholarship provides full Home fees with a tax-free maintenance allowance that matches UKRI rates (currently 18,622 GBP in 2023/24), which rises annually in line with UKRI rates for 3 years. This scholarship opportunity is open to UK applicants only.

<p>This fully funded PhD provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research relating to place-based cultural programmes and in particular cities of culture. Cities of culture are a cornerstone of the UK&#39;s cultural landscape and are supported at government level by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.&nbsp;</p> <p>UK Cities of Culture are based on a competitive funding model whereby every four years cities or city regions across the UK bid to host a year of culture. To date, three UK Cities of Culture have taken place: Derry/Londonderry 2013, Hull 2017 and Coventry 2021. The fourth UK City of Culture will take place in Bradford in 2025.&nbsp;</p> <p>Bradford district&rsquo;s year of culture is set to deliver more than 1,000 new performances and events and a series of major arts festivals and major national and international collaborations. As the UK&rsquo;s youngest city, young people will play a key role in delivering the year of culture.</p> <p>Despite their high profile, Cities of Culture programmes are controversial, and academic research has questioned their long-term legacy. It is expected therefore that this PhD will explore competing perspectives on cities of culture, in particular in relation to co-created and place-based elements of their artistic programmes.&nbsp;</p> <p>The UK City of Culture programme stems from the European Capital of Culture programme, which was initiated in 1985 in Athens. There is scope within this PhD to investigate the similarities and contracts between the European and UK models, and in particular the apparent trend for UK Cities of Culture to incorporate significant strands of activity dedicated to everyday creativity and/or community engagement.&nbsp;</p> <p>The School of Performance and Cultural Industries invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2024/25.</p> <p>Because it is connected to the UK City of Culture that will run in 2025, the award is only open to full-time candidates.</p> <p>When studying a research degree in the <a href="http://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/performance-research-degrees">School of Performance and Cultural Industries </a>you&#39;ll become a key member of our academic research community, experiencing a supportive, stimulating and challenging research environment which will enable you to pursue your interests and achieve your potential. Our academic team come from a range of professional, academic and cultural backgrounds, bringing a wealth of knowledge and insight that enriches our research community.</p> <p>This PhD will be supported by the <a href="https://www.culturalvalue.org.uk/">Centre for Cultural Value</a>, which is housed within the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, and also by the University&rsquo;s<a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/cultural-institute"> Cultural Institute</a>, which manages our cultural partnerships, including the one with<a href="https://bradford2025.co.uk/"> Bradford 2025</a>. The Centre for Cultural Value is currently supporting a PhD exploring learning legacies from LEEDS 2023 and undertaking secondary research and evaluation into the relationships between cultural engagement and health, wellbeing and placemaking as well as into the legacies of cities of culture themselves.</p> <p>This PhD studentship offers a unique opportunity to delve into the fascinating research questions that surround cities of culture. While the final research questions and methodology will be determined by the successful candidate, in collaboration with the supervisors, it is anticipated that the PhD will focus on one of more of the following themes:</p> <ul> <li>Different models of community engagement within cities of cultures and their respective pros and cons&nbsp;</li> <li>The challenges and opportunities of involving artists in place-based activities</li> <li>The evolving role of co-creation and everyday creativity in cities of cultures</li> <li>Points of comparison and contrast between European Capitals of Culture and UK Cities of Culture</li> <li>Methods and methodologies used to undertake artistic programmes at a hyper-local level</li> </ul> <p>The PhD will offer exceptional opportunities for the successful candidate to engage with the Bradford 2025 team with a possibility to undertake some shadowing work or a more formal placement within the Evaluation team. It is anticipated that the PhD will include a case study of Bradford 2025&rsquo;s Magic Waiting programme &ndash; am ambitious project designed to place creative practitioners and artists in the heart of communities across the whole district. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Duration of the Award</strong></p> <ul> <li>Full-time (3 years) full-time. The award will be made for one year in the first instance and renewable for a further period of up to 2 years full-time, subject to satisfactory academic progress.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Funding</strong></p> <ul> <li>The award covers full UK tuition fees and maintenance stipend (currently &pound;18,622 in 2023/24 for full-time study). This amount changes per annum in line with the Research Council UK rate.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Other Conditions</strong></p> <ul> <li>Awards must be taken up by 1 October 2024</li> <li>The awards are available for new Postgraduate Researchers undertaking full-time or part-time research study leading to the degree of PhD. Students who are already registered for PhD research study are excluded from applying.&nbsp;</li> <li>Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this Studentship/ scholarship.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Selection Process</strong></p> <ul> <li>The final list of awards are based on academic merit and no other factors such as financial hardship are taken into account.</li> </ul>

<p><strong><u>How to Apply</u> </strong></p> <p><strong>Stage 1</strong><br /> First, apply for a research place of study through the<a href="https://studentservices.leeds.ac.uk/pls/banprod/bwskalog_uol.P_DispLoginNon"> online application form</a>. Please state clearly that the funding you wish to be considered for is &ldquo;The Bradford 2025 Scholarship&rdquo;. You will be expected to meet our <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/performance-research-degrees/doc/apply-14">eligibility criteria</a> for PhD candidates.</p> <p>In order to be considered for the Scholarship you must submit all the required supporting documents for your application for PhD study in the <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/performance-research-degrees/doc/apply-14">School of Performance and Cultural Industries</a>. Any study applications that are not accompanied by the documents requested by the deadline will not be considered for the award.</p> <p>Once you have received your student ID number (a 9-digit number) move onto stage 2.</p> <p><strong>Stage 2</strong></p> <p>Apply for the Bradford 2025 Scholarship by completing the online<a href="https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/leeds/bradford-2025-community-engagement-in-a-city-of-culture"> Scholarship Application Form</a>. You must submit your scholarship/ application by <strong>5pm UK time on Friday 10th May 2024.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Please note that an unsuccessful application for this scholarship does not exclude you from applying for other research study opportunities or scholarships offered by the University of Leeds.&nbsp;</li> <li>Please note that, due to the large volume of applications, the University of Leeds will not enter into any correspondence regarding the progress of an application until the outcome is known.&nbsp;</li> <li>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University&#39;s minimum English language requirements (below).</li> </ul> <p><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability.</em></p>

Applicants must hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK Upper Second Class Honours degree in an appropriate discipline. Applicants should have graduated with the appropriate First Degree. A Master&rsquo;s degree and/or relevant work/professional experience are desirable. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the Admissions team prior to making an application. <br />

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.

<p>For further information, please contact the admissions office on ahcpgradmissions@leeds.ac.uk.&nbsp;</p>