For NWSSDTP Students whose funding commenced after September 2024. 

NWSSDTP-funded students are expected to undertake an annual Development Needs Analysis (DNA) process, during both their Master’s and PhD. Reminders will be sent when it is time to complete the DNA form – these will be sent directly from the online platform Qualtrics. The completion of this form is a strict requirement of NWSSDTP funding.

In 2025/26 the Development Needs Analysis form will be circulated at the beginning of November with a deadline for completion of the 15th January 2026.

The purpose of the DNA Process is twofold:

1. It is an annual opportunity for individual students to reflect on their training and development needs, and identify training opportunities, in liaison with their supervisors.
2. The results of the DNA process will be compiled and reviewed by NWSSDTP Training, Employability and Knowledge Exchange Panel every year to identify recurring training needs across the cohort. This will be used to tailor and expand NWSSDTP training opportunities in line with our students’ requirements.

ESRC Postgraduate Training and Development Guidelines

The content of the DNA Form is based around the content of the ESRC’s Postgraduate Training and Development Guidelines. To ensure that social science graduates remain at the forefront internationally, the ESRC’s vision for postgraduate training is:

To develop globally competitive social science researchers; able to operate in interdisciplinary, collaborative, and challenge-led environments; across a range of sectors; and that are characterised by diverse backgrounds and experiences

The expectations for core research training are organised around three main thematic areas; conceptual, general research and specialist.

• The goal of conceptual skills training requirements is that all students – regardless of their specialism – understand the breadth of social science methods extending beyond the qualitative/quantitative binary to i) make informed choices about their research design (current and future); and ii) engage critically with papers/research outside their discipline during their doctoral training and throughout their career.
• The goal of general skills training requirements is that all students will have the general research skills required for postgraduate study and to equip them for their future career, whether within academia or beyond.
• The goal of specialist skills training requirements is for students to have in-depth subject or disciplinary methodological and theoretical training, as well as training in accessing and using ‘cutting edge’ data that supports data driven research whether qualitative or qualitative. The level and intensity of the training may differ from subject to subject, and should be at a level appropriate for the student’s specific discipline and specialism.

The ESRC Postgraduate Training and Development Guidelines can be read in full here.

You will also be asked to reflect on your plans for your Research in Practice placement as a part of the DNA process.

A Word version of the full NWSSDTP DNA Form (hosted on Qualtrics) can be found here for reference.

NWSSDTP Training Catalogue

The NWSSDTP is developing a Training Catalogue, with the aim that each aspect of the DNA Form will have a corresponding webpage compiling training opportunities which may be of interest to students who identify a need for further training in that area.