
AMITY [in London]
DCUK and AMITY in London: A Strategic Partnership
This partnership strengthens links in higher education
1. Partnership Purpose and Strategic Rationale
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Establish a collaborative partnership to strengthen doctoral recruitment, research supervision capacity, and applied academic consultancy.
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Enhance international reach and credibility for both institutions.
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Support industry-linked research, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
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Create sustainable, income-generating academic collaboration pathways.


2. Scope of the Partnership
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The partnership will operate across three integrated pillars:
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Recruitment Collaboration
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Sub-Contract PhD Supervision
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Academic Consultancy and Research Services
Pillar 1: Recruitment Partnership
2.1 Objectives
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Jointly recruit doctoral candidates (PhD / DBA) from domestic and international markets.
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Increase pipeline quality and conversion through structured recruitment processes.
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Enable flexible entry routes for candidates aligned to industry and professional practice.
2.2 Roles and Responsibilities
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Doctoral College UK
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Lead marketing strategy for online, executive, and practitioner doctorates.
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Provide applicant screening, admissions guidance, and doctoral readiness assessment.
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Support candidate preparation (research proposals, methodological training).
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Amity University London
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Provide institutional branding, academic credibility, and award frameworks (where applicable).
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Participate in applicant interviews and final admissions decisions.
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Ensure regulatory and quality alignment with UK higher education requirements.
2.3 Recruitment Model
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Agreed target cohorts per academic year.
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Shared or commission-based recruitment fee structure.
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Clear definitions of lead ownership, conversion tracking, and reporting.


Pillar 2: Sub-Contract PhD Supervision
3.1 Objectives
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Expand supervisory capacity through a structured sub-contract arrangement.
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Enable flexible supervision models for working professionals and international candidates.
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Maintain high-quality doctoral oversight aligned to UK academic standards.
3.2 Supervision Framework
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Doctoral College UK academics act as:
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Primary Supervisors
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Co-Supervisors
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Methodology or Professional Practice Supervisors
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Amity University London retains:
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Overall academic governance
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Awarding oversight (subject to final agreement)
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3.3 Quality Assurance
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Formal supervision agreements per candidate.
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Defined supervisor workloads, training, and CPD requirements.
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Annual progress reviews aligned to institutional doctoral regulations.
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External examiner and viva processes agreed in advance.
3.4 Commercial Structure
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Per-candidate supervision fees.
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Annual block supervision contracts (optional).
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Clear invoicing, reporting, and audit arrangements.
Pillar 3: Academic Consultancy and Research Services
4.1 Objectives
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Deliver applied academic consultancy to industry, government, and public-sector clients.
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Use doctoral and faculty expertise to support innovation, evaluation, and strategic development.
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Generate diversified non-tuition income streams.
4.2 Consultancy Areas
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Applied research and impact studies
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Organisational innovation and strategy
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Education, leadership, and workforce development
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Policy analysis and programme evaluation
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Knowledge management and digital transformation
4.3 Delivery Model
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Joint consultancy bids or contracted delivery.
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Doctoral candidates embedded in consultancy projects (where appropriate).
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Co-branded reports, frameworks, and publications.
4.4 Revenue and IP
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Agreed revenue-sharing ratios per project.
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Intellectual property ownership and exploitation terms defined contractually.
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Clear rules for publication, confidentiality, and client ownership.
5. Governance and Management
5.1 Joint Steering Group
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Senior academic and commercial representatives from both institutions.
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Quarterly strategic review meetings.
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Oversight of performance, quality, and financial outcomes.
5.2 Operational Coordination
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Named partnership leads on both sides.
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Shared reporting dashboards (recruitment, supervision, consultancy).
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Annual partnership review and renewal mechanism.
6. Branding, Marketing, and Communications
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Joint branding guidelines for recruitment and consultancy materials.
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Use of logos subject to prior approval.
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Co-authored thought leadership, webinars, and academic outputs.
7. Compliance, Ethics, and Risk Management
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Alignment with UK QAA expectations and doctoral best practice.
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Ethical research approval processes clearly defined.
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Data protection and confidentiality compliance (UK GDPR).
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Defined escalation and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
8. Term, Review, and Exit
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Initial partnership term (e.g. 3–5 years).
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Annual performance and financial review.
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Clearly defined termination clauses and teach-out arrangements.


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