Overview
Step outside your research comfort zone and join an immersive research sandpit that challenges you to think differently, collaborate broadly, and tackle a real-world materials science research challenge.
Date: 18-19th November 2026
Format: In-person
Location: Henry Royce Institute, Royce Hub Building, University of Manchester
Cost: Free to attend
The Royce PhD Student Research Sandpit is a two-day, in-person event where PhD students from different materials science and engineering backgrounds work together to respond to an industry-led Grand Challenge. Drawing on sandpit approaches used by EPSRC, the event combines structured creativity, rapid idea development, and cross-disciplinary discussion to help participants move from understanding a complex challenge to developing and pitching an early-stage research proposal.
The Grand Challenge will be revealed at the start of the event, giving all participants the same starting point and encouraging open, impartial discussion. From there, students will work with expert mentors and facilitators to explore the challenge from multiple perspectives, including technical, societal, and policy dimensions. Participants will consider how scientific understanding, engineering approaches, and broader contextual factors such as sustainability, ethics, and regulation can be applied to real-world problems. They will identify possible research directions, develop practical and innovative solutions, and shape their ideas into a proposal that integrates technical insight with wider societal impact and strategic thinking.
Unlike many training workshops, the sandpit is centred on how teams form, think, and work together under time-limited conditions. Participants will join newly formed, multidisciplinary teams and move through a structured process of problem-framing, idea generation, challenge-testing, and proposal development. The team dynamic is central to the experience, supporting participants to combine different perspectives and prepare a final pitch for a panel of academic, industry, and subject-matter experts.
Previous sandpits have been run in collaboration with materials science researchers, the National Physical Laboratory, Johnson Matthey, Saint-Gobain UK, and The Vita Group, focusing on the circular economy, carbon reduction, and sustainable manufacturing.
Read more about a previous Royce PhD Research Sandpit event: Royce PhD Research Sandpit gives insight into ideas generation for sustainability in building materials innovation, Students Find Success at Royce PhD Research Sandpit, and Doctoral Students Engage with Metrology and Materials at Royce Student Sandpit
What to Expect
The sandpit is intended to be a supportive, but fast-paced, environment where participants will:
- Learn how to work in small groups and build strong working relationships
- Collaborate in an interdisciplinary team to respond to an industry-led Grand Challenge
- Apply structured creativity tools to develop and refine a proposal
- Present to a panel of academic, industry and subject-matter experts
- Pitch a research proposal based on innovation, feasibility, and impact
Royce will provide two nights’ accommodation on 17-18 November for participants from outside Greater Manchester. A welcome dinner on the 17 November and catering throughout the event will be provided.
Who Should Apply?
This opportunity is open to materials science PhD students currently enrolled at a UK university. The sandpit is particularly suited to students in the second or third year of their PhD who are ready to explore how their research skills can be applied beyond their immediate project.
We welcome applicants from a broad range of disciplines connected to materials science, including chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and interdisciplinary research areas. You do not need prior experience of sandpit-style working. What matters most is a willingness to collaborate with others, engage with unfamiliar ideas, and contribute to the development of creative research proposals in response to a shared challenge.
We are especially keen to hear from students who would like to develop their confidence in:
- Exploring new ways of thinking
- Collaborating beyond their own discipline
- Engaging with complex, evolving challenges
- Contributing to creative, cross-disciplinary research ideas
Why Apply?
By taking part, you will:
- Gain first-hand experience of how research challenges are framed in industry
- Develop skills in rapid ideation, collaboration, and problem-solving
- Build confidence working in multidisciplinary teams
- Expand your professional network across institutions and disciplines
- Contribute to a creative process designed to generate impactful research ideas
- Strengthen your CV with a unique training experience showcasing real-world problem-solving.
How to Apply
Complete the online application form.
Participants will be selected to create a diverse cohort of students from across disciplines, institutions, and levels of experience, that will align with the collaborative nature of the sandpit.
Deadline: 12:00, Monday 21st September 2026
Notification: Successful applicants will be notified by 14:00 on Wednesday 30th September 2026
Cost: Free
Have any questions?
If you would like to discuss whether the sandpit is right for you, please get in touch with the Royce Student Engagement team at: engagement@royce.ac.uk
November 19 2026
