Mynediad i Raglenni Meistr
Access To Masters (ATM)
Access to Masters (ATM) FAQs
What is ATM?
The Access to Masters (ATM) programme supports collaborations between Aberystwyth University
and organisations in the Convergence Area of Wales, through postgraduate projects that are part of
taught Masters degrees.
Access to Masters aims to increase the skills level of the work force in the Welsh economy and to
ensure that postgraduate training is geared towards the needs of business.
ATM presents an opportunity for postgraduate students to undertake a project with a local business,
which is tailored to meet the interests of the organisation.
Partner organisations will benefit from the research during the project period and the Masters level
training that each ATM student receives.
Providing a cost effective introduction to collaborating with an academic department, Aberystwyth
University has a range of ATM project opportunities available in 2014/15.
What is the Convergence Region of Wales?
The Convergence region shown on the map below and is made up of the following unitary
authorities in Wales:
Anglesey
Gwynedd
Conwy
Denbighshire
Ceredigion
Carmarthenshire
Pembrokeshire
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Swansea
Neath Port Talbot
Bridgend
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Caerphilly
Torfaen
Mynediad i Raglenni Meistr
Access To Masters (ATM)
What are the Welsh Government’s (WG) priority sectors?
The WG Department of the Economy and Transport have agreed to focus economic support on eight
priority sectors:
 Energy and Environment
 Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
 Creative Industries
 Financial and Professional Services
 Life Sciences
 Digital Economy (ICT)
 Construction
 Tourism
ATM aims to Increase the provision of Masters educated graduates in these sectors so that it is
aligned with DE&T support.
What is the project?
A project is a 1 month (on average) placement with the company and a project carried out in
conjunction with the company which is normally the student’s dissertation.
The dissertation project should be defined jointly between the University Department, the Company
and sometimes the Student so that it is of direct relevance to the business and the Student knows
what will be required. This is defined prior to the student starting the Masters course.
Benefits
What are the benefits of ATM for the Student?
The Student benefits from a fees paid place on a taught Masters course plus a stipend of £5,866 per
annum (for 2014/15). During the Project, undertaken alongside the partner company, there is a
small budget for equipment and consumables and travel.
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Access To Masters (ATM)
What are the benefits of ATM for University Departments?
The University Departments will benefit through additional taught Masters Students which creates a
larger pool of students available to apply for PhD’s within the department. Allocation of resources to
Departments will be made through RAS based on the number of registered students.
In addition to this, forging successful links with local companies could lead to future collaborations
and research projects.
What are the benefits of ATM for the Company?
The Company Partner, in conjunction with a University academic, defines the project scope and it
will therefore address real world problems that the Company faces. Solutions to these problems may
help to increase a Company Partner’s competitiveness. For the duration of the project the Company
will have access to a highly skilled individual.
ATM provides a cost effective way to build a research driven culture in an organisation and helps to
forge academic links with a University Department via the Masters project. This could lead to an
ongoing research relationship with the Department and to further collaborations.
Eligibility
Who can apply?
Students who apply must have an address in the Convergence Region of Wales on application, at
least a 2:1 honours first degree, be willing to seek employment and have the right to work in the
Convergence Region after completing their degree.
What companies can host an ATM project?
All Company Partners must have an operational base within the Convergence Region. The main
focus will be on Micro and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) (up to 250 employees), but
applications will also be considered from large enterprises (greater than 250 employees). There is a
very limited amount of Third sector organisations (i.e. Charities, Not-for-profit Organisations and
Social Enterprises) and Public Sector Bodies.
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Access To Masters (ATM)
Responsibilities
What are the responsibilities of Company Partners?
The company partners do not contribute cash to the project. However, they are required to make an
in-kind contribution to the value of £1000 of company staff time during the student placement
and/or in supervision of the student dissertation. In order to calculate the in-kind we require
timesheets and payroll documentation. If however the company would rather pay instead of
completing timesheets and providing payroll documentation then they can do this, or even a
mixture of both. The company will have to sign an agreement to commit to the project prior to the
start of the Masters.
What are the responsibilities of students?
The student must sign an agreement with the University; the agreement commits the student to a
placement or a dissertation project within the partner company during the Masters. Students must
pass the examinations at the end of the taught elements of the course in order to be eligible for
continued funding.
In order to be eligible for continued funding the Student must complete monthly timesheets.
What are the responsibilities of the department?
Academics teaching on the Masters Programme will be required to complete timesheets so that the
University’s contribution can be audited.
If the student undertakes a dissertation in conjunction with the Company partner then the
department must ensure that its intellectual content is sufficient to be submitted for a Taught
Masters degree and is feasible.
Who will own any Intellectual Property (IP) arising from a project?
Any Intellectual Property (IP) arising out of the project will be owned by the University, as this is a
requirement of WEFO funding. The University agrees to give the company the first option to
negotiate an exclusive or non-exclusive licence to the IP based on fair and reasonable commercial
terms. The project results will be freely available to the Company for the duration of the project.
When is the next deadline for Project proposal and student applications?
The deadline for project proposal applications (academic/ business) - Friday 6th June 2014.
The deadline for student applications - Friday 6th June 2014.
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Access To Masters (ATM)
Further information:
www.aber.ac.uk/atm
ATM contact details.
Email: access@aber.ac.uk
Telephone: 01970 621856
Mail: ATM Project Officer, Research, Business & Innovation
Aberystwyth University, Visualisation Centre
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3BF
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