Following another successful year of the Geographic Data Service (GeoDS) Masters Dissertation Scheme, we are now inviting proposals from businesses for new projects scheduled to commence in spring 2026.
We aim to open the application process for Masters students in January 2026, encouraging applications from a broad spectrum of disciplines and institutions across the UK, including Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Geography, and Business Analytics. The application process will be facilitated through the Geographic Data Science website, and we encourage you to select successful applicants in early 2025.
Benefits of Participation
Participating in the GeoDS Masters Dissertation Scheme presents an excellent opportunity for your organisation to:
- Address Major Current Issues: Engage with topics such as multi-channel marketing, customer insights, store networks, transportation, surveys, social media analysis, brand insights, predictive modelling, and more.
- Advance Pending Projects: Make progress on initiatives that you have considered but lacked the resources to pursue.
- Leverage Data Assets: Utilise your own data and maximise the value of open data or academic sector data.
- Explore Innovative Techniques: Trial new and novel data analysis methods with the expertise of Master’s students.
- Enhance Recruitment: Publicise your company’s interest in students with data skills, potentially identifying future talent.
Key Features of the Scheme
Our experience over the past ten years highlights the main features of this initiative:
- Collaborative Engagement: Typically, business supervisors and their students typically liaise once every two weeks during the research phase, through meetings, video calls, telephone conversations, or email exchanges. Contact hours can be tailored to suit individual cases; some partners have preferred their students to work from their offices during the summer.
- Modest Sponsorship: We request that each supervisor provides a sponsorship of £750 for the student, along with necessary travel expenses, to be paid upon successful project completion.
- Recognition and Networking: GeoDS will fund three student prizes, which will be presented at our data partner conference in October to which all participants in the scheme are invited.
Timeline
The following timeline is a guide to how the process runs each year.
January: Projects advertised
January to April: Student application process open; successful students may be required to attend interviews
May to August: Research undertaken at the student’s university or on-site with the industry sponsor
September: Dissertations submitted
October: Participants invited to an academic conference where prizes are awarded
Previous Sponsors Include:
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Boots, E.ON, Centrica, Whitbread, Barbour ABI, Camelot, Barclays, Virgin Media, Dixons Retail, Experian, EasyJet, AXA PPP Healthcare, Argos, Local Data Company, Shop Direct, Knight Frank, Zoopla, and others.
How to Participate
If you are interested in participating in the programme in 2026, please register your interest by emailing projects@geods.ac.uk. There will be an opportunity to update proposed projects later this year, and we welcome all enquiries.
To participate, please
- Register Your Interest: Contact us at projects@geods.ac.uk.
- Review Applications: Review selected applications forwarded by the GeoDS and select an appropriate candidate (February–March).
- Provide Supervision: Be available for occasional supervisory meetings over the summer — the contact hours and work schedule can be agreed upon with the student prior to the research phase (May–September).
- Offer Sponsorship: Provide the student with £750 (and reasonable travel expenses) following successful project completion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any fees?
We only ask each participating organisation to pay their student £750 upon successful project completion. We also ask each organisation to pay reasonable travel expenses to the student if applicable.
When does the research take place?
The specific course timelines vary by institution, but the students usually work on their dissertations from May until September. Students will be invited to submit a PDF copy of their dissertation to the GeoDS and to their industry partner in early December.
Where does the research take place?
Students usually carry out the research at their own institution but may be required to attend occasional supervisory meetings at their industry partners’ offices. However, it is also possible to invite the student to work from the industry partners’ office.
Are there guidelines for appropriate research topics?
Topics should consider consumers (or the population) or data generated by B2C transactions. Project proposals are usually problem focused and relatively open ended to allow the student to devise their own research questions at the start of the research phase. All topics should be sufficiently critical to enable to the student to produce original academic research. The project proposals will be checked by the GeoDS first and the students also have the support of their dissertation supervisors at their institutions.
The application process is open to students of all disciplines. However, it is generally popular with students with geography (GIS), computer science, economics, data science or business analytics backgrounds. The scheme is an invaluable opportunity for students to apply their data skills to real-world problems.
If you cannot think of a topic but would like to discuss opportunities please do not hesitate to contact us at projects@geods.ac.uk.
Do the projects need to use our data?
The GeoDS Masters Dissertation Scheme is an invaluable opportunity for Masters students to gain experience working with commercial datasets. If you are providing data for the student(s) please ensure steps have been made to ensure the data can be accessed by the end of April. If your data can only be accessed from your offices, please ensure this is made clear in your project proposal form. Alternatively, your data can be held within the GeoDS Trusted Research Environment in London under a bespoke licence through which only the student(s) working on your project are granted access.
Your projects may consider open data or academic sector data instead if data access is feasible. However, it is possible that the student may not be able to share safeguarded data with external partners beyond the findings described in their paper. If you would be interested in having a project which uses GeoDS data, please contact us prior to submitting a proposal form so we can ensure data access is feasible.
These links may be useful:
Geographic Data Service – https://data.geods.ac.uk/ (students may be able to acquire access to Safeguarded data)
ONS published data – https://www.ons.gov.uk/releasecalendar
Unpublished data available via the UK Data Service – https://discover.ukdataservice.ac.uk/ (students may be able to acquire End User Licence agreements)
Are the students from GeoDS universities only?
No, students from all UK based institutions are eligible to apply. Since 2012, students from 17 different universities have participated.
Can we promote our projects ourselves?
Yes, if you have existing relationships with universities, you are welcome to use them to promote your summer projects. The GeoDS will also be promoting the scheme to students from academic institutions from 28th January until early March.
What skills do the students have?
Students will apply from various different disciplines including Geography (GIS), Computer Science, Business and Economics. Their applications should inform you what software packages or relevant methodological techniques they are familiar with. Your project proposal is an opportunity to advertise what soft/hard skills you are looking for in a candidate.
Will support be offered?
The student will have an academic supervisor from their own institution. They will provide the student with guidance on research direction and methods. However, you are also welcome to provide support in-house but do be considerate of the requirements set by their institutions.
Can public institutions sponsor a student?
Yes, we also welcome projects from the public sector. A handful of GeoDS students have been sponsored by local authorities in previous years of the scheme.