{"id":180403,"date":"2025-12-16T09:30:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta-ukri.msappproxy.net\/?post_type=news&#038;p=180403"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:30:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:30:43","slug":"ukri-doctoral-training-investment-set-to-power-uk-growth","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/news\/ukri-doctoral-training-investment-set-to-power-uk-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"UKRI doctoral training investment set to power UK growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>UKRI has announced major investment in two flagship doctoral training initiatives designed to strengthen the UK\u2019s talent pipeline in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>bioscience<\/li>\n<li>biotechnology<\/li>\n<li>artificial intelligence (AI)<\/li>\n<li>data science<\/li>\n<li>engineering biology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a340 million, over 320 studentships<\/h2>\n<p>Together, the Industrial Doctoral Landscape Awards (IDLAs) and Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs) represent more than \u00a340 million of investment, supporting over 320 new PhD studentships across three yearly intakes from 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The initiatives form a coordinated effort to develop world-class research talent in areas central to the UK\u2019s economic growth ambitions and national capability in critical technologies.<\/p>\n<p>They will directly advance UKRI\u2019s mission of advancing knowledge, improving lives and driving growth.<\/p>\n<h2>Industry-led training to power UK sectors<\/h2>\n<p>The 10 IDLA awards will embed doctoral researchers directly within industrial settings, enabling businesses, from multinationals to specialist research institutes, to co-design and co-deliver training with leading universities.<\/p>\n<p>More than 50 research organisations and 100 project partners beyond academia will be involved in delivering these awards.<\/p>\n<p>More than \u00a324 million has been invested by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and over \u00a315 million in direct and in-kind contributions from the successful partnerships.<\/p>\n<h2>Shaping future skills<\/h2>\n<p>The IDLAs will train over 170 doctoral students, giving industry a critical role in shaping future skills and helping address long-term workforce needs in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>pharmaceutical science: enabling data-centred drug discovery and advanced biomanufacturing with partners such as GSK and AstraZeneca<\/li>\n<li>food and drink innovation: supporting the UK\u2019s largest manufacturing sector through a consortium involving Nestl\u00e9<\/li>\n<li>sustainable agriculture and crop science: improving food security and resilience, working with partners including the Scotch Whisky Research Institute and GB Potatoes<\/li>\n<li>industrial biotechnology and clean growth: developing scalable bioprocesses, circular bioeconomy solutions and wastewater biotechnology with partners including UK Water Industry Research, Babraham Research Campus and BASF<\/li>\n<li>consumer health and products: transforming sustainable product design and innovation through partnerships with Haleon, Procter &amp; Gamble and Unilever<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each programme is designed to accelerate innovation, support high-value UK industries and generate skilled jobs across the country.<\/p>\n<h2>Building national capability<\/h2>\n<p>Alongside the IDLAs, UKRI is investing in eight DFAs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>three in AI and data in the biosciences<\/li>\n<li>five in engineering biology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Totalling more than \u00a317 million, the DFAs will support over 150 students.<\/p>\n<p>The DFAs will be funded by BBSRC with co-investment from:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)<\/li>\n<li>Medical Research Council (MRC)<\/li>\n<li>Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>AI, data science and engineering biology<\/h2>\n<p>They will train the next generation of researchers with advanced computational, quantitative and engineering-led skills that are central to the UK\u2019s long-term leadership in critical technologies.<\/p>\n<p>Key areas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>AI-enabled bioscience and data-driven innovation: leveraging AI, machine learning and multi-modal data to transform spatial biology, enzyme engineering and bioscience discovery<\/li>\n<li>engineering biology for a sustainable, competitive economy: training researchers in bioinspired design, programmable biological systems, scalable biomanufacturing and clean growth applications<\/li>\n<li>plant and environmental engineering biology: developing engineered plant systems, environmental monitoring biotechnologies and green production pathways in line with the National Engineering Biology Programme<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>DFAs span more than 25 research institutions across the UK, ensuring nationwide coverage and strengthening local and national innovation clusters.<\/p>\n<p>With over 100 project partners, these awards will continue to support innovation beyond academia, allowing students to engage in real world applications of their research.<\/p>\n<h2>Driving innovation, productivity and economic growth<\/h2>\n<p>By placing doctoral researchers at the interface of academia and industry, these investments will strengthen the skills, capability and innovation capacity needed for a globally competitive, high-growth UK economy.<\/p>\n<p>Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Through these investments, UKRI is strengthening the UK\u2019s leadership in critical technologies while creating meaningful opportunities for businesses, researchers and regions across the country.<\/p>\n<p>The IDLAs and DFAs will equip a new generation of talented researchers with the skills to drive innovation, support high-growth sectors and improve lives.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":180401,"template":"","categories":[49,50,53,54],"tags":[],"wf_news_folders":[],"class_list":["post-180403","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bbsrc","category-epsrc","category-mrc","category-nerc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/180403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/180403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180404,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/180403\/revisions\/180404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180403"},{"taxonomy":"wf_news_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_news_folders?post=180403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}