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White Rose universities receive renewed funding for next generation of researchers

Posted on 25 October 2019

The White Rose universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield have received around £10 million from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to fund the next generation of UK bioscientists.

The investment will fund 150 four-year PhD studentships over five years of intakes across the universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield, starting in October 2020.

The investment will fund 150 four-year PhD studentships in research on the molecular basis of biological systems and areas including food security, bioenergy and industrial biotechnology.

The funding was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of an announcement focusing on skills in bioscience and Artificial Intelligence.

The PhD places will be offered over five years of intakes across the universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield, starting in October 2020.

Future career directions

During these PhD studentships, each student will also undertake a three-month Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to develop their skills further and to explore possible future career directions.

The programme – called the Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) in "Mechanistic Biology and its Strategic Applications" -- will offer an exceptional range of research experiences to students, allowing them to contribute to a wide variety of world-class bioscience.

Outstanding training

Prof Tom Stoneham, Dean of the Graduate School at the University of York, said: "We are delighted that the BBSRC has awarded a third round of funding to the DTP in Mechanistic Biology and its Strategic Applications.

“The DTP provides outstanding training and professional development opportunities for the next generation of researchers and this award will extend that support and funding to another 150 postgraduate researchers across the three participating universities.

“The York Graduate Research School looks forward to welcoming five future cohorts of DTP students to our vibrant community."

Successful careers

The White Rose DTP will draw on the combined resources of the three universities and partner organisations (including the Research Complex at Harwell, the Rosalind Franklin Institute, and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies) to offer a rich and varied training environment that will equip students for successful and productive careers.

The programme will train researchers undertaking projects in the following core areas: bioscience for sustainable agriculture and food; bioscience for renewable resources and clean growth; advancing frontiers of bioscience discovery.

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