Cardiff University to share in £18.5m biosciences boost

Cardiff University is to share in £18.5m funding for postgraduate research training in biosciences.

The University has secured funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - part of UK Research and Innovation - for a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).

The partnership will offer fully-funded, four-year PhD studentships and a training programme in three areas, including frontier bioscience (which is pioneering, innovative and creative research), sustainable agriculture and food and bioscience for health.

Starting next year, five groups of students will receive interdisciplinary training in statistics, bioinformatics, coding, experimental design, innovation and understanding research impact.

Students will also do a three-month Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to develop their skills further and to explore possible future career directions.

The partnership, which is led by Bristol University together with the Universities of Bath, Cardiff and Exeter (the GW4 Alliance), alongside Rothamsted Research, has recently expanded to include six new regional associate partners that will provide access to expertise and facilities across the South West and Wales. These encompass, the Marine Biological Association (MBA), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), Swansea University, SetSquared Bristol, UCB Pharma and the University of the West of England (UWE).

The DTP’s Cardiff lead, Professor Rob Honey, said: “We are delighted that our application for a BBSRC DTP has been funded.

“It builds on the success of our previous BBSRC DTP, SWBio, which has encouraged collaboration across the GW4 core institutions and Rothamsted Research.”

Professor Leo Brady, Director of the SWBio DTP and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, said: “This is fantastic news for future students wanting to work at the cutting edge of biology and biotechnology and train in the world-class research environment offered within the South West and Wales. It is also a massive vote of confidence in the sector-leading bioscience departments within our institutions.”

The £170m funding was revealed in October by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The BBCSRC is part of UK Research and Innovation, the national funding agency that works with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and the government to invest in science and research in the UK.

Further details about the BBSRC SWBio DTP and studentships available can be found by visiting South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership.