UK to invest £250 million in training PhD scientists to work in industry

David Delpy: the focus will be on priority themes for the UK.

The Centres for Doctoral Training will put the focus on industrial research, aiming to equip students with the business skills to turn ideas into products and services.

Dave Delpy, Chief Executive of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which will run the centres, said, “Centres for Doctoral Training expand our existing training portfolio, focus on priority themes for the UK, emerging and multidisciplinary research, and greater collaboration with business.”

Jeremy Watson, global director of research at the civil engineering company Arup, said, “Businesses like Arup need a good supply of highly-qualified scientists with the right skills to further innovation in the design of sustainable towns, cities and the wider environment. They need to understand how business works and also be able to turn their best ideas into a successful business proposition.”

Arup is a partner on one of the new centres which aims to create zero-carbon buildings. It will be based at the University of Reading and will reduce carbon emissions in construction, integrate zero-carbon energy sources, such as solar cells and combined heat and power systems, with demand reduction tools including smart meters and consumption feedback devices.

This approach to training has been piloted by EPSRC through a small number of Engineering Doctorate Centres and Doctoral Training Centres in Complexity Science, Systems Biology and Life Sciences Interface. This new investment builds on the success of these.

Students in the centres will receive a formal programme of taught coursework to develop and enhance their interdisciplinary knowledge and broaden their skills. Alongside this they will undertake an original research project at PhD level.