22.11.13
Science centre partnerships to boost research
Investment of £350m for 70 new centres for doctoral training has been announced to train over 3,500 postgraduates in engineering and science.
The centres are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and will involve a total of 1,000 partners, including universities, industry and business.
Priority will be given to aerospace, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and high-value manufacturing, with the aim to ensure long-term pre-competitive research in these areas and deliver academic excellence as well as driving economic and societal success.
The centres include Imperial College London, UCL, and Bristol University, Cambridge and Oxford and will be funded for four years.
University minister David Willetts said: “Scientists and engineers are vital to our economy and society. It is their talent and imagination, as well as their knowledge and skills, that inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.
“I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”
Paul Golby, EPSRC’s chair, said: “Centres for Doctoral Training have already proved to be a great success and the model is popular with students, business and industry. These new centres will give the country the highly trained scientists and engineers it needs and they will be equipped with skills to move on in their careers. The standard of applications for Centres was very high and more could have been funded if we had the capacity.”
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