Queen Mary University of London is part of a group of London-based institutions awarded £15m to train bioscience PhD students as part of a £125m nationwide campaign to support the training and development of PhD students tackling some of the world’s major challenges.
The London Interdisciplinary Biosciences PhD Consortium, led by UCL (University College London) and including QMUL, is receiving the £15m funding as part of the Doctoral Training Partnerships programme.
It will support 30 PhD students in the areas of agriculture and food security, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy, health and other biosciences.
The programme is intended to help boost the UK economy by finding solutions for key global issues such as how to produce more food using less water, land, energy and other resources, using biotechnology to provide renewal energy, and research into ageing so that we can remain healthy for longer.
The announcement of the funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council came from Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills.
Professor Matthew Evans, Head of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at QMUL, said “We’re delighted to be a part of this partnership and to continue to develop London as a leading location for innovation in bioscience.
"Biosciences can not only solve some of the major challenges for this century and beyond but the work of the researchers who receive this funding will also create new industries and new jobs that will strengthen the UK’s position in the world economy.”
Announcing the funding Business Secretary Vince Cable, said “The UK punches far beyond its weight in science and innovation globally, which is a credit to our talented scientists and first-class universities. This new funding will safeguard Britain’s status as a world leader in life sciences and agricultural technology.”
Dr Celia Caulcott, Executive Director, Innovation and Skills at BBSRC, said, ”Bioscience is having a massive impact on many aspects of our lives. BBSRC is paving the way for an explosion in new economic sectors and bioscience that will change the way we live our lives in the twenty-first century.
"To achieve this we need to maintain our leading position in global bioscience by ensuring that the next generation of scientists have the best training and skills. This next generation of scientists are our future and we must invest in them now.”
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