£125m to train next generation of bioscientists

Funding of £125m over the next five years is being made available to support the training and development of 1,250 bioscience students.

The funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will train students to lead the next industrial revolution and boost the economy by building on the UK’s strengths in agriculture, food, industrial biotechnology, bioenergy and health.

“The UK punches far beyond its weight in science and innovation globally, which is a credit to our talented scientists and first-class universities,” Business Secretary Vince Cable said at the announcement at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. “This new funding will safeguard Britain’s status as a world leader in life sciences and agricultural technology.”

The funding has been made available to leading universities and scientific institutions – including Imperial College London, the John Innes Centre and Newcastle University – through Doctoral Training Partnerships. These partnerships will provide the best skills and training for PhD students, ensure researchers are trained in areas that will benefit the UK and will develop new industries.

Of the 1,250 students, 30% of students will be trained in agriculture and food security, 20% in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy, 10% in bioscience for health. The remaining 40% will receive mentoring in other world-class frontier bioscience to help fuel future discoveries.

“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 21st century,” said Dr Celia Caulcott, BBSRC Executive Director, Innovation and Skills. “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. The next generation of bioscientists are our future and we must invest in them now.”