University receives major investment to support next generation of bioscience researchers

In partnership with the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool has been awarded a major new Doctoral Landscape Award from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to fund PhD training in the biosciences.

The NorthWest Doctoral Programme in Biosciences (NWD) unites the strengths of the two Universities to train a diverse community of motivated, inquisitive bioscientists for tomorrow’s workforce.

Alongside the partnership between the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, NWD is also in collaboration with industrial partners Boots No7, Unilever, Waters, and Bionow, who will all provide training and research opportunities.

NWD will centre on four scientific and cross-cutting themes that bring together the complementary strengths of Manchester and Liverpool in areas critical to the UK scientific, societal and economic landscape: Discovery Bioscience, Agrifood & Sustainable Systems, Engineering Biology & Industrial Biotechnology, and Advanced Tools and Technology.

NWD will offer PhD students a strong sense of community and team-led research, face-to-face training - including mandatory training in digital/AI skills - networking events and individualised training plans.

The programme also recognises that many biosciences doctoral graduates pursue careers beyond research. To aid students looking at careers elsewhere, the NWD will be underpinned by innovative PhD-to-workforce programmes - PhD-PROSPER and BIOBRIDGE – which will empower PhD students to plan, develop, and pursue future careers across diverse sectors.

Professor Peter McCormick from the University of Liverpool said: "We are delighted to win this award in conjunction with our partners at the University of Manchester. Together we build on our tradition in the North West of England in training world class researchers in the biosciences arena. The proximity of our partnership allows the students to take advantage of both our facilities and will enhance the cohort community."

Rasmus Petersen, Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and academic lead for NWD said: "I am delighted that the BBSRC has made this award to our new Doctoral Training Programme: an innovative new partnership between the University of Manchester and University of Liverpool, in collaboration with industry and charity partners.

"Our vision is to create a vibrant and immersive doctoral training environment that will deliver excellent training experience in discovery and applied bioscience research, where PhD students from all backgrounds are at the heart of scientific discovery, in a supportive and thriving research environment."

As NWD is committed to accelerating equality of access and opportunity, the University will work in partnership with social mobility charity In2Science^UK to engage and create opportunities for those currently underrepresented in UK doctoral training. This will include a significant institutional investment into Widening Participation Masters bursaries.

Doctoral Landscape Awards are funded by UK Research and Innovation, who are investing more than £500 million across universities to support doctoral training.

For more information or to register interest in the programme, click here.