£125m funding for UK bioscience
3 Oct 2014
Funding boost will help support the training and development of 1,250 PhD students within the UK life sciences sector.
Business secretary Vince Cable has today announced an £125 million fund, via the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), to help support PhD students at 12 research parks and universities across the UK.
“This new funding will safeguard Britain’s status as a world leader in life sciences and agricultural technology,” Cable said while announcing the investment at The Roslin Institute, which forms part of the University of Edinburgh.
“The next generation of bioscientists are our future and we must invest in them now
BBSRC executive director Celia Caulcott
The funding will be used to train students in ’world-class’ bioscience to lead the next industrial revolution and boost the economy by building on UK strengths in agriculture, food, industrial biotechnology, bioenergy and health, a BBSRC statement said.
Of the 1,250 PhD students to be assisted via today’s funding announcement, 30% will be trained in agriculture and food security, 20% in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy, 10% in bioscience for health, and the remaining 40% in other world-class frontier bioscience to help fuel future discoveries.
“The next generation of bioscientists are our future and we must invest in them now,” said Celia Caulcott, BBSRC executive director, innovation and skills.
The Norwich Research Park is one of the 12 institutions earmarked for investment, and is set to receive £12.5 million of the allocated funding.
Its allocation, alongside £3 million from the Park’s five partners - The John Innes Centre (JIC), The Sainsbury Laboratory, The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC), The Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia (UEA) - will help fund 156 PhD students through the Norwich Research Park Doctoral Training Partnership over the next five years.
Dale Sanders, director of the JIC and lead partner in Norwich Research Park’s bid, said: “JIC has a long track record of training outstanding graduate students in the life sciences, and this award from BBSRC will continue to enhance the graduate environment through synergistic interactions with UEA and our sister research institutes on Norwich Research Park.”
A breakdown of the funding allocation can be seen in the image above.
