Swansea University has been awarded £2.9 million for the EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership 2020-21.
This major investment in doctoral training will enable Swansea University to significantly expand and enhance its support for the next generation of research and industry leaders across engineering and the physical sciences.
The allocation for the EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) 2020-2021, which is determined by Swansea University’s EPSRC income to date, has more than doubled in the last two years. The scale of this investment is a culmination of consistently high quality research outputs and industrial collaborations.
The announcement follows considerable success for Swansea University in attracting EPSRC doctoral training investment totalling £23.2 million, including the new Centres for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Advanced Computing and Enhancing Collaborations and Interactions with Data Driven Systems.
Swansea University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle said:
“We are delighted that our research strengths in Engineering and the Physical Sciences, and thriving postgraduate research community, have been recognised by the EPSRC. This significant investment demonstrates that Swansea University continues to be a serious competitor, not just within the UK but also on the global research stage.
“It will enable us to build new relationships with academic and industry partners, and enhance our existing networks.
“Most importantly, the postgraduate researchers supported by this investment will address the vital research and industry challenges of the future, such as enhancing solar energy power and harnessing AI to predict cancer.”
The investment will support approximately 24 studentships per year for new postgraduate researchers, in and across the boundaries of three disciplines: engineering, science (including mathematics) and medicine.
Swansea University’s facilities, equipment and infrastructure provide a world-class environment for postgraduate researchers, including the £31 million Computational Foundry, the £8 million purpose-built Data Science Building and four cutting-edge engineering facilities geared towards industrial research.
Professor Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, Dean of Postgraduate Research, said:
“Doctoral training is where pioneering research begins, and where the UK forges its future research and industry leaders. This investment represents a true vote of confidence in our continued efforts to develop and enhance our postgraduate research offer and environment.
“We are delighted that the EPSRC DTP 2020-21 will enable us to attract the world’s most talented researchers to start their postgraduate research journey here.”
EPSRC Executive Chair, Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, said:
“Doctoral training is a vital element of the UK’s research and innovation system, providing thousands of people with the skills they need to succeed and deliver benefits for the UK.
“EPSRC’s Doctoral Training Partnerships provide an opportunity for universities to support ideas from outstanding research students, to explore emerging research areas and to support universities’ research priorities.”
