Published:
Heriot-Watt University has been awarded £2.6m for doctoral training from the UK Government.
The funding is part of a major investment in science and engineering research totaling £184 million to be allocated to 41 universities over two years.
The funds for doctoral training will come from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through its DTPs, and the funds will support students entering training in the academic years beginning October 2018 and October 2019.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Doctoral Training Partnerships have an excellent record of providing universities with funding that supports doctoral students as they undertake ground-breaking research.
“Through our commitment to increasing research and development funding by a further £2.3 billion to 2021/22, we are ensuring that the next generation of engineers and scientists will continue to thrive under our modern and ambitious Industrial Strategy.”
After completing PhDs around 39 per cent of doctoral students go on to be employed in business or public services, 39 per cent go on to work in academia and 22 per cent training or work in other sectors.
Students pursue careers in a wide variety of sectors from Advanced Materials to Healthcare Technologies, Big Data and analytics to Manufacturing, and Energy.
EPSRC's Chief Executive, Professor Philip Nelson, said: “This year we are allocating £184 million to universities via Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). These will cover a two year period, giving institutions certainty and time to plan their DTP programmes, and support excellent doctoral students.
“The DTPs have produced some outstanding examples of new thinking and helped further the careers of a new generation of researchers who will be the leaders of the future.”