Sheffield Hallam University is joining Universities across Yorkshire in training science researchers of the future as part of a new government-funded regional biosciences partnership.

The School of Biosciences and Chemistry at Sheffield Hallam will be part of the newly created Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (YBDTP), led by University of Leeds.

The collaboration aims to equip bioscientists with the skills to understand living systems from the atomic scale to the whole organism and apply this knowledge to a vibrant bioeconomy in the Yorkshire region.

The new partnership has been made possible through funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), alongside further investment from partner universities and industrial partners.

The funding will allow Sheffield Hallam to support eight new students over the next four years.

Professor David Smith, Head of Research in the School of Biosciences and Chemistry, said: “Being a partner in the YBDTP is an excellent opportunity for us to work alongside other universities in the region as well as industrial partners."

"Through collaborations across Yorkshire, we will be opening our research labs to doctorial research students from a range of different backgrounds focusing on our expertise in the application of advance technologies and the mechanistic analysis of biological systems. Our students will train alongside the rest of the YBDTP cohort and can develop a range of skills and connections that will set them up for a bright future in science.”

The partnership aims to widen participation to Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded doctoral training within Yorkshire and beyond, creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

Thousands of doctoral students will be supported by UK Research and Innovation via two new schemes called doctoral landscape awards and doctoral focal awards. The awards replace the nine different schemes through which UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) currently supports doctoral training.

The investment of more than £500 million will support doctoral students to develop their skills and experience in their respective universities’ areas of strength across the:

• Biological sciences

• Engineering and physical sciences

• Natural and environmental sciences

Marking an important step in UKRI’s transition to a collective talent funding model, the joint BBSRC and NERC Doctoral Landscape Awards will invest £293 million in more than 2,300 studentships at 21 universities across five cohorts.

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, UKRI Chief Executive, said: “UKRI’s investments in Doctoral Training are pivotal for the UK’s research and innovation endeavour."

“The awards provide funding for Universities across the UK to nurture a cadre of creative, talented people to develop their skills and knowledge, to build partnerships and networks, and to pursue the discoveries that will transform tomorrow, with diverse benefits for society and economic growth.”