Innovation focus for PhD training centres
Three training centres are to equip PhD students with skills to tackle key challenges in engineering and the physical sciences.
The centres will train doctoral students to carry out innovative research in subjects including quantum engineering, robotics and offshore renewables.
They are among seventy five Centres for Doctoral Training announced by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of a £446 million investment in UK research skills.
Industry partners working with the centres will contribute a further £386m of funding or in-kind support.
Training programmes
The centres will bring together diverse areas of expertise to train PhD students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle today’s evolving issues, and future challenges.
Four-year programmes at each centre will include training in technical and transferrable skills, as well as research.
Offshore renewables
Among the centres announced is the EPSRC Industrial CDT in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE), which is to receive £8m.
The centre aims to create the next generation of leaders in the British energy sector, and train them to fully integrate offshore renewables into low-carbon energy systems of the future.
The programme will be delivered by academics from Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, the Universities of Exeter and Strathclyde and the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences.
Maths centre
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Mathematical Modelling, Analysis and Computation (MAC-MIGS) will be led by Edinburgh mathematicians and researchers from Heriot-Watt University.
The new £6m centre will focus on the development and use of state-of-the-art mathematical and computational models and methods.
Work at the centre will involve collaborations with more than 30 partners, including the University’s high-performance computing facility, EPCC.
Robotics training
The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics will receive £18m to expand its successful EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CDT-RAS).
The centre, which is run by the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, will train 90 PhD students over the next eight years.
Research will focus on safety and safe interaction between robots, people and their environments.
The UK’s research base makes the discoveries that lead to innovations and these can improve lives and generate income for the UK. These centres have already attracted the world’s brightest minds and industry support to address the scientific and engineering challenges we face.