Teesside University is to provide even more doctoral level training opportunities for early career researchers as part of an innovative new funding stream.
The Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) Programme, led by the University Alliance, has received an award of almost £6m, (6.5 million euros), from the European Union to support the development and international mobility of research talent from around the world.
The funding will support the DTA’s three disciplinary areas across applied biosciences for health, energy and social policy.
It will create more than 80 fellowships at 15 participating institutions, including Teesside University, developing a cohort of early-stage researchers over two intakes.
The university will welcome seven researchers in the first phase, including three in energy, two in health and two in social policy, with a further five researchers joining in phase two.
University Alliance’s successful bid was the only winning British entry in the funding round and is one of eight programmes across Europe to win support.
It scored the highest out of any successful bid in the ‘impact’, ‘excellence’ and ‘quality and efficiency’ judging categories.
The DTA, which is the UK’s largest doctoral training programme of its kind, was launched in 2015 to create a new model closely aligned to the industrial strategy and priority challenges, producing industry-ready graduates.
Professor Simon Hodgson, pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation at Teesside University, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer more PHD research opportunities here at Teesside University.
“The DTA programme aligns closely to our University Research Grand Challenges, reinforcing our commitment to use research as a driving force to address the global challenges of our time and make a real, practical difference to the people and communities we serve.”
University Alliance Chair Professor John Latham said: “This major external funding award is a prestigious a stamp of approval for University Alliance’s Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) model and demonstrates its distinctiveness and strengths.
“The DTA programme responds to the needs of industry and the challenges facing society, training independent, highly-employable researchers with relevant skills and expertise to thrive in strategically important sectors.
“As the DTA – the UK’s largest multi-institution partnership of its kind – goes from strength to strength, it is fantastic that this funding will enable the programme to attract talent from overseas and operate internationally. The opportunities being created will add to UK research and innovation ecosystem and help us stay competitive.”
To find out more about the opportunities available through the DTA programme, visit www.unialliance.ac.uk/dta/cofund/.