New PhD training programme for biomedical researchers launched
A new programme enabling PhD students to gain experience across academia, healthcare and industry has been launched at Birkbeck and UCL.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded Birkbeck and UCL part of a £90 million investment, shared between 14 MRC Doctoral Landscape Awards (DLA) at universities across the country.
The UCL-Birkbeck MRC Doctoral Landscape Award aims to train the next generation of biomedical researchers, equipping them to address major health challenges, drive innovation and improve patient outcomes.
Birkbeck and UCL have been awarded funding for 20 studentships per year for the next three years (60 studentships altogether), including five each year involving close collaboration with industrial partners.
Drawing on the complementary strengths of Birkbeck and UCL, the programme will provide scientific training across five areas: fundamental disease mechanisms, experimental and translational medicine, neuroscience and mental health, health of the public, and computational medicine.
Building on the success of the existing UCL-Birkbeck MRC Doctoral Training Programme, which has now been running for 10 years, students will work with world-class research groups and undertake projects that span basic discovery science, clinical science and public health.
Rick Cooper, Executive Dean of the Faculty and Science and Professor of Cognitive Science at Birkbeck, said: “We’re delighted to have received this Doctoral Landscape Award from the MRC. This investment is testament to the strength, scientific excellence, and societal value of both the ongoing health-related research within Birkbeck and the long-standing collaboration in the biomedical sciences between Birkbeck and UCL. Previous MRC doctoral training funds have supported research students in the biological and psychological sciences. The current award has the potential to extend this to computational medicine and biomedical humanities, and we are honoured to be one of select few institutions the MRC has chosen to make this investment in the future of health research within the UK.”
The first students on the DLA will start in September 2027. They will receive interdisciplinary training in advanced research methods, digital and computational skills, including artificial intelligence, enabling them to work confidently with complex biomedical data and contribute to discovery and innovation.
A core objective of the programme is to prepare researchers who can translate scientific discoveries into real-world applications. Through placements, co-supervised projects and engagement with industry R&D, students will learn how scientific discoveries are developed into treatments, products and public-health interventions.
Dr Joanna Robinson, Director of Research Talent, Skills and Careers at MRC, said: “Medical research depends on talented people. These awards will support doctoral researchers to develop deep scientific expertise alongside the broader capabilities needed for successful and rewarding careers across research, healthcare, industry and policy. By investing in researchers at the start of their careers, we are helping to strengthen the UK’s medical research workforce and enable discoveries that improve lives.”