Government announces £350m investment in engineering and science postgraduates

Money will fund new training centres for PhDs

Hundreds of millions of pounds is to be pumped into training postgraduates to work in engineering and science, it has been announced.

Around £350 million of public money is to go towards funding 70 new training centres for students to gain a PhD alongside the work-based skills and knowledge needed in these key industries.

These Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) will be set up at 24 UK universities, according to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which has allocated the money.

It said that the funding has been targeted at the areas which are vital to the UK's future economy.

Science Minister David Willetts said: "Scientists and engineers are vital to our economy and society. It is their talent and imagination, as well as their knowledge and skills, that inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.

"I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race."

EPSRC chair Paul Golby said: "Centres for Doctoral Training have already proved to be a great success and the model is popular with students, business and industry. These new centres will give the country the highly trained scientists and engineers it needs and they will be equipped with skills to move on in their careers. The standard of applications for Centres was very high and more could have been funded if we had the capacity."