The GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award, supported by a £90 million investment from the Medical Research Council (MRC), will fund more than 200 researchers a year through 14 MRC Doctoral Landscape Awards at universities across all four nations of the UK, for the next three years.

Partnering with fellow GW4 Alliance universities, Bath, Bristol, and Exeter, Cardiff University’s GW4 BioMed MRC Doctoral Landscape Award will support 18 studentships per year for three years, covering the breadth of biomedical science from discovery to early translation, funded by the Doctoral Landscape Award.

Dr Julien Licchesi, Department of Life Sciences, and Dr Katerine Button, Department of Psychology, are the University of Bath Co-Leads and primary points of contact for GW4 BioMed PhD students based at Bath.

They will support academic progression through the GW4 BioMed MRC DTP Student Progression Subcommittee and help foster the student community through networking activities.

As members of the Management Board, they also represented Bath’s interests and contributed to the development of the successful GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award bid, led by Cardiff University. Dr Licchesi said:

This award is a testament to the excellence of doctoral research training delivered by the GW4 Alliance since the launch of the first GW4 MRC BioMed programme in 2016. As a supervisor and academic co-lead, it has been a privilege not only to work with the outstanding students recruited through this programme, but also to witness their growth and development into the next generation of biomedical research leaders. Their achievements reflect the strength of the training environment and collaborative ethos that underpin the GW4 partnership.

In addition to being Bath Co-Lead, Dr Button is also the Reproducibility and Integrity Lead for the Doctoral Training Programme (DTP), supporting a strong research culture at Bath. In this role, she helps ensure that principles of rigorous, reproducible and trustworthy research are embedded across the DTP, including researcher development and training activities. Dr Button said:

This award is a fantastic endorsement of the collaborative approach that underpins the GW4 BioMed partnership. By working across institutions, disciplines and sectors, we can offer doctoral researchers outstanding training opportunities while addressing some of the most pressing challenges in biomedical and health research.

The programme also provides an important opportunity to equip the next generation of researchers with the skills and values needed to deliver rigorous, reproducible and trustworthy research. We are proud that the University of Bath will continue to contribute to this mission through the GW4 partnership.

As part of their PhDs, researchers will work with businesses, NHS organisations, charities and public sector partners through placements, collaborative projects and specialist training. These experiences will give them first-hand insight into how research is carried out in different settings and prepare them for a range of careers in the UK and globally.

Professor Emma Kidd, GW4 BioMed3 Director, said:

We are absolutely delighted that the MRC are funding the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Awards. It builds on the hugely successful 10-year collaboration of the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter in training and developing PGR students. Our innovative new student-centred programme will have 17 external project partners to help us train, support and develop globally competitive graduates.

Melanie Knetsch, Director of GW4, said:

The GW4 Alliance showcases the power of collaboration, bringing together the complementary strengths of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to create exceptional opportunities for researchers. We are proud to see continued investment in the GW4 BioMed partnership, reflecting the strength of our collaborative approach to doctoral training.

The GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award partnership will train postgraduate research students in four main areas - neuroscience and mental health, infection, immunity and antimicrobial resistance, cardiometabolic disease, and population health sciences. The first researchers to be supported through the awards are already being recruited, ahead of starting their PhDs in October 2027.