UKRI BBSRC announces continued support to EastBio Doctoral Training Partnership

Since its inception in 2012, EastBio has worked collaboratively and transparently to award over 600 studentships and has delivered over 400 days of training across our research, professional and cohort-building strands. EastBio has now been awarded 19 BBSRC-funded studentships per year through UKRI’s Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) for a guaranteed further three cohorts of PhD studentships. The successful EastBio co-funding model and investments from partner institutions means that approximately 38 studentships will be awarded each year, 4 of which will be based in the School of Life Sciences.  

One major feature of the DLA is the focus on collaborative partnerships between academic labs and industrial partners. At least 25% of all EastBio projects will be CASE studentships, offering early career scientists the opportunity to do their research with company support and on-site training.  

The partnership involves lead institution The University of Edinburgh plus the University of St Andrews, the University of Dundee, Stirling University, the University of Aberdeen, SRUC, the James Hutton Institute, Moredun Research Institute, SULSA, IBioIC and Cool Farm Alliance. The first intake of this new grant cycle will start their research in October 2025. 

Professor Gerben van Ooijen, EastBio Director said on behalf of the EastBio Management Group, “This fantastic news means that EastBio will continue to make significant contributions to research, industrial and societal challenges across Scotland, the UK and beyond. We will work tirelessly to equip our graduates with the skills, breadth of vision, values, and ambition that is necessary to help foster continued growth and advancement in line with young researchers’ professional aspirations and goals. 

“The continued funding support for EastBio recognises our partnership’s vision, encompassing capacity-building in all strategic areas of the BBSRC remit, intense multi-partner and stakeholder engagement, equitable recruitment, a focus on cohort-building and career preparedness, and a fair and empowering research culture. We are incredibly excited to expand our activities to cultivate opportunities for collaboration across partners and industry, further develop training opportunities in a collegial, co-creative and inclusive manner, and embed sustainability and EDI principles across our programme and governance model. 

“Our thanks go out to all who have contributed to our success, now and at any time since 2012!” 

Dr Edgar Huitema, Academic Lead for EastBio at the University of Dundee said, “Since its inception in 2012, the EastBio partnership has grown and evolved into a premier Doctoral Training Partnership. The DLA award is the direct result of development and sharing of best practices, collaboration between institutions, stakeholders, and importantly, working with our students and graduates over all these years. We are delighted to have received this funding and to continue offering world-class doctoral training to early career scientists.” 

The funding renewal was announced alongside a wider announcement made by UKRI on their support for thousands of future doctoral students. Read ‘Major investment to support the next generation of researchers.’  

Applications for the 2025 intake will open in December. Projects available in the School of Life Sciences will be advertised via our dedicated PhD webpages.