A new doctoral training partnership spanning Yorkshire and Teesside has opened its first intake, positioning the region to supply a larger share of the UK’s bioscience workforce.
The Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (YBDTP) brings together nine universities with backing from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and partner institutions. The collaboration expands previous work in mechanistic biology and now supports a wider set of disciplines relevant to commercial R&D and the bioeconomy.
The participating universities include Leeds, Leeds Beckett, Sheffield, York, Sheffield Hallam, Teesside, Bradford, Huddersfield, and Hull. Each will host research projects aligned with national priorities such as advanced biological systems, sustainable bioprocessing, and health-related innovation.
The programme combines laboratory research with interdisciplinary training and structured placements, ensuring graduates develop competencies valued by industry, technology developers, and the public sector.
Professor Gary Jones, Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange in the School of Health and Leeds Beckett’s representative on the YBDTP management board, said: “The YBDTP offers Leeds Beckett students researching in the area of biomedical sciences a wonderful opportunity to access world class facilities across partner institutions across the Yorkshire region. Six students from biomedical sciences joined the first cohort of the YBDTP and were actively involved in the successful inaugural residential. We look forward to growing our participation in the YBDTP over the next five years.”
The first cohort has completed an induction programme focused on research planning, data generation, workflow management, and collaborative working. The initiative aims to help businesses and research organisations access a more robust pipeline of skilled bioscience specialists, strengthening regional capacity in fields that underpin drug discovery, diagnostics, food innovation, and bio-based manufacturing.
