The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) of the University of Greenwich is one of the academic partners of the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Programme (LIDo) which has achieved success in a national competition for the 2024 Doctoral Landscape Awards. Funding for this programme is part of a £500 million investment for UK Research Councils announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on 13 November.
Through this new award, over the next five years LIDo will support 130 PhD students pursuing innovative interdisciplinary research projects at the different partner institutions, including NRI. The investment will enable students to tackle major complex challenges by integrating experimental techniques with advanced computational methods, including data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and modelling. With this award, LIDo is now accepting applications for the PhD studentships starting in autumn 2025.
LIDo Director, Professor Angus Silver from University College London (UCL) said: ‘We are delighted that the government are supporting LIDo to train the next generation of bioscientists for a digitally augmented future. We look forward to working alongside our colleagues from the eight host institutions and our collaborators in industry in this London-wide partnership and to continue our highly interdisciplinary training programme.’ UCL leads the LIDo programme.
Professor Ben Bennett, Deputy Director of NRI said: ‘We are very proud to be part of the next phase of LIDo at the cutting edge of world-leading bioscience to address global challenges by forming a new generation of science innovators and future leaders.’
To guarantee equal access to these opportunities for all deserving students, regardless of their socio-economic or demographic backgrounds, LIDo has launched new partnerships with organisations working to increase access to higher education among underrepresented groups. Participating organisations include the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation, Martingale Foundation, Leading Routes and In2ScienceUK. These partnerships will continually nurture a diverse talent pool from Year 12 through to the doctoral level.
Science and Technology Secretary, The Rt Hon Peter Kyle, said: ‘This £500m investment will back our vitally important higher education sector while supporting more bright students to pursue their talents and in turn deliver the life-saving drugs and clean energy alternatives of the future, that benefit all of our lives.’
LIDo comprises eight leading London universities: UCL, King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Veterinary College, Birkbeck, University of London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Holloway, University of London and University of Greenwich's Natural Resources Institute. LIDo works closely with external collaborators across multiple sectors, including Unilever, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the Natural History Museum, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Food Standards Agency, Discovery Park, and the Alan Turing Institute.
NRI is a specialist research, development and education institute of the University of Greenwich, focusing on food, agriculture, environment, and sustainable livelihoods.
For more details on how to apply, visit: https://www.lido-dtp.ac.uk/apply