Science minister Jo Johnson will today announce two major investments in science and engineering research totaling £204 million.
Forty UK universities will share in £167 million that will support doctoral training over a two year period, while £37 million will be put into developing the graduate skills, specialist equipment and facilities that will put UK Quantum Technologies research at the forefront of the field.
The minister will make the announcements during a visit to the University of Oxford where he will meet academics working in the Networked Quantum Information Technologies (NQIT) Quantum Technology Hub, which is led by Professor Ian Walmsley, one of four that form part of the £270 million UK National Quantum Technologies Programme.
The funds for doctoral training will come from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which has changed how funding is allocated through its Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs).
The DTP funds will support students for the academic years beginning October 2016 and 2017. The changes have been made to give institutions greater certainty and increased time to plan their DTP programmes. The University of Oxford will receive £13.5 million for its programme.
The Quantum Technologies funding is split between three Quantum Training & Skills Hubs in Quantum Systems Engineering, and seven strategic capital investment packages. The Hubs will receive £12 million and £25 million will be allocated via capital.
Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “We are committed to securing the UK’s position as a world leader in science and innovation. The Government is ensuring major new discoveries happen here, such as the creation of super-powerful quantum computers which scientists are working on in Oxford. This new funding builds on our protection for science spending by supporting research in our world-leading universities and helping to train the science leaders of tomorrow.”
EPSRC’s Chief Executive, Professor Philip Nelson, said: “This year we are allocating £167 million to universities via Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). These will cover a two year period and give institutions greater certainty and increased time to plan their DTP programmes, and support excellent doctoral students. In addition, we are investing in training and providing capital for research to ensure that the National Quantum Technologies Programme can make the most of the country’s research talents. These strategic investments will help science push at the boundaries and make discoveries that are taken through into innovations.”
The funding is a part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to UK science, with a record £6.9 billion invested in science labs and equipment up to 2021, and protection of the science budget at £4.7 billion per year in real terms for the rest of the parliament.
