Yorkshire-wide doctoral training partnership launches in bioscience

The University of Leeds has joined eight institutions across Yorkshire and Teesside in welcoming the first PhD students to the BBSRC-funded Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership.

A collaboration across nine universities

Launched this autumn, the Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (YBDTP) is a new collaboration which will deliver doctoral training to support the UK bioeconomy. It is a partnership of nine universities: the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, the University of York, Leeds Beckett University, Sheffield Hallam University, Teesside University, the University of Bradford, the University of Huddersfield and the University of Hull.

It has been established to train the bioscience researchers of the future, helping to make sure they are fully equipped to address fundamental and strategic biological questions of national and global importance.

Building on the success of the previous White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership in Mechanistic Biology, the collaboration has attracted investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and from the partner institutions.

The partnership will offer cutting-edge research projects in bioscience and biotechnology, complemented by an interdisciplinary training programme and professional placements to give students the variety of skills needed for the UK bioeconomy.

Building a community

The first cohort of PhD students recently attended a multi-day induction event at the YHA National Forest in Derbyshire, which provided training and opportunities to build networks across the partnership.

Training was delivered by representatives from the University of Leeds, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of York and focused on some of the key elements of PhD research, including:

the nature and expectations of PhD research training
experimental design and data generation for publication
effective project and time management.

Professor Jo Clarke from Petros, a not-for-profit organisation focused on resilience and wellbeing, also delivered a resilience training session which was well received by the students.

During the residential, students also had the opportunity to play an active role in shaping the future of the partnership, taking part in creative workshop sessions to explore the development of YBDTP’s identity as well as team-building activities that enabled them to explore their own research projects and build connections with their peers.

YBDTP PhD student El Cholmondeley said:

There was a very big sense of community, and it was inspiring to be in a room full of people who are so passionate. It prompted me to think about the bigger picture of my PhD.

Putting students at the heart of the partnership

Dr Eric Hewitt, Interim Director of the YBDTP and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Biological Sciences at Leeds, said:

“The students really are at the heart of the YBDTP, and their involvement in helping to shape the partnership’s identity and ethos from the outset reflects this commitment. We’re really looking forward to supporting these students on their PhD journeys and welcoming a new cohort in 2026.”

This collaboration provides an excellent opportunity for our doctoral researchers to develop research networks spanning nine universities, as well as with key industry partners.