Industrial CASE Account-The University of Manchester 2022

The University of Manchester is using this grant to train the next generation of engineers and scientists through industry-funded PhD studentships. This funding supports a doctoral training partnership that places postgraduate researchers directly into companies, where they tackle real-world industrial problems while earning their PhDs. The scheme addresses a persistent gap between academic research and commercial application—many promising discoveries never make it out of the lab because few researchers have experience working in business settings. By embedding students in companies from the start, the programme ensures their work responds to genuine industrial needs rather than purely academic questions. If successful, this approach could accelerate the translation of fundamental science into products and processes that improve manufacturing, energy systems, digital infrastructure, and other sectors that underpin the UK economy. The students themselves emerge with dual expertise: deep technical knowledge plus hands-on experience of how research drives commercial innovation. Over time, this pipeline of industry-savvy PhD graduates could strengthen the UK’s capacity to turn scientific breakthroughs into economic and societal benefits—from more efficient supply chains to better medical devices to cleaner energy technologies.