Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment (ACCE)

This grant funds a network of universities to train the next generation of environmental scientists through a Doctoral Training Partnership. The problem is straightforward: the UK needs skilled researchers who can understand and respond to environmental change—shifting weather patterns, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource pressures. Without a steady pipeline of trained doctoral graduates, the country risks falling behind in its ability to monitor, model, and manage these challenges. The potential impact is long-term rather than immediate. Over the next decade, the PhD students trained through this programme will go on to work in universities, government agencies, environmental consultancies, and industry. Their research could improve flood forecasting, inform agricultural policy, shape conservation strategies, or refine climate models. Many of these graduates will end up in roles that quietly underpin how the UK manages its land, water, and air. This is primarily a training and capacity-building grant, not a single research project with a defined output. Its success will be measured by the quality and career destinations of the scientists it produces, not by a specific discovery or technology.