DTA - University of Sheffield

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a network of Doctoral Training Partnerships that provide postgraduate training across universities and research organisations. This funding structure addresses a critical gap in the UK's research pipeline: how to train the next generation of scientists and engineers. Without coordinated, long-term investment in doctoral training, the country risks losing its capacity to produce skilled researchers who can tackle complex problems in fields from quantum computing to clean energy. The impact of these partnerships is systemic rather than immediate. By consolidating training across multiple institutions, they create economies of scale and expose students to a broader range of expertise than any single university could offer. This produces researchers who are better equipped to work across disciplines and institutions. This is primarily a capacity-building programme rather than a specific research project. It does not target a particular scientific question or technological application. Instead, it ensures that the fundamental science and applied research funded elsewhere by UKRI has a steady supply of trained personnel to carry it out.