The University of Strathclyde is using its EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) funding to blend university resources, industry partnerships, and government links into roughly 70 PhD studentships each year. This matters because the UK needs a steady pipeline of researchers who can turn fundamental science into real-world products and services. Many PhD programmes produce excellent academics but leave graduates less prepared for careers outside universities. Strathclyde’s approach explicitly connects postgraduate research to business needs from the start, involving companies such as GSK, BAE Systems, and BP. If this model succeeds, it could accelerate the journey from lab discovery to commercial technology—particularly in energy, advanced manufacturing, health, and measurement science. The industrial alignment means PhD graduates emerge with skills that companies actually need, potentially boosting UK competitiveness in sectors that underpin daily life, from energy grids to water treatment. The scheme also supports early-career researchers and strategically important fields, helping maintain a diverse, skilled workforce capable of tackling global challenges.
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The University of Strathclyde considers the award of EPSRC DTP support a distinct and appreciable asset. As such, we have adopted a strategy which optimises the value of our DTP allocation by blending DTP support, institutional assets, and external collaboration, to develop a cohort of highly skilled and employable postgraduate (PG) researchers capable of contributing to the cutting-edge and world-leading research required to tackle the global challenges facing society. By utilising DTP support as a catalyst for growth of PG research programmes, Strathclyde is able to maximise student numbers and provide a research environment which equips our PG researchers with the knowledge, training, and experiences needed to succeed in the global research arena. Strathclyde takes a 'triple helix' approach to collaboration between the University, Industry, and Government, which has been transformational, accelerating the development of technologies, enhancing the competitiveness of companies, and informing the development of best practice. We apply this collaborative approach to our use of DTP funding, enabling postgraduate research to mark the beginning of the research-to-impact journey. Through external collaboration and knowledge exchange, our DTP projects and the associated PG research training provisions aim to have elevated levels of external business relevance, and also encourage academics in active knowledge exchange. This approach enhances the industrial alignment of PG research conducted at Strathclyde, accelerating impact, and contributing to the overall student experience, as well as providing routes to potential employment for the emerging skilled postgraduate researchers. External research partners range from national SMEs to multinational corporations and include companies such as GSK, BAE Systems, AstraZeneca, BP, Scottish Water, Scoop Analytics, and Enocell Ltd. Our DTP projects are strongly aligned to the University's and EPSRC's priority research themes. Strathclyde's priority research themes which are key to our EPSRC DTP allocations are: Energy; Advanced Manufacturing & Materials; Health & Wellbeing; Ocean, Air & Space; and Measurement Science & Enabling Technologies. DTP-funded projects not only support Strathclyde's research strategy, but are aligned with the four areas of focus in the EPSRC Delivery Plan 2019 Priority Framework. Additionally, the relevance and multi-disciplinary nature of the research projects funded through the DTP at Strathclyde furthers the development of a highly skilled and diverse workforce, increasing the employability of our postgraduate researchers. DTP support at Strathclyde is distributed via the Strathclyde Research Studentship Scheme (SRSS) which awards funding through a competitive selection process to encourage excellence in the quality of both the PG candidate and research project. Flexibility is also embedded to facilitate the support of studentships in areas defined as strategically important and/or for supporting aspiring early career researchers. Under this scheme the University awards around 70 PhD studentships annually for students commencing their postgraduate studies across all 4 Faculties; Science, Engineering, Business, and Humanities & Social Sciences. Further information on the SRSS can be found on the University's dedicated Scholarships & Funding Opportunities website, which highlights all of the funding schemes available (https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/scholarships/). Information on the individual doctoral projects available can be found on the Postgraduate Research Opportunities page (https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/postgraduateresearchopportunities/). Strathclyde academics also have access to the internal Research & Knowledge Exchange (RKES) portal, which details the regulations and application processes for all centrally managed schemes, including the SRSS.
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