A £350 million increase in national investment into science and engineering will create about seventy new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).
The initiative, set to help 3500 postgraduates undertake doctorates in engineering and physical sciences, will see 6 Oxford-led CDTs, and the institution will “play a leading role in several others”, claims an article on the official university website.
The announcement was delivered by Universities and Science Minister David Willets at a press conference last Friday. He was reported in the Telegraph as having said prior to the statement that the work of engineers can “inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.
“I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”
The PhD training grants are to be allocated by the Engineering and Phyiscal Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). 1000 partners contributing a total of £250 million will support the centres.
The chairman of the EPSRC was reported to have said, “These new centres will give the country the highly trained scientists and engineers it needs and they will be equipped with skills to move on in their careers. The standard of applications for Centres was very high and more could have been funded if we had the capacity.”
The article on the university’s website said, “Covering everything from chemistry to statistics, biomedicine to mathematics, aerodynamics to archaeology, the Oxford CDTs will give hundreds of doctoral students the skills and expertise to take on a wide range of research challenges relevant to science and economic growth and develop into the research leaders of the future.”
The proposal has been met with a warm reception from affected undergrad students: Zain Khawaja, an Engineering student at St Anne’s, said, “I feel that such initiatives will greatly aid in the development of new technologies in the near future.”
“I hope to specialise in biomedical engineering and am excited about the prospect of one day being able to make a noteworthy contribution to science. This investment will create opportunities for young scientists to explore new ideas; and develop a greater understanding of the world around us.”
Yet not all students across the university see the specialised centres as a benefit. Rhushub Haria, a St Anne’s Classicist, observed, “Another nail in the coffin for arts and humanities.”
