Program Overview

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South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (BBSRC)

Overview

The South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) is led by the University of Bristol, together with the Universities of Bath, Cardiff and Exeter, alongside Rothamsted Research. This partnership also includes the following collaborative partners: Marine Biological Association (MBA), University of Plymouth, Swansea University, UCB Pharma, University of the West of England (UWE) and SETsquared Bristol.

This partnership has established international, national and regional scientific networks, and widely recognised research excellence and facilities.

We aim to provide you with outstanding interdisciplinary bioscience research training, underpinned by transformative technologies. You will be recruited to a broad, interdisciplinary project, supported by a multidisciplinary supervisory team, with many cross-institutional PhD projects available that build on the expertise of each of our partners. There are also opportunities to:

• apply your research in an industrial setting (DTP CASE studentships).
• undertake research jointly with some of our core and associate partners (Standard DTP studentships with a collaborative partner).
• work with other national/international researchers.
• undertake fieldwork

Key Information

• Programme duration: Up to four years full-time.
• Start date: September 2025
• Application deadline: 11 December 2024
• Delivery method: On-Campus
• Awards available: PhD

Programme Structure

Our structured training programme will ensure you are well equipped as a bioscience researcher, supporting careers into academia, industry and beyond.

First Year

We provide a broad awareness of the fundamental research approaches in biosciences and how they could be applied to real-life situations through:

• two rotation projects - both allied with but in different disciplinary areas related to the PhD project.
• three taught units - training in Statistics, Bioinformatics, coding, experimental design, innovation and understanding the impact of your research.

Second to Fourth Years

The remaining years will be more like a conventional PhD, where you will focus on your PhD project.

Placements

To help broaden your career horizons, you will undertake

• a 3-month placement of your choice, outside of an academic research environment - examples include working within policy, science communication, industry and scientific publishing.
• or a 3-18 month industry placement with your CASE partner – CASE studentships only.

These are to provide you with highly desirable skills, experience and knowledge that can be applied to many career sectors.

Cohort Activities

You will have the opportunity to join many partnership cohort activities, such as student conferences, workshops and outreach events. Here you will meet students across the partnership, giving you access to a thriving multidisciplinary and supportive student network.

World-Leading Research

• The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education).
• 94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry Requirements

To check the latest entry requirements, please refer to the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.

Fees and Funding

• Home: full-time - £4,850 per year
• Home: part-time - £2,425 per year
• Overseas: full-time - £26,700 per year

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

Alumni Discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study.

Funding and Scholarships

Information on eligibility and funding can be found at the SWBio website.

• Home students: Fully-funded studentships are available for home students. To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the required residency criteria set out by the UK government.
• International students: A limited number of funded-studentships are available for international applicants. Please note, these studentships do not cover the costs associated with obtaining a visa (including healthcare surcharge) or relocating to the UK.

Career Prospects

Students who complete this programme are likely to enter research careers within academia or industry, or careers in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), teaching, public engagement or government.

Research Groups

A wide range of research projects are advertised each year. These are hosted across many schools.

How to Apply

Please refer to the guidance for how to apply on our webpages.

• If you wish to apply to multiple projects at the University of Bristol, you will need to submit a new application for each project.
• When the application asks for a research statement, please just upload a blank document. A research statement is not needed for this programme as you are applying directly to a project.