BBSRC North West Doctoral Programme in Bioscience (NWDP) UKRI Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA)
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBRSC) North West Doctoral Programme (NWDP) in Bioscience is a unique and highly regarded training programme for future bioscience leaders. It provides world-class interdisciplinary research opportunities for motivated and inquisitive postgraduate researchers.
The programme aims to prepare future bioscientists with the skills, knowledge, networks and experience needed to address critical challenges in 21st-century bioscience and begin successful research careers.
About BBSRC NWDP
The North West Doctoral Programme (NWDP) is a new initiative launching for 2025/26 entry between Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), The University of Manchester and the University of Liverpool.
The programme is also delivered in collaboration with industry partners Boots No7, Unilever, Waters and BioNow, who'll provide training and research opportunities, as well as social mobility charity In2ScienceUK, who create opportunity for those currently underrepresented in UK doctoral training.
Together, the partnership will enable postgraduate researchers to benefit from cutting edge technologies, state-of-the-art facilities, expert supervision, industry insight and experience, and end-to-end support.
Why apply for the BBSCRC NWDP programme?
Fully funded studentship
Receive a fully funded studentship covering tuition fees and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26) for four years, as well as additional funding for workshops, training courses, and research visits to enhance your skills.
Comprehensive training
Receive comprehensive training tailored to your individual and project needs throughout your postgraduate research.
Events and training opportunities
Continue to improve your skills and knowledge via annual training events and opportunities that promote interdisciplinary skills and networking. This includes Enterprising Researcher training, regional and national conferences such as the BBSRC NWDP Annual Conference, and writing retreats to refine and enhance your writing skills.
Industry placements
Get the chance to undertake a three-month professional internship placement (PIPs) and potentially work in industry during years 1-3.
Career development
Receive support to plan, develop and pursue future careers beyond research, underpinned by innovative PhD to workforce programmes: PhD-PROSPER and BIOBRIDGE.
- PhD PROSPER is a successful postdoctoral researcher career development framework established and run by University of Liverpool and University of Manchester, which was co-developed with 100+ employer partners, and enabled through Research England funding. This scheme is being extended to BBSRC NWDP to empower and support PhD students with a proactive approach to realising their future career.
- BIOBRIDGE stems from a successful trial at the University of Liverpool and provides a route for postgraduate researchers to pursue additional employability-related activities, eg work placements, consultancy, enterprise, project development, alongside their PhD research.
Programme structure
Year 1
- Attend a BBSRC NWDP welcome event to learn more about the programme, the range of support available, and to enable networking across institutions
- Attend a series of training events with your cohort at both University of Manchester and University of Liverpool. This will equip you with skills and knowledge for your project, and will give you the opportunity to network with staff and peers across the cohort
- Commence your research at your lead institution.
Years 2-3
Continue to develop your skills and understanding through a bespoke, structured programme of individual and cohort-based training, in addition to project-specific training. For example, you'll continue to develop and test research ideas and learn how to:
- Design good experiments
- Analyse and present data
- Communicate your work to other scientists
- Publish your work in leading international journals, attend conferences at home and abroad, and get involved in other activities such as enterprise competitions and public engagement events
- Take part in a professional internship placement and work in industry for 12 weeks or more (split into two or more periods at two or more different organisations, if required) and gain valuable experience in industry.
Year 4
- Finalise your research and prepare to take the next steps in your career
- You may take the opportunity to attend our writing retreat and receive support and guidance on how to improve your writing and make the most out of the time spent writing up your work for submission.
