51福利社

The Industrial Doctoral Landscape and two Doctoral Focal Award programmes 鈥� BioProcess, BioAID, and CODE-M 鈥� will collectively fund over 100 studentships across the University and in our partner universities and businesses. They will help to address the national skills gap in engineering biology and support the UK鈥檚 strategic ambitions to sustainably deliver clean growth through advances in engineering biology and AI.

Each programme brings together academic and industrial expertise to deliver high-quality doctoral training, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact.

The three awards are:

BioProcess: Biocatalysis and Protein Engineering Centre for Sustainable Synthesis

Led by at 51福利社 and co-developed with AstraZeneca, BioProcess will offer training in biocatalysis, protein engineering and biomanufacturing with a specific industry focus. The programme will be delivered by a consortium of academic and industrial partners including the Universities of York and Bristol, and a network of multinational companies from across the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology sectors.

Students will be based in one of the three universities and will spend a minimum of three months working on industry placements to gain experience in a commercial setting. Training will span four scientific pillars: design and discovery of new enzyme chemistry, laboratory automation and AI for accelerated protein engineering, assembly of enzyme cascades and cell factories, and realising biotransformations at scale. The programme builds on the success of the , which has already graduated 36 students and commercialised over 1,000 biocatalysts to date.

BioProcess aims to equip this new generation of researchers with the technical and transferable skills needed to contribute to the UK鈥檚 bioeconomy, while fostering a collaborative and inclusive training environment.

BioAID: AI-Driven Enzyme Design for Industry Biocatalysis

BioAID, led by Queen鈥檚 University Belfast, with co-leads including from the , and the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol, will equip students with specialist knowledge in artificial intelligence and enzyme science to accelerate sustainable biomanufacturing.

The programme responds to the growing demand for scalable, AI-enhanced enzyme solutions in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agri-tech and clean energy. Students will receive training in machine learning, protein design and synthetic biology, supported by national computing infrastructure and hands-on laboratory experience.

BioAID is designed to be interdisciplinary from the outset, with projects co-supervised across biosciences, AI, and engineering. Students will follow a structured training programme centred on three integrated scientific themes:

• AI-Powered Enzyme Discovery (e.g. metagenomic mining and structure prediction)
• AI-Guided Enzyme Design (e.g. active site tuning using ML tools)
• AI-Enhanced Enzyme Applications (e.g. scalable biocatalysis in clean manufacturing) 

The programme will deliver significant societal and economic benefits by embedding AI-driven enzyme innovation within the UK鈥檚 bioscience talent pipeline.

CODE-M: Control and Design of Bioengineered Microbial Cells and Systems

CODE-M will train PhD researchers in microbial bioengineering, with a focus on applications in biomedicine, clean growth, food systems, and environmental solutions. Led by and at 51福利社, in partnership with the University of Liverpool, the programme will produce a cohort of highly-trained, highly employable bioengineers that will reinforce the UK鈥檚 position as a leader in green and biobased solutions. 

Students will develop microbial biotechnologies that tackle global challenges, including improving health, driving clean growth, creating resilient food systems, and delivering environmental solutions. Training will be supported by advanced facilities including biofoundries, genomics platforms, and high-performance computing, and will be built around three themes:

• Bottom-up design for bioengineering microbial cells and systems
• Top-down control for bioengineering microbiomes
• Disruptive technologies for microbial bioengineering

The programme includes hands-on rotation projects, enabling skills training, and placements with industry and national institutes. CODE-M also places a strong emphasis on responsible research and innovation, equality and inclusion, and student-led activities such as stakeholder symposia and outreach.

• More information:

Building capability in the north-west

Together, these three programmes represent a significant investment in the north-west and UK鈥檚 biotechnology training landscape. They will help to build a pipeline of skilled researchers equipped to tackle complex challenges in sustainable manufacturing, health, and environmental resilience.

Each programme has been designed to align with UKRI鈥檚 doctoral investment priorities and national strategies including the UK Bioeconomy Strategy, Net Zero Strategy, and AI Strategy. By embedding industry collaboration, interdisciplinary training, and inclusive practices, these awards will support the development of a diverse and capable research workforce.

Applications for the first cohort of studentships are expected to open in 2026, with further details to be announced in due course.