Professor Rick Rylance: 'Researchers across all disciplines are highly sought-after by all businesses'

The news that manufacturing saw the biggest growth in the last quarter despite dips in other sectors and a 0.5 per cent contraction in the UK economy as a whole, is very striking. According to a report by the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF), manufacturing in the UK is growing at its fastest rate since 1994, and there is an increasing number of engineering jobs in a sector with skills shortages. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) helps address this through its Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).

These centres support students in highly innovative, research-excellent environments where both depth and breadth of knowledge are championed. Many provide students with an understanding of business and entrepreneurial skills as well as training in cutting-edge technologies. Students on four-year doctorate programmes undertake technical and management training, assessed as part of the degree, to help their development. They are much sought-after by business and research professions alike for their energy, productivity and initiative.

CDTs are co-funded by EPSRC, universities and industrial partners, and are advantageous to all. Students become better qualified for the jobs market; industry recruits people already trained in the skills they need; and universities develop cutting-edge research and attract the top talent.

One specific type of centre is the Industrial Doctoral Centre (IDC). Students carry out PhD-level research, jointly supervised by the university and a commercial partner with the aim of improving the business's performance. Typically, around 75 per cent of these students' time is spent working in the company. The industry partners who support the training centres, from Rolls-Royce to local SMEs, often recruit the students they have helped train to permanent posts.

Most IDC postgraduates are awarded an engineering doctorate (EngD), a four-year programme intended for the UK's leading researchers aiming for a career in industry. It is an innovative alternative to the traditional PhD, better suited to the industry's needs.

Dr Wendy Nice was one of the first students to complete the programme in 1996. She is now manufacturing technology strategy manager at Rolls- Royce: "Just like the EngD students at Rolls-Royce today, I worked alongside company employees as an integral part of a team solving practical engineering challenges with a real-world application. When I completed my course not only did I have a postgraduate engineering qualification, but I was also equipped with a diploma in management, and specialist skills and knowledge that have supported me in my career to date."

EPSRC supports 77 CDTs at 28 different universities, offering a range of subjects from digital media at the University of Bournemouth, where students study visual effects and computer animation, to wind energy systems at the University of Strathclyde. There, students learn about the socio-economic impact of the industry as part of a wide-ranging scientific portfolio.

As I have emphasised already, researchers across all disciplines are highly sought-after by business and industry. Recent data shows that 94 per cent of doctoral graduates use research skills in their future careers. In fact, RCUK-funded researchers currently work with over 2,500 businesses from across the UK and more than half of all doctoral graduates each year take their skills and knowledge directly into the wider economy. Between them, the seven Research Councils offer a huge variety of opportunities to work with business and industry, government and local authorities, schools and the public services, as well as across the world.

More information about the CDTs and IDCs can be found at www.epsrc.ac.uk; details of funding opportunities at all the UK Research Councils can be found at www.rcuk.ac.uk