Thousands more people across the UK will train and gain qualifications in future tech like artificial intelligence, and others that could transform areas like medicine, 6G and quantum computing, thanks to a package of more than £1.1 billion to upskill the country.
Addressing the Maths Summit at the Science Museum in London on Tuesday 12 March, the Science and Technology Secretary set out plans to make the UK home to the world’s most highly skilled and well-trained workforce in future technologies.
As part of these plans, the Science and Technology Secretary unveiled the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical science doctoral skills – the highest university degrees.
Over £1 billion from the Government, business, charities and academia will train over 4,000 talented students across the UK, from Edinburgh to Bristol, in 65 Centres for Doctoral Training – ensuring the UK’s brightest minds have exciting opportunities to fulfil their ambitions closer to home.
The majority of opportunities will also be led from outside the south-east of England, with more than 350 places for students in Glasgow, over 300 in Edinburgh, over 250 in Bristol and over 150 in Sheffield and Manchester respectively.
It includes a Centre at King’s College London training researchers to revolutionise personalised surgery through advanced engineering, such as micro-surgical robots and chemical techniques which allow for surgery ‘without the knife’ and work at the University of Bristol to take advantage of developments in digital chemistry, including artificial intelligence, to help develop new drugs, such as antibiotics and cancer treatments.
Others will support the critical technologies of engineering biology, semiconductors, quantum technologies and future telecoms, which are key to giving the UK a strategic advantage, building on our country’s strengths and helping to grow the economy.
It comes alongside further investment of over £60 million for new quantum skills programmes running until 2034 – addressing a top priority for businesses developing the next generation of quantum technologies, in being able to access the right skills and talent.
This includes £14 million for 100 quantum PhD studentships in universities across the UK and another £14 million to fund early career researchers, through a competition open now and running until 10 April.
It also includes £4 million to create more apprenticeship pathways into quantum through a pilot scheme and ensure those from a range of educational backgrounds can enter the quantum workforce.
This will drive forward innovations that allow the UK to develop new drugs and materials, turbocharge machine learning, better diagnose and treat diseases, and more to boost economic growth and security.
Building on the Chancellor’s announcement of the £7.4 million AI upskilling fund, the Science and Technology Secretary issued a call to action for eligible small and medium enterprises in the Professional and Business Services sector to register their interest in the scheme, ahead of an information webinar in April and the application process opening in May.
The pilot will help small and medium enterprises unlock the opportunities AI brings and develop AI skills of the future, helping fuel growth across the economy.
Together these are the latest measures in the Government’s mission to help businesses realise the enormous benefits of AI, which could increase UK GDP by up to 10.3 percent by 2030.
Addressing the Maths Summit, Science and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said: “Building on our reforms to the skills system will require work from every one of us – universities, schools, and businesses.
“By doubling down on our investments in skills and backing British business, we can lay the foundations for an economy fit for the future - an economy that creates jobs and improves lives for communities up and down the country.
“That is how we make our science and tech superpower mission a success.”
Further measures announced include:
• An academic consortium led by the University of Birmingham will establish a £4.5 million medicines manufacturing skills centre of excellence. The centre, RESILIENCE, will include a network of academic and not-for-profit partners developing specialist training and accelerator programmes for those qualified to T-levels, to graduates to training opportunities in work.
• The launch of a competition to select a delivery partner in March for the up to £3 million Science & Technology Venture Capital Fellowship Programme unveiled in November’s Autumn Statement.
• The scheme aims to bring in world-leading investors that will deliver breakthroughs in vaccines, AI, and robots and beyond, with places for 30 people open as part of the pilot scheme.
• A new Future Telecoms Skills Taskforce, involving stakeholders from the Government, academia and industry will be launched to ensure the UK has the skills for a connected future among those of all education backgrounds.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will shortly publish a response ahead of releasing the final specification and launching a short competition to identify an organisation to receive government support.