Cardiff Begins Recruitment for 600 Future Researchers

The next generation of biomedical science leaders are being recruited as part of a new GW4 collaboration led by Cardiff University.

The GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award is supported by a £90 million investment from the Medical Research Council (MRC) which will fund more than 200 researchers a year through 14 MRC Doctoral Landscape Awards at universities across all four nations of the UK, for the next three years.

Partnering with fellow GW4 Alliance universities, Bath, Bristol, and Exeter, Cardiff University's GW4 BioMed MRC Doctoral Landscape Award will support 18 studentships per year for three years, covering the breadth of biomedical science from discovery to early translation, funded by the Doctoral Landscape Award.

As part of their PhDs, researchers will work with businesses, NHS organisations, charities and public sector partners through placements, collaborative projects and specialist training. These experiences will give them first-hand insight into how research is carried out in different settings and prepare them for a range of careers in the UK and globally.

Professor Emma Kidd, GW4 BioMed3 Director, said: "We are absolutely delighted that the MRC are funding the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Awards. It builds on the hugely successful 10-year collaboration of the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter in training and developing PGR students. Our innovative new student-centred programme will have 17 external project partners to help us train, support and develop globally competitive graduates."

The GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award partnership, led by Cardiff University, will train postgraduate research students in four main areas - neuroscience and mental health, infection, immunity and antimicrobial resistance, cardiometabolic disease, and population health sciences. The first researchers to be supported through the awards are already being recruited, ahead of starting their PhDs in October 2027.

Dr Joanna Robinson, Director of Research Talent, Skills and Careers at MRC, said: "Medical research depends on talented people."

"These awards will support doctoral researchers to develop deep scientific expertise alongside the broader capabilities needed for successful and rewarding careers across research, healthcare, industry and policy.

"By investing in researchers at the start of their careers, we are helping to strengthen the UK's medical research workforce and enable discoveries that improve lives."

Melanie Knetsch, Director of GW4, said: "The GW4 Alliance showcases the power of collaboration, bringing together the complementary strengths of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to create exceptional opportunities for researchers. We are proud to see continued investment in the GW4 BioMed partnership, reflecting the strength of our collaborative approach to doctoral training.

"Through access to the combined expertise, facilities, and research environments of four world-leading universities, our students are equipped to tackle complex challenges at the forefront of biomedical research and contribute solutions to some of the most significant health challenges facing society today."

Doctoral Landscape Awards from the MRC have also been awarded to Imperial College London, Kings College London, Queen's University Belfast with University of Ulster, University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham with University of Leicester, University of Nottingham, University College London with Birkbeck, University of London, University of Dundee, University of East Anglia, University of Edinburgh with University of Glasgow, University of Exeter with Edinburgh University, Imperial College London, King's College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Manchester with University of Liverpool, and University of Sheffield with Durham University, Newcastle University, University of Leeds, University of York, University of Warwick.