New PhD training programmes, delivered by Aberystwyth University with partner universities and industry, have been launched to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to advance biomanufacturing and AI-enabled bioscience.

The programmes are part of a wider £40 million UKRI investment in doctoral training, designed to boost UK innovation and economic growth.

The Sustainable Centre for AI-Leveraged Efficiency in Industrial Biotechnology (SCALE-IB) programme, led by Imperial College London and the global chemical company BASF, in partnership with Aberystwyth University and University College London (UCL), will train students to scale biological processes from lab reactors to industrial systems.

The scheme combines hands-on experience with pilot-scale biomanufacturing, engineering, AI and process optimisation. Students will also work closely with industry partners, helping to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and commercial production.

Alongside this, the Enabling Next-generation AI for a Bioscience Led Economy (ENAIBLE) programme, led by the University of Oxford in partnership with Aberystwyth University, the University of Birmingham and the Francis Crick Institute, focuses on advanced AI, machine learning and data science to advance bioscience research and innovation.

The project will prepare PhD researchers to use cutting edge AI and data driven tools to accelerate bioscience research and innovation across multiple domains.

Professor Iain Donnison, Head of the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, said: “In a rapidly changing world, it is vital that tomorrow's scientists are equipped with the skills they need to embrace the latest technologies and advance the frontiers of scientific discovery. We are therefore delighted to be part of these two collaborative doctoral awards and look forward to welcoming two new cohorts of doctoral students to IBERS. For example, in the AI project we will be training PhD students to use next-generation artificial intelligence tools and approaches for developing plant breeding solutions for the crops of the future including to address food security, nutrition and sustainability challenges."

Dr David Bryant, Senior Research Fellow at IBERS and Principal Investigator for the SCALE-IB project at Aberystwyth University, added: “At Aberystwyth University, SCALE-IB combines hands-on biorefining and scale-up training with cutting-edge data science and AI, transforming innovative lab concepts into manufacturable, cost-effective products. By developing an AI-ready generation of Industrial Biotechnologists across our consortium, we are strengthening the UK’s advanced biomanufacturing workforce, driving clean growth and building a resilient bioeconomy.”

The programmes bring together expertise across universities and industry partners. IBERS at Aberystwyth University will lead technical training, equality, diversity and inclusion, developing students’ expertise in biotechnology scale-up at its pilot-scale biorefinery. Partner universities and research institutes will contribute specialist knowledge in engineering biology, industrial bioprocessing and AI-focused bioscience, supporting the interdisciplinary aims of SCALE-IB and ENAIBLE.

Graduates will be well-placed for careers in industrial biomanufacturing and AI-enabled bioscience, including opportunities in start-ups, regulatory roles in novel foods and further academic or applied research.

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and supported by industry partners, the programmes will begin recruiting in December, with opportunities for multiple PhD projects across the universities and industry partners.