Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/R011524/1
FRESH - NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor I Durance, Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
- Grant held at:
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
- Science Area:
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Science Topics:
- Conservation Ecology
- Environmental Genomics
- Ecotoxicology
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Abstract:
- Sustaining the World's freshwater ecosystems in the wake of global change while meeting the water demands of a growing population requires a new brand of intellectually mobile and agile problem solvers. The strategic priority of the proposed FRESH Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is to train a new cohort of PhD graduates with multi-disciplinary skills, ambition for lasting impact, and capacity to work with the stakeholders who confront the 21st century's water challenges. Leading the FRESH CDT are 16 international researchers in freshwater bioscience and sustainability from the Great Western Four (GW4) Universities of Cardiff, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and two World-class Institutes, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the British Geological Survey (BGS). Over 60 other experts form a pool of supervisors with the array of multi-disciplinary skills required to deliver the FRESH CDT specifications. Research metrics indicate the strength of the FRESH academics. This critical mass of researchers have published over 5,300 academic papers, and manage >#72m of funding within the remit of this call. Key stakeholder expertise complements the FRESH team, from the government, business, regulatory, charity, consultancy and land management sectors. Working together we have set a real-world research agenda for FRESH to: - Quantify and manage emerging risks to freshwaters that stem from changing patterns in behaviours, demography, governance or climate; - Develop and test next generation tools for ecosystems and ecosystem services; - Tackle extinction and impairment in freshwater ecosystems; - Create integrated solutions to manage ecosystem service sustainability for people and ecosystems. Located in a strategic UK region for water spanning two Government administrations (UK and Wales), FRESH will help accelerate economic growth nationally, while our vision is that NERC's investment will have global impact. Stakeholder engagement is key to the FRESH CDT training experience, from individual projects to cohort-level training and transferable skills. Stakeholder partners will provide specialist mentoring, attend the annual workshops to meet the students, deliver presentations, share job opportunities and host visits to their organisations. Overall, the PhD training will encompass: - An initial 6 months focussing on the core skills in freshwater biosciences and sustainability identified by the call; - A supportive learning environment to foster student self-reflection, in-built choice to allow self-directed training and development, and cohort-oriented collaboration - Timely access to world-class field and laboratory facilities and unique resources from leading research institutions and major stakeholders; - Cutting-edge interactive training to address national and international development needs within a resource limited and rapidly changing world; - Challenging research projects tackling real-world problems. As a measure of the consortium's commitment to the establishment of the CDT, an additional #1.5 M has been pledged by the research organisations involved to fund an additional 12 PhD studentships, as well as support staff. This additional resource emphasises the GW4 group's strategic investment in water research, building on individual flagship water research centres and the more recent GW4 Water Security Alliance. The successful regional alliance of the GW4 universities already host 30 RCUK-funded doctoral training initiatives from which the excellence, experience and structures to support the FRESH CDT will be built to provide an exceptional learning environment. In synergy with the existing EPSRC GW4 CDT in Water Informatics and Engineering, the new NERC CDT in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability will create a major long-term hub for innovation.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/R011524/1
- Grant Stage:
- Awaiting Event/Action
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Active
- Programme:
- CDT
This training grant award has a total value of £2,254,099
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - DSA | Total - Other Costs | Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,456 | £30,238 | £427,104 | £264,000 | £1,531,300 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.