SNWH Members Awarded Multi-Million Pound UKRI Doctoral Focal Awards to Train the Next Generation in Nuclear Skills

Academic Members of the South West Nuclear Hub have been awarded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Doctoral Focal Awards in Nuclear Skills, each contributing a new cohort-based doctoral education programme to help address key challenges across the UK nuclear sectors. Across all seven awards, the government is investing £65.6 million.

The Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs) are doctoral training programmes which aim to supply high-level technical skills and knowledge. As part of the Nuclear Skills Plan, the aim is to add around 500 new doctoral graduates to the UK, quadrupling the number of nuclear fission doctoral students to address high-level skills shortages across civil and defence nuclear programmes over the next seven years. The DFAs are co-funded by UKRI, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Ministry of Defence. Successful DFAs will receive 50% match funding from industrial partners.

Hub Partnerships

Three of the seven funded DFAs include SWNH Members as academic partners. The Programme for Accelerating Nuclear Development and Applications (PANDA) is led by SWNH member Bangor University, and the University of Bristol will be a key partner, with funding totalling £24m. Developing Researchers with an Interdisciplinary Vision for Engineering Reactor Systems (DRIVERS) is led by Imperial College London, also partners Bangor and Bristol totalling £18m. and Bangor University will also play a part in SATURN II, led by the University of Manchester.

DRIVERS will address skills needs across both the civil and defence sectors while fostering important national and international collaborations.

Professor Michael Rushton, Director, Nuclear Futures Institute and PANDA lead said: “This is a significant step for Bangor, North Wales and the UK. Through PANDA, we will shorten the time it takes for a researcher to take a good idea and turn it into something that provides genuine benefit to society. We will train up to 100 PhD graduates in the most modern methods and equip them with the leadership skills to be able to innovate and deliver immediate impact when they enter the UK’s diverse nuclear programmes in the very near future.”

Diversifying the industry

Across the suite of funded DFAs there is a number of topic areas represented, each crucial to addressing key challenges facing the wider nuclear sector. Beyond technical capabilities, the programmes will be designed to equip doctoral graduates with skills that make them industry ready: digital skills, leadership training, project management, communication and regulatory awareness.

Plus, there are new opportunities to collaborate internationally. DRIVERS will offer doctoral researchers’ opportunities to collaborate internationally through partnerships with organisations in France, the United States and Australia, ensuring graduates gain a global perspective on nuclear engineering challenges.

On this, Bristol lead, and SWNH co-director Prof Chris Truman stated: “DRIVERS will build a strong pipeline of talent to underpin the UK’s long-term strategic nuclear ambitions. In doing so, it will address skills needs across both the civil and defence sectors while fostering important national and international collaborations. This includes developing a partnership between Bristol and Monash University in Australia to work together on shared strategic priorities, such as AUKUS.”

How to apply

Recruitment will begin in 2026, with the first cohorts starting in the 2026/27 academic year. For more information on specific courses, including how to apply, check out the links below or contact the relevant lead university.

PANDA: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/panda

Drivers: Contact Dr Jonathan Tate, Centre Manager, Nuclear Energy, Centre for Nuclear Engineering, Imperial College London (j.tate@imperial.ac.uk)