Lancaster University will help develop a new generation of highly skilled research leaders in areas vital to support the UK’s future economy through the delivery of nearly 90 PhDs as part of the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral training.

Announced this week by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistics and Operational Research in partnership with industry (STOR-i) is one of 65 Centres across the UK to receive funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The pioneering Lancaster-based STOR-i has secured investment of more than £17m from EPSRC, project partners and Lancaster University. The Centre will train 70 PhD students in statistics and operational research over five cohorts, with students benefitting from embedded engagement with industrial, charitable and international academic partners.

The Centre has a substantial network of leading industrial partners including BT, Roche, Tesco and Datasparq. These partnerships will provide inspiring opportunities for STOR-i PhD students to tackle real-world problems and challenges that influence major industrial and scientific applications and decisions.

The next generation of STOR-i also includes partnerships with organisations in the charitable sector, such as the British Red Cross and Fareshare. This broadened collaboration will give students new opportunities to apply their skills and training to tackle problems and deliver solutions bringing significant societal benefit.

The STOR-i Centre is a joint interdisciplinary initiative that brings together academic expertise from LUMS’ Department of Management Science and Lancaster University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. It is led by LUMS’ Dr Anna-Lena Sachs, along with Professor Idris Eckley, Professor Rachel McCrea, and builds on the highly successful track-record of the Centre which was established in 2010.

Dr Anna-Lena Sachs said: “Since 2010, STOR-i has played a key role in helping train the next generation of research leaders across industry and academia.

“This new award will help us innovate further, developing and training a vibrant community of students who will push the boundaries of research, shaped by the most important challenges facing our network of industrial and charitable partners.”

Professor Claire Leitch, Executive Dean of Lancaster University Management School, said: “Lancaster’s pioneering approach to developing STOR-i has helped shape the careers of many highly talented PhD students over the past decade.

“This significant investment is fantastic news for future PhD students, LUMS and the wider Lancaster community. Our innovative approach to working hand-in-hand with industry will ensure the next generation of researchers have access to the best possible experiences and are tasked with solving some of the most pressing, real-life challenges facing organisations and society today.”

Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, said: “The Centres for Doctoral Training announced today will help to prepare the next generation of researchers, specialists and industry experts across a wide range of sectors and industries.

“Spanning locations across the UK and a wide range of disciplines, the new centres are a vivid illustration of the UK’s depth of expertise and potential, which will help us to tackle large-scale, complex challenges and benefit society and the economy.

"The high calibre of both the new centres and applicants is a testament to the abundance of research excellence across the UK, and EPSRC’s role as part of UKRI is to invest in this excellence to advance knowledge and deliver a sustainable, resilient and prosperous nation.”

Science and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said: “As innovators across the world break new ground faster than ever, it is vital that government, business and academia invests in ambitious UK talent, giving them the tools to pioneer new discoveries that benefit all our lives while creating new jobs and growing the economy.

“By targeting critical technologies including artificial intelligence and future telecoms, we are supporting world class universities across the UK to build the skills base we need to unleash the potential of future tech and maintain our country’s reputation as a hub of cutting-edge research and development.”