SUSTAIN is a four-year doctoral training programme led by the University of Lincoln with the University of Aberdeen, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Strathclyde. It combines artificial intelligence, social science and plant, animal and biosciences to tackle challenges in sustainable agri-food systems.
Students join a project led by one of the four partner universities and are based at that project’s lead institution. Projects are co-created with external partners and shaped with student input during the first year.
Benefits & funding
- Full PhD tuition fees.
- Home-fee students starting October 2027 are expected to get a tax-free stipend of up to £30,000 a year (UK Government TechFirst programme), subject to final funding confirmation.
- Others receive the standard UKRI tax-free stipend (£21,805 a year for 2026/27).
- A Research Training Support Grant of £3,000 a year (£12,000 in total) for travel and training.
- Extra funding for outreach and research events.
Eligibility
- First-class or 2:1 Bachelor’s, or MSc with merit, in a relevant subject; the PhD Package page also admits a predicted 2:1.
- Non-native English speakers need the equivalent of IELTS 6.5 (a Bachelor’s or Master’s from an English-speaking university may count).
- Home and international applicants may apply, but some projects are open to Home-fee students only and international places are capped at 30% per intake.
- Students must live in the UK for most of the PhD; time abroad is for fieldwork or long-term attachments only.
- Anyone who applies three times without reaching interview cannot reapply for one year.
Can you apply?
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Application process
- 1Choose up to three advertised projects in order of preference, checking each project’s eligibility.
- 2Submit the Round 1 online form with personal-statement answers by 12 noon UK time, 16 October 2026.
- 3Reply to the acknowledgement email with your CV, transcripts and any English-language or immigration evidence; the application is incomplete until these arrive.
- 4Shortlisted applicants give an interview presentation on their chosen projects and SUSTAIN; references are requested only after interview.
Program timeline
Round 1 deadline, 12 noon UK time
Oct 16, 2026
Recruitment begins for projects from the new proposal call
Jan 18, 2027
PhD starts
Oct 1, 2027