Vision and aims

The CDT in Accelerated Medicines Design & Development at UCL and the University of Nottingham trains doctoral-level scientists to be the future research leaders of the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. In an integrated academia-industry-clinical partnership we provide a globally-leading centre of excellence to ensure that the UK's vital medical technology and biopharmaceutics sector can continue to flourish and grow into the future.

In our CDT, we will:

  • Train an empowered and cohesive network of doctoral scientists able to lead future medicines development research programmes.

  • Foster an inclusive CDT in which students are empowered to ask questions, challenge paradigms, take risks and learn from mistakes in an environment of psychological safety

  • Support student development in a consortium of stakeholders from across the UK pharma and healthcare ecosystem, to ensure that our alumni understand the full, broad, range of activities underway.

  • Build relationships within our community such that our alumni upon graduation can access a functional network in which there is earned trust.

  • Deliver an assessed and accredited programme of training, ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusiveness, sustainability, ethical considerations and responsible research and innovation are fully embedded in all activities undertaken.

  • Support CDT students to develop knowledge and skills across the three science challenges, instilling them with high-level transferrable skills (communication, leadership, mentoring, resilience and entrepreneurship), and augmenting pan-cohort teaching with bespoke training courses and individual coaching and mentorship to maximise achievement.

  • Train students such that when they graduate they are able to personally drive change in the UK pharma, healthcare and medtech sectors, making the future industry more sustainable and making active contributions to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusiveness for all.

  • Co-create, with our students and partners, cutting-edge research projects in medicines development, and through our research make significant contributions to overcoming the science challenges.

  • Work proactively to engage the public, patients, and clinicians with our work, and leading outreach initiatives to inspire the next generation.