Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), UK, has announced the funding opportunity to the tune of £1 million for the postgraduate studentship program. The call is for 15 PhD studentships.

For the academic year 2016-17, the program aims to select potential candidates whose research proposal aligns with the research objective of at least one of the AHDB divisions. These include Beef and Lamb, Cereals and Oilseeds, Horticulture, Dairy and Potatoes.

The program aims to prioritize evident and contemporary research that is relevant to the current industry needs. It also seeks to develop next generation technical experts who can meet the challenges of the industry.

Kim Matthews, Head of research and development, AHDB beef and lamb said, “Supporting the next generation of scientists and delivering relevant and practical research to levy payers is an important part of AHDB’s long-term strategy. Many of our PhD students go on to develop successful careers in agriculture and horticultural research. We are looking for a high standard of applications that can demonstrate an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing farmers, growers and processors.”

Currently, the funding opportunity is £23,109 per annum, which comprises of a stipend of £14,057, indicative fees of £4,052 and experimental costs of £5,000 based on BBSRC awards. All the AHDB divisions are capable of funding. The prospective students should check the respective AHDB divisions’ website for further information.

Interested applicants can send their application to studentships-at-ahdb.org.uk on or before September 14, 2015. Candidates must indicate the sector of their choice in the subject heading. Applications received before the deadline will be reviewed and the results of the selection process will be out by January 13, 2016. AHDB normally awards 15-20 projects per year and 50-60 rolling projects at any one time. It also aims to maintain a similar level of investment in the coming years. The application is open to all research institutes, universities and colleges.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a statutory levy board. It is funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain process. It is an independent organization and does not have an affiliation to commercial industry and government. Its sole purpose is to position the agriculture and horticulture industries as a competitive and sustainable. AHDB undertakes efficient farm-level knowledge transfer programs based on evidence both from third party science and their own R&D which is aimed at improving efficiency, productivity and sustainability.

It provides unbiased, high quality market information that helps business decision making and improves supply chain transparency. AHDB has a portfolio of products at its disposal: pig meat in England – branded as AHDB Pork, milk in Great Britain (GB) – branded as AHDB Dairy, beef and lamb in England – branded as AHDB Beef & Lamb, commercial horticulture in GB – branded as AHDB Horticulture, cereals and oilseeds in the UK – branded as AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, potatoes in GB – branded as AHDBPotatoes.

AHDB’s operations are funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain through statutory levies – not from central Government. The funds raised from each commodity sector are ring-fenced to ensure they are used only to the benefit of the sector from which they were raised.

For detailed information go through this link.