Research careers demand great dedication - and the first rung in the career ladder, the PhD studentship, is no exception. Graduates face three or more years of hard graft as they carry out their research, write up and submit, often for a salary far smaller than they could command elsewhere. While studentships in one form or another have been provided for almost the entire history of the Trust, research training was formalized with the introduction of the Prize Studentship scheme in 1987. All these elements should be present in laboratories with long-term Trust support. Much biomedical research is extremely expensive to carry out at an internationally competitive level, and laboratories are increasingly unable to subsidize students' research projects with funds from other sources.
Students can make a much more informed choice of both project and supervisor.
The Programmes are exceedingly popular and attract candidates of the highest calibre. Following the success of these Programmes, they have been extended for a further four years and expanded so more students can be recruited. In addition, five new Training Programmes are likely to be funded in 1999, for student entry in 2000. A few students are supported through subject-specific schemes, such as biodiversity or bioarchaeology studentships, and PhD training opportunities are offered to medical graduates through the Trust's Clinical Research Training Fellowship scheme. With permanent research posts so scarce, the Trust has no plans to increase the size of the labour pool by increasing its provision for PhD training.