EB4BM is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and offers fully funded postgraduate research studentships to support research and training in engineering biology for biomedicine. Funded studentships are available to both home and international students. All studentships include: Stipend (in the range of £21,805 – £33,805), Tuition fees (covering the UKRI tuition fee amount per year), and a Research training and support grant (to support the costs of your research). The level of funding awarded depends on both the fee status of applicant and institution in which they enrol:

Home Fee Status Applicants

In addition to the standard tax-free stipend at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) minimum rate students who qualify for home fee status will be eligible for the TechExpert Pilot which grants a £10,000 per year uplift to the stipend. TechExpert is a UK government initiative to strengthen the UK’s innovation pipeline and build a more inclusive, resilient and high-impact research ecosystem. EB4BM CDT is one of a number of programmes selected for inclusion on the pilot for their alignment with the UK’s Industrial Strategy. Students enrolled at King’s College London will also receive an additional £2,000 per annum London Weighting Allowance.

International Fee Status Applicants

EB4BM offers a limited number of studentships to applicants with international fee status. Successful candidates will be offered a standard UKRI studentship, providing a stipend, tuition fees and RTSG, and also a fee waiver covering international fees for the duration of the studentship. International students are not be eligible for the TechExpert pilot funding subsidy. Stipends for students enrolled at King’s College London will receive an additional £2,000 per annum London Weighting Allowance.

Eligibility Criteria

The programme welcomes applications from a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants will be reviewed on qualifications, experience and potential to undertake a research degree.

Academic requirements

Applicants must hold, or be expected to achieve, a minimum of a upper second-class undergraduate honours degree or equivalent (for example BA, BSc, MSci), Masters degree or an equivalent international qualification in a subject relevant to engineering biology for biomedicine. Applicants who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements may be admitted if they can prove relevant professional experience which demonstrates that the applicant can follow and complete the programme.

English language requirements

Applicants must have a high level of English language proficiency to be accepted on to the programme. Applicants who have either lived in or successfully completed a degree in one of the UKVI-defined majority English speaking countries are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. In all other cases applicants will need to provide evidence that you meet the minimum English requirements for the degree programme associated with the project to which you are allocated.

Residency requirements

Both home, and international applicants are eligible to apply. Up to 30% of our offers will be made to international applicants. Determining whether you are classified as home or international depends on whether you meet certain criteria. These criteria are set by the Government’s Department for Education. To be classed as a home student, applicants usually fit into one of the following categories, and are subject to you also meeting residency requirements:

– Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements)
– Have settled status
– Have pre-settled status
– Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

For full details of all the different ‘categories’ of student who can be classified as home, please read UKCISA guidance. There are lots of different categories to look at. Assistance and more information can be found on the following page: Find a category for HE England. If you do not fit into one of these categories, you are most likely classified as international.

For Stage One (see below for process stages) please self-identify your fee status using the guidance provided here. Your fee status will be fully assessed and confirmed by the relevant admissions office during stage four of the applications process.

Important Information for International Applicants

Please note that if successful, the funding awarded does not cover Visa and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs. Therefore, students are responsible for covering these costs upfront before starting their studentship. For more details, visit the Visas & International Student Advice page.

Effective from 9 April 2025, the cost of a student visa application is £524.00. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a fee that most UK visa applicants must pay to access the National Health Service (NHS) during their stay in the UK. It’s a mandatory fee, even if you have private health insurance, and the current reduced student rate is £776.00 per year. Therefore, the total up front cost for an international PhD student is £4,016.00 (inclusive of visa application fee and 4.5 years of IHS). For further advice and information, contact the Visa & International Student Advice Team. The EB4BM Team cannot assist with visa and IHS queries.

Application Process

Stage 1: Complete the application form

Prospective students will complete an online application form, providing details of academic achievements, research experience, and potential to undertake a research degree. A PDF overview of the form is available to applicants to review the information required in the form. We recommend you gather all necessary information before you start completing the online form.

Stage 2: Shortlisting

Applications are reviewed anonymously at the shortlisting stage which means the personal data included in your application is not visible to the shortlisting panel. The application form will make it clear which information is sent to the panel. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email and invited to progress to Stage Three.

Stage 3: Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview. References will be requested at this stage from the referees you nominated in your application form. If you are successful at the interview you will be invited to join the programme.

Stage 4: Project selection and official offer

In the final stage the successful applicants will be asked for their project preferences and be matched with a supervisor. Once matched they will then be invited to apply through King’s College London Admissions for King’s-based projects, or through the University of Leeds Admissions for University of Leeds-based projects where academic qualifications, English language, and fee status will be checked. Once your application has been assessed you will be made a formal offer on the programme.

Application Timeline

Application Deadline: Monday 9 March 2026 at 23:59

Application Shortlisting: Monday 16 – Friday 27 March 2026

Invitations to Interview: Week commencing 30 March 2026*

Interviews: Monday 13 – Friday 24 April 2026

Interview Outcomes: Week commencing 27 April 2026**

Join the EB4BM PhD opportunities mailing list to receive notifications of future application rounds.

* If you have not received a response regarding your application by Wednesday 15 April 2025, please contact the EB4BM Team. Please do not contact us regarding the outcome of your application before this date.

** Candidates invited to interview will be provided with further details on when they can expect to receive a decision as part of the interview process.