Cambridge risks losing ‘unbelievable talent’ amid PhD funding cut

Deborah Prentice: ‘PhDs are the lifeblood of so much of what we do here.’ Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

The University of Cambridge risks “losing unbelievable talent” owing to a drop-off in funding for PhDs, the vice-chancellor has cautioned.

Prof Deborah Prentice, who took over as vice-chancellor in 2023, described PhD students as “the lifeblood” of the university’s research and innovation work, and expressed concern that funding from research councils had “dropped off significantly”.