Welcome to the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Understandable agri-food Systems Transformed by Artificial INtelligence (SUSTAIN).
SUSTAIN is a collaboration between the Universities of Lincoln, Aberdeen, Queen’s Belfast and Strathclyde, and focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sustainable agri-food.


Where the next generation of AI science takes root.
The SUSTAIN Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) empowers the next generation of AI scientists to invent, develop and deploy technologies, co-created with growers and agri-food practitioners.
SUSTAIN facilitates meaningful partnerships between academics and industry, investing in stakeholder-driven innovation.
Collaborative Studentship Proposals
The Round 2 Call for Studentship Proposals for October 2026 Entry is now OPEN
We invite you to bring us your challenges, and we’ll help solve them with UKRI-funded PhD research. With 18 studentships available in Cohort 3: this is your chance to engage in impactful interdisciplinary research that addresses specific business needs while contributing to the intelligent agri-food community.
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Who can apply?
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Potential SUSTAIN CDT supervisors
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Industry partners
Why apply?
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Funded by UKRI *with industry contributions
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Focus on solving real-world business and technical challenges through innovative research
Projects are required to be a university/industry partnership. If you are affiliated with a university or industry and are interested but lack a corresponding partner, we can assist you in finding one.
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Contact us: For more details, reach out at SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk
How to apply: Download and complete the application form, then email it to SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk, together with CV and Letter of Support.
Deadlines:
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The Round 2 Call for Studentship Proposals closes on the 2nd December.
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Results will be announced on the 12th December
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Student recruitment starts on the 19th December.
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Students will begin their PhD journey on the 1st of October 2026.

Uniting industry and research for a sustainable future
Please download and return completed forms to
SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk
If you have interest but you don’t have a fully formed proposal yet, please complete the Expression of Interest (EoI) form here.

