Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support young and emerging scientists, including those whose research is contributing to the treatment and eradication of malaria and other infectious diseases.

Early-career researchers are at the heart of securing the UK’s place as a global science superpower, and that is why the Government is working with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on a New Deal for Postgraduate Research. As part of this work, UKRI recently announced a 5.4% uplift to the minimum stipend for UKRI-funded students for the academic year 2023/24.

UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) invests around £85 million annually to support around 1,600 PhD students. The MRC Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine was awarded £2.8 million between 2022-2027 to fund studentships, with the majority focused on infectious diseases, including malaria.