The University of Leeds has become part of a major national initiative to address the UK’s semiconductor skills gap with the launch of a new Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in semiconductor skills.

The UK Semiconductor Industry Future Skills (UK-SIFS) CDT will be led by Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) in close collaboration with Leeds and is backed by the UK Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of its broader Industrial Strategy.

The CDT will deliver advanced doctoral-level training in semiconductor skills that are critical to the UK’s ambitions for a resilient and competitive semiconductor manufacturing sector.

By combining rigorous academic research with industry-embedded training, UK-SIFS will produce a pipeline of up to 60 highly skilled PhD students over five cohorts, who will be equipped to drive innovation and meet the technical demands of next-generation semiconductor technologies.

Students will engage in four-year research projects in partnership with leading UK companies in semiconductors and related sectors. The programme will offer flexible training pathways, including part-time study and opportunities for professionals to undertake research projects with their current employers while continuing their professional development.

A key focus will be on retraining talent from other high-skill industries where opportunities are diminishing to ensure a robust and adaptable workforce for the future.

UK-SIFS represents a joint investment of approximately £18 million, including £10 million from the UK Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with additional contributions from Swansea University, the University of Leeds, and 24 industry and civic mission partners.

Training and research will take place in state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities at Swansea’s CISM and the Bragg Centre for Materials Research at Leeds, which together represent over £80 million in investment. These facilities are designed to be industrially relevant, offering services such as start-up incubation to further support the UK semiconductor ecosystem.

Professor Paul Meredith, Director of the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials at Swansea University, and UK-SIFS co-Director, said: “UK-SIFS is a completely different way of thinking about doctoral training for the UK semiconductor sector – flexible, practical training coupled with industrially relevant, world-class research.”

Professor Edmund Linfield, Director of the Bragg Centre for Materials Research at Leeds, and UK-SIFS co-Director, said: “UK-SIFS will support a wide range of cutting-edge projects from across science and engineering, training the future highly skilled and diverse workforce needed by the semiconductor sector.”

Howard Rupprecht, Managing Director of CSconnected Ltd, said: “This is fantastic news for skills in the semiconductor industry and related sectors. We need to accelerate and diversify workforce provision, and this is especially important to support the rapid growth of the semiconductor manufacturing Cluster in South Wales, driven by significant investment by multinationals such as Vishay, KLA, Microchip and IQE.”

Professor Charles JM Footer, QinetiQ Fellow, said: “The UK-SIFS CDT announcement marks the beginning of a hugely exciting and vital investment in the future of the UK’s semiconductor capability and the next generation of world-leading scientists in the area.

“At QinetiQ, we recognise the strategic importance of developing a highly skilled workforce to support sovereign advanced manufacturing and national security, and we look forward very much to collaborating with the CDT.”

Further information

• Read the full announcement from the Swansea University press office.
• Image caption: Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM). Photo credit: Swansea University.
• For media enquiries, please contact Swansea University’s Press and Communications Lead Delyth Purchase via d.purchase@swansea.ac.uk, or email University of Leeds Faculty Communications Manager Matt Gardner at M.D.Gardner@leeds.ac.uk.