Discovery Medicine Across the Lifecourse is a new Doctoral Landscape Award operating across the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds, York, Durham and Newcastle. Durham is a new partner for the DLA and we are very pleased to welcome them and the collaborative research and training opportunities this brings.  
 

The project call is now open and closes on 4th October 2026. We invite supervisors to submit doctoral research project proposals for the first student intake, commencing Autumn 2027.
 

Our vision is to train researchers who excel in curiosity-driven research that addresses regional health inequalities alongside national and global biomedical challenges.​

​

Updates:  We are also waiting for updates on some information, so where details are missing we will update as soon as available.  

​

Information webinar:  We held an information webinar on 12th August.  Please email dimen.dtp@sheffield.ac.uk if you would like to be sent the recording.  

 

Our priorities for excellence in research and training: 

 

• Regional focus: we have a strong regional focus across Yorkshire and the North East to forge research links, address health challenges, and engage with the bio-economy. Project applications with a regional focus will be welcomed. 
   

• Partnerships: DiMeN XL fosters partnerships and external engagement via: 

  • Collaborative projects:  (formerly iCASE) developed with non-academic partners

  • Cross-institutional projects: where primary and secondary supervisors are based in different DLA partner institutions. 

  • Interdisciplinary research: encouraging collaborative research across disciplines within and between partner institutions.
     

• Widening participation:  Embedding inclusive practices to champion diversity and remove barriers to engagement with doctoral research. 
   

The partner institutions of Sheffield, Leeds, York, Durham and Newcastle are all members of the Northern Health Science Alliance and share a commitment to addressing the stark social and health inequalities across Yorkshire and the North-East. These regions face persistent challenges, including higher rates of chronic illness, poor health and reduced life expectancy.
 

Central to our mission is widening participation and embedding inclusive practices that champion diversity and remove barriers to engagement.  Through this approach, we aim to nurture talent, promote excellence, and ensure every postgraduate researcher has the opportunity and support needed to thrive for a wide range of biomedical careers.