Working with employers, the projects will help provide the skills needed in the future economy and support the aims of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Each successful bidder has been awarded up to £200,000 of project funding from HEFCE’s Catalyst Fund programme, with additional investment provided by the universities, colleges, employers and other partners involved. Universities and colleges will develop and design courses in conjunction with employers, both national and local.

Across the country, this funding is supporting a range of projects in many different sectors which align with the Industrial Strategy’s ‘Grand Challenges’ – from advanced engineering to data analytics, and from artificial intelligence to bioscience.

HEFCE’s investment will help to enhance graduate outcomes and employability, and to upskill the workforce – providing the key skills that industry and employers will need and contributing to the UK’s productivity in the longer term.

HEFCE Chief Executive, Professor Madeleine Atkins, said:

‘We were delighted with the quality of proposals we received for this funding call and particularly the impressive levels of engagement between higher education and industry.

‘This investment represents important support for the Government’s Industrial Strategy. The funding will provide new courses and vital skill developments in key industrial sectors across the country, from which students, the workforce and employers all stand to benefit.’

Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah, said:

'I welcome the strong support from our higher education sector which highlights its commitment to delivering the skills that students need to thrive in our future economy.

'These projects will see providers working with employers across the country to develop higher level skills in areas such as digital and engineering, which will be vital to help build a Britain that is fit for the future.

'This will support the Industrial Strategy which also committed an additional £406 million to improving skills to help ensure we are boosting the earning power for everyone and producing the highly skilled workforce that UK employers need.'

The full list of projects funded under this programme is available at www.hefce.ac.uk/funding/catalyst/futureskills.