Since October 2018 the NERC Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability (FRESH CDT) has provided a world-class doctoral research and training environment, harnessing expertise from the GW4 universities as well as the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and British Geological Survey. The FRESH CDT builds on the GW4 legacy in exemplary doctoral training by collaborating with stakeholders to provide students with the theoretical and applied capability to tackle the complexity of freshwater challenges and develop and apply pioneering science across disciplines.