Fallow deer are an icon of the British landscape and an important part of the island's bio-cultural heritage. They are native to the Mediterranean but, over the last 2,000 years, have been repeatedly introduced to Britain. They are now more numerous than at any point in the past and are overgrazing landscapes and prohibiting woodland regeneration, to the detriment of their population's welfare and broader biodiversity. Deer culling is contested but is currently the only viable population management strategy. Deer stalkers are in decline due to lack of training and because younger generations have a negative perception of deer culling. Indeed, fear of negative publicity is a concern for deer management organisations, which further suppresses discourse on the subject. The cultural distaste for deer culling and venison consumption is exemplified by the National Food Strategy, which regards wild animals as outside of human consumption. For this reason, most wild venison is discarded or exported at a low price. By contrast supermarket venison is expensive and generally sourced from deer farms located as far away as New Zealand. Both the government-funded Deer Initiative (1995-2020) and DEFRA's 2022 consultation on deer management stressed that wild venison is affordable, healthy, high-welfare, sustainable and a by-product of necessary deer culling. Yet this messaging has not connected with the general public. Our AHRC-funded project Dama International generated the missing narrative to contextualise fallow deer management and present it in an engaging and palatable way. It demonstrated that modern fallow deer descend from populations established ~1000 AD as part of a medieval hunting culture. The species was hunted primarily by women and deer carcasses were ritually butchered, or 'unmade', and venison redistributed throughout society to facilitate community cohesion. To protect venison supplies, fallow deer were managed in parks and top predators (bears and wolves) were eradicated. Gradually, hunting and venison fell out of fashion, fallow deer escaped from parks and, in the absence of top predators their populations burgeoned. In essence the modern fallow deer problem is a legacy of the medieval period. Fair Game will use Sussex as a proof-of-concept region to demonstrate how Dama International's research can provide solutions to the intractable problems of deer management. We will do this by resuscitating medieval-style approaches to fallow deer hunting, carcass processing and venison redistribution by: Fostering a more diverse demographic for deer stalkers by providing deer management and game hygiene courses, aimed at younger people and women. Establishing communal infrastructure for the storage and supply of venison carcasses Creating a new 'Virtuous Venison' brand for redistribution via the food charity FareShare. Providing an engaging communication strategy (animated film and pop-up exhibitions) that explains the history of fallow deer, the need to cull them and the societal benefits of their venison. Fair Game is not only timely given the biodiversity crisis, cost of living crisis and rising demand for food banks but is justifiable on ethical and environmental grounds. We believe Fair Game will transform public understanding and ultimately the sector's approach to deer management.

Lancaster University, together with a formidable consortium of industrial and third-sector partners, proposes a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) aimed at cultivating international research leaders in Statistics and Operational Research (STOR) through a programme in which real-world challenge is the catalyst for cutting-edge methodological advancement. Our partners face a challenging reality: the demand for highly-trained STOR data specialists consistently exceeds the available supply. This situation is exacerbated by the ever-growing significance of data in both the economy and society. Our proposal directly addresses this pressing demand, focussing on the priority area "meeting a user-need". The newly envisioned Centre builds upon the strengths and knowledge derived from an existing, internationally recognised EPSRC CDT. Expanding upon this foundation and with the input of an enlarged partner network, including blue-chip companies, SMEs, and third-sector organisations, we propose a Centre poised to recruit and train 70 students across five cohorts. This program will harness industrial and charitable challenges as inspirational springboards for conducting the highest calibre research. The new programme will innovate by * Developing a new MRes programme co-designed and delivered with our partners; * Including a comprehensive training programme on advanced, reproducible programming for STOR, co-ordinated by the Centre's dedicated, industry-funded, Research Software Engineer; * Embedding industrial and third-sector collaboration throughout the student experience; * Hosting seeded research clusters: vibrant, cross-cohort, cross-sector retreats to explore and develop early-stage challenges emerging from the shared interests of STOR-i and its partners; * Developing an ambitious doctoral exchange programme with highly regarded international university partners, comprising student exchanges, co-supervision and shared training activities. Our partners play an integral role in the Centre's plans, with 80% of doctoral projects adopting a CASE-like approach, receiving co-funding and co-supervision from industrial partners. All other students will engage in industrial research internships. Additionally, partners will lead problem-solving events, data immersion experiences, and contribute to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities such as leadership talks, fireside chats, and advanced programming training. The partnership is deeply committed to ensuring the broader impact of STOR-i as a national resource. To this end, the Centre will establish a suite of funded activities open to all UK STOR doctoral students. These include an annual STOR summer school with an emphasis on leadership skills, advanced programming, and a data dive focused on charitable endeavours. Additionally, students will have access to masterclasses and research visits. STOR-i will deliver a wide range of benefits and scientific outcomes to the end-user community, underpinned by three fundamental pillars: 1. People: Our CDT will inject 70 highly talented, diverse PhD graduates into the field, armed with the technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills essential for flourishing careers in STOR across a range of sectors. These graduates will serve as catalysts for innovation, driving cutting-edge research, and enhancing the UK's economic competitiveness. 2. Knowledge: The CDT will generate a wealth of cutting-edge research, disseminated in top STOR journals, and presented at major international conferences. This research will tackle substantial real-world challenges, yielding fresh insights and breakthroughs in STOR. 3. Impact: Our CDT will make a tangible difference in society and the economy by producing (i) case studies and (ii) a repository of documented and reproducible software, available to the public. This will facilitate widespread adoption of our research, leading to meaningful societal and economic impact.