Image 1 – Tomato seedling iStockphoto/Thinkstock, Image 2 – Fermenter iStockphoto/Thinkstock 2011, Image 3 – Wheat Hermerara/Getty Images, Image 4 –DNAConfig Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock, Image 5 – Jersey Cow iStockphoto/Thinkstock, Image 6 – Scientist Comstock / Thinkstock

BBSRC and the Age of Bioscience: The Impact of Biology and Biologists on the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy

Dr David McAllister

Head of Skills & Careers

Structure

• Public Funding of Research in the UK, RCUK and

BBSRC

• Impact of Biology

• BBSRC’s approach to Doctoral Training

• Expanding Your Horizons

Structure

• Public Funding of Research in the UK, RCUK and

BBSRC

• Impact of Biology

• BBSRC’s approach to Doctoral Training

• Expanding Your Horizons

Guide to BIS 2011-2012

UK Government (Treasury)

Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS)

Research Councils UK

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

BBSRC allocates over £400M p.a. (2010/11) to:

• Fund innovative, internationally competitive

bioscience research

• Train bioscientists

• Support knowledge exchange and encourage

economic and social impact

• Engage with the public

Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology

Food Security Basic bioscience underpinning health

Exploiting new ways of working

Three crucial underpinning themes

Knowledge exchange, innovation and skills

Partnerships

Strategic Plan 2010-2015

Underpinning the UK economy

Food & Drink:

£78Bn turnover in 2008Total exports £12Bn

Chemicals:

Sales over £60Bn paExports worth £46Bn in 2009

Agriculture:

Worth £8Bn in 2008

Pharmaceuticals:

• £21Bn exports in 2009• Trade surplus of £7Bn

Food & Agriculture:

• 14% of UK workforce in 2008

Structure

• Public Funding of Research in the UK, RCUK and

BBSRC

• Impact of Biology

• BBSRC’s approach to Doctoral Training

• Expanding Your Horizons

Maximising Impact

Beneforté ‘super broccoli’ case study

2011: UK launch in Marks & Spencer stores 4 October of high glucosinolate ‘super broccoli’, which has health benefits

Result of a collaboration between the John Innes Centre and Institute of Food Research, both of which receive long-term strategic funding from BBSRC, and Plant Bioscience Limited (PBL)

Steps towards better coccidiosis vaccines

• Coccidiosis is the most important parasite of poultry, estimated to cost over £1billion globally each year.

• Researchers from RVC, Imperial, Oxford and IAH have been working with funding from BBSRC, among others, to develop a new type of vaccine against coccidiosis.

• They have uncovered the proteins that allow the coccidiosis-causing-parasite, Eimeria, to attach-to and invade cells in a chicken's gut.

• The scientists found that when purified and used to inoculate chickens, one of these proteins provided the birds with some protection against coccidiosis and so shows promise as the basis of a new vaccine.

Second generation schizont of Eimeria tenella parasites growing in the caecum of the chicken. Copyright: Professor DJP Ferguson, University of Oxford

A vaccine of this type could be produced on a larger scale than is currently possible so could be used to provide much more

widespread protection to chicken flocks.

Structure

• Public Funding of Research in the UK, RCUK and

BBSRC

• Impact of Biology

• BBSRC’s approach to Doctoral Training

• Expanding Your Horizons

Doctoral Training

Partnerships, 220

Targeted Priority

Studentships, 30

Industrial CASE, 90

Ind CASE Partnership, 75

2013/14

Quota DTG, 337

Targeted Priority

Studentships, 89

Industrial CASE, 67

Ind CASE Partnership, 75

Masters, 110

2010/11

BBSRC studentships

•Strategic Alignment• Ensuring that BBSRC’s strategic priorities are addressed alongside the flexibility to attract the best students into world-class bioscience to ensure the flow of high-calibre students within and beyond academia

•Excellence of Training• Ensuring that students are provided with broad based scientific and professional development within excellent research environments

•Leverage• Not just funding (e.g. new investment in bioscience research & training), but commitment to highest standards of training

•Partnership• Working with institutions to help them understand and meet BBSRC’s expectations

•Concentration• Focusing funding on max.15-20 Partnerships which are willing to work with us on meeting our strategic aims

VISION: Excellent postgraduate training supporting BBSRC’s strategic mission for the biosciences, delivered through a balanced and manageable number of key training partnerships, and enhanced by engagement with BBSRC

£67M investment in bioscience skills & training"This... is excellent news for students, research organisations, industry and the UK as a whole. The brightest and best students will be finding solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing us all, from food security through to renewable energy.

"The partnership approach means that many institutions are combining their strengths to provide students with improved training and relevant work experience. This will better equip them for future careers, be it in research, industry, or elsewhere."

Rt. Hon. David Willetts MPMinister for Universities & Science24 January 2012

©Ti

m G

and

er, 2

01

2

BBSRC support for enhancing employability

Postdocs / PIs

Flexible

Interchange

Programme

Biotechnology

YES

Enterprise

Fellowships

Postgraduates

Industrial

CASE

Studentships

Policy

Placements

Research

Experience

PlacementsAdvanced

Training

Partnerships

Undergraduates

Professional

Internships for

PhD Students

Policy

Placements

Professional

Internships for

PhD Students

Only Policy Placements and PIPS provide opportunities

for substantial experience of non-research work

KTP

Professional Internships for PhD Students

• A mechanism to provide BBSRC funded PhD students with the

opportunity to carry out a non-academic work experience

placement during their PhD

• A three month placement not directly related to the PhD project

– e.g to provide experience of teaching, policy-making, media or

industry

• They are not intended to replace other generic or core skills training

• They should be taken by all PhD students funded through a DTP

– Including those set on an academic career

– Encouraged, but not compulsory, for CASE students

• They can be taken at any time during the four-year PhD

Anticipated outcomes of PIPS

• Increased promotion of movement across sectors – maximises

impact from research and brings great benefit to the UK economy

• Development of an early understanding of potential impact of

research and training on wider economy and society

• Personal and professional development – fulfilling career

• A placements scheme will complement a range of people

exchange schemes available to researchers

• Help identify potential careers paths – only a minority of PhD

students go on to a career in academia

• Benefits to students, research institutions and host organisations

• Flexibility and student choice are vital

Policy Placements

• A 3-month placement for BBSRC-funded PhD

students to gain experience of working in

science policy

• Examples of activities:

– Producing a POSTnote or similar briefing

document

– Contributing to a longer report

– Assisting a select committee in a current

inquiry

– Organising and running a policy workshop

• The scheme is due to open in July with a closing

date in Oct (tbc)

• Details will be available at:

www.bbsrc.ac.uk/business/people-information/policy-

placements

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Government Office for Science

National Assembly for Wales Research Service

Royal Society Science Policy Centre

Scottish Parliament Information Centre

Society of Biology

British Library

Centre for Science and Policy

Structure

• Public Funding of Research in the UK, RCUK and

BBSRC

• Impact of Biology

• BBSRC’s approach to Doctoral Training

• Expanding Your Horizons

Source: The

Scientific

Century:

securing our

future prosperity

(The Royal

Society, 2010)

Careers for researchers are variable and complex

Destinations of BBSRC funded PhD students

First destinations of BBSRC funded PhD students qualifying or completing their courses between 1 August 2007 - 31 July 2008 (source: HESA DHLE data)

44%

3%

1%

6%

2%

13%

4%

2%

12%

1% 8%

4%HE - research

HE - academic / other

Public sector - research

Public sector - other

Industry - research

Industry - other

Further study

Teaching

Other research

Self employed / voluntary

Not employed

Not known / other

• in 17th year and jointly organised by BBSRC / UNIEI (other sponsors: MRC, NERC, Industry)

• delivers commercialisation awareness training to almost 500 bioscientists

• regional workshops for teams of 5 PhD/Postdocs

• prepare presentation business plan, with help from expert mentors, based on imaginary biotechnology ideas

• Final (for £1000) in December

• very positive independent 2010 review

www.biotechnologyYES.co.uk

Biotechnology YES

“A fragrant win”Winning early-career researchers excel in

entrepreneurship

Metachem Solutions

(University of Oxford)

using yeast to produce high value fragrance components

Biotechnology YES 2011 winners

“The product that the PhD student creates is not the thesis… the product of their study is the development of themselves”Professor Sir Gareth Roberts FRS FREng

© B

riti

sh S

cien

ce A

sso

ciat

ion

Image 1 – Tomato seedling iStockphoto/Thinkstock, Image 2 – Fermenter iStockphoto/Thinkstock 2011, Image 3 – Wheat Hermerara/Getty Images, Image 4 –DNAConfig Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock, Image 5 – Jersey Cow iStockphoto/Thinkstock, Image 6 – Scientist Comstock / Thinkstock

Thank you for listening!

Any Questions?