Engineering Biology FTMA

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: EngBio FTMA+ will consolidate and grow the UK strengths in Engineering Biology by providing a suite of diverse opportunities for cross-sector and interdisciplinary knowledge exchange to build an agile and porous community and maximise its potential. It will function with the primary aim of contributing to the substantial scale-up of a skilled engineering biology workforce and the cultivation of an environment which supports research, innovation, and commercialisation in engineering biology.

This collaborative FTMA round, we have established a consortium including five institutions from across the UK (John Innes Centre and the Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, and York) focussing on two key objectives: 1) to upskill and mobilise post-doctoral scientists, research technicians and technical and skills specialists (RTPs), professional services staff and academic staff in an equitable and efficient manner providing targeted training, secondments, mentoring and accreditation to both develop their careers and enhance sector porosity. 2) to foster and build collaborative partnerships within the consortium and with other academic organisations, bioscience industries, commercial start-ups, the public sector and beyond.

PRIORITY AREA: Our selected thematic priority area of Engineering Biology is one of five critical technologies highlighted in the Government's Science and Technology Framework in which the UK has chosen to build strategic advantage. Our consortium has been built around our collective strengths in this area covering a suite of research topics and expertise (Figure 1), thus acting as a firm foundation on which to build connections and share knowledge.

AWARD MANAGEMENT: The JIC, as lead institution will convene a partnership committee, which will include a representative from each partner. This committee will be responsible for choosing the projects that will receive funding and reviewing them within the criteria of the award ensuring precise allocations to RTPs and early career researchers (ECRs).

Our approach to ensure good management of the funds will be to maximise the value of existing investments such as offering excellent established training courses to wider cohorts, using secondments to nurture existing collaborations and investment in establishing new collaborations.

ROLES OF BENEFICIARIES: It is imperative within the UK Engineering Biology ecosystem that the workforce is both highly trained in the intricate and complex experimental techniques required, as well as being cross-trained in the language and process of industry and commercialisation. Workers that can span the pipeline of discovery research to industrial application and social and environmental impact will be invaluable in delivering the full potential of engineering biology into practical solutions.

Therefore, the EngBio FTMA+ activities we envision will encompass a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing skills development across diverse roles and career stages and across the discovery to application pipeline. This award presents a unique opportunity to support eligible staff of partner members with opportunities spanning industry and academia, which is a priority for all members of the consortium and will include a mixture of professional training courses, targeted workshops for large cohorts to maximise the number of researchers exposed to upskilling opportunities and specific knowledge exchange secondments.

POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS: - The EngBio FTMA+ consortium benefits from an incredibly broad network of established collaborators and access to a wider network across sectors. These include SMEs, global industry, regional companies and networking and training organisations.