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Industrial impact fellowships

Scheme discontinued

BBSRC’s Flexible Interchange Programme (FLIP) has been developed to support the movement of people between different environments, vital to the exchange of knowledge, technology and skills within the bioscience sector.

FLIP interchanges could potentially support highly skilled research and technology leaders who wish to bring an industrial perspective to managing and enhancing impact of BBSRC-funded research.

Further details of FLIP can be found at FLexible Interchange Programme (FLIP).

The 2011 call was the last in the programme's current form

This scheme enables highly skilled research and technology leaders to transfer their skills and experience from the industrial sector to BBSRC-funded centres, institutes or academic departments with significant BBSRC-funded research programmes.

Up to 3 fellowships are available to start by the end of 2012.

Aims

• To enhance the impact of BBSRC-funded research
• To encourage collaboration and partnership between academic and industrial sectors

What do fellowships entail?

We expect fellows will take on a significant ‘science programme manager’ role within an existing BBSRC-funded research programme. For example, fellows could manage innovation and business development, acting as liaison with industry partners, overseeing development of commercial potential of research etc.

Fellows will be based within research departments alongside academic colleagues working on major BBSRC research programmes, sharing their experience, skills and contacts.

Who is the scheme aimed at?

Individuals working (or recently employed) in research-intensive industrial sectors, for example:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Biotechnology
• Food and drink
• Engineering
• IT

An individual's skills and experience, which can enhance the impact of our research, are more important than the individual's sector. Skills might include:

• Managing diverse, cross-organisation/departmental research programmes
• Proven ability to run large multidisciplinary enterprises/projects
• The ability and credibility to work effectively with academic researchers
• The ability to recognise and develop commercial opportunities arising from science and technology
• The ability to enhance collaboration and provide a credible interface between academia and industry

Potential fellows should demonstrate how their industrial background and research will benefit the work of a BBSRC-funded centre, institute or academic department.

Eligibility

Applicants should:

• Have a PhD (or equivalent professional experience) and at least 5 years of industry experience working in research, technology or engineering roles
• Have current or recent R&D related employment in a commercial organisation
• Not have current or recent employment in a university or research institute

What do fellowships provide?

• Up to 2 years full time equivalent (FTE) activity on the proposed programme of work. Fellowships can be flexible, for example, 4 years at 50% FTE.  Matching funding from the host organisation to extend the period of the fellowship further is favoured and positively encouraged
• There is no fixed salary starting point. The fellow and hosting institution should agree on and cost a salary in the proposal
• Proposals can include costed requests for research support grants to help explore commercialisation work with academic colleagues. Fellowships do not provide grants for full, stand-alone research projects
• A guideline cost per fellowship is £200-400k (full economic costing)

Host organisation commitment

During the assessment process, we will be looking for substantial commitment to the fellow’s role from the host organisation.

A letter of support from the Head of Department should indicate:

• The institution's level of support to the fellow's role
• The longer term commitment to the fellow's employment (i.e. how the fellow will be embedded post-fellowship)
• Any financial support from institutional funds (e.g. matching funding)
• How the fellow’s role will complement that of any extant technology-transfer office or equivalent

How to apply

Submit your research development fellowship application form through the Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) system.

Refer to the following documents in the Downloads section before completing a proposal:

• BBSRC Fellowship Handbook
• Industrial Impact Fellowships: Guidance on submitting proposals
• Industrial Impact Fellowships: Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

For more general information on impact see related links.

Letter(s) of financial support from current or previous employers should be submitted, if applicable.

Case studies

Dr Malcolm Rhodes, University of Manchester, was awarded a BBSRC Industrial Impact Fellowship in July 2010

The fellowship will be based at the newly created Centre of Excellence for Biopharmaceuticals (COEBP) at The University of Manchester, directed by Prof. Alan Dickson. The COEBP was established at the end of 2009 with funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the North West Regional Development Agency and the University.

Biopharmaceuticals (also called biotherapeutics) present a powerful new class of medicines with the potential to diagnose, treat and cure many previously intractable human disease conditions. Working with industry partners from the bioprocessing and biopharmaceutical sector, the Centre brings internationally-recognised expertise to accelerate the development, production, harvest and utilisation of biopharmaceuticals.

The government report "Bioscience 2015" highlighted the opportunities for innovation in biopharmaceuticals, and the need for skilled researchers with industry relevant experience. This need has grown rapidly because this new industry has grown rapidly over the last 30 years. Five of the top ten pharmaceuticals today are biopharmaceuticals.

Malcolm aims to expand the Centre's contacts with companies worldwide. He will assist Manchester researchers to design projects of direct interest to companies, based on the excellent science from the Faculties of Life Sciences, Engineering and Physical Sciences and Medical and Human Sciences. In particular, the work of the BBSRC funded Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, with its linked Doctoral Training Centre, has great potential for application by this industry.

Malcolm has worked in Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies in various research, development and manufacturing positions, and is Industrial Co-ordinator for the BBSRC funded Bioprocessing Industry Research Club (BRIC). He is experienced in the development of high impact research programmes with industry relevance and intends to increase the impact of COEBP research by fostering a pipeline of cross-disciplinary projects that will form a coherent programme.

Dr Mark Christie, King’s College London (KCL), was awarded a BBSRC Industrial Impact Fellowship in July 2009

The aim of the fellowship is to focus on the two key priorities of partnership and education and will be based at the Centre for Integrative Biomedicine (CIB) at KCL, expanding the Centre’s contacts with Small to Medium Enterprises (SME’s) and Biotech companies in UK & Europe. Mark’s goals are to establish directly funded collaborations with industry, increase the number and relevance of partnered funding applications to the BBSRC by KCL academics and maintain the reputation & relevance of the training activity within the School of Biomedical Sciences. The CIB was established at KCL in 2007 and is joint funded by a BBSRC-led Capacity Building Award in Integrative Mammalian Biology. The research & training focus of the CIB is the study of whole animal function in normal and pathophysiological situations, and how fundamental processes in physiology and pharmacology maintain health at all stages of life.

Surveys published by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the UK and the BPS have identified a critical lack of pre-clinical in vivo skills in the UK workforce and a decline in the quantity and quality of graduates in the core drug discovery disciplines.

As an experienced industry scientist, Mark will act as Programme Manager with the objective of building sustainable relationships with industry partners and ensuring that the research & training activities of the CIB remain relevant to the biotech & pharmaceutical industry in the UK. He will work with King’s Business to ensure that collaborations and plans for exploitation are realised efficiently and in line with the strategic objectives of KCL. The Fellowship will start at the end of 2009 and be funded for 4 years, with continued support depending on the success of the initial post.

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