BrisSynBio, a multi-disciplinary research centre based at the University of Bristol specialising in biomolecular design and the engineering aspects of synthetic biology, has announced its first ever short course aimed at the biotech leaders of tomorrow.
The course will run for 4 days from 23 – 27 April 2017 covering the main strategies required to establish, build and manage a biotech company built around synthetic biology. The hope is the course will unlock the potential for a thriving biotech industry in Bristol.
“The South West has some of the best university biotech research in the world”
BrisSynBio’s Innovation Manager, Andy Boyce (pictured in the main image, above), tells us: “We set up the BrisSynBio 4-Day MBA course because the South West has some of the best university biotech research in the world. However, we have struggled to turn this research into new companies.
“The skills required in academia are often very different to those required in business. We want to give our researchers the training required to commercialise their research. This is a great way to get economic and social benefits from the fantastic public investment we have had from the government for our science.”
“We are hoping that this will help to build a national network of biotech entrepreneurs”
As part of the course, participants will come together into groups and use the lessons they have learnt to develop biotech business ideas with the ultimate goal being that some of these will turn into real companies.
Andy adds: “Even if this doesn’t happen immediately, we hope that participants will go away with a range of skills which will support the commercialisation of their research.”
The course is open to entrepreneurial researchers at any career stage from postgraduates to seasoned academics and industrialists across a range of research backgrounds including biology, chemistry, physics, computer science and engineering.
Andy says, “The course is also open to people outside of the South West. We are hoping that this will help to build a national network of biotech entrepreneurs for our future activities.”
Get involved in biotech
For those who are new to biotech, Andy explains: “At its core, biotech is about using living organisms to make or change things. Biology is great at making molecules with complex structures, such as medicines or nanomaterials. In many cases biotech provides an alternative to chemical processes that frequently use high temperatures, high pressures and dangerous chemicals.”
“We have just secured a £2,000 prize for the best business idea generated through the 4-Day MBA”
What’s more, if you’re interested, you might be pleased to know that the course will not only benefit aspiring biotech business leaders, but it will culminate in a free BrisSynBio Connect event open to all.
This will see course participants pitch their ideas to biotech investors as well as a public audience. The event will also showcase some of the most exciting translational research from BrisSynBio as well as some of the cutting edge synthetic biology products and applications from leading UK industrialists.
Adding extra kindling to the fire, Andy tells us: “We have just secured a £2,000 prize for the best business idea generated through the 4-Day MBA. This adds a really exciting element to the event and should really up the level of competition.
“The BrisSynBio Connect event is open to anyone and we’d be especially interested in getting participation from companies in the South West that haven’t previously worked with us or heard of synthetic biology.”
Applications for the course are open from now until 10 April. To find out more about the course and the details of how to apply, check out the BrisSynBio website. To stay up to date on BrisSynBio’s research and events, you can follow them on Twitter: @BrisSynBio.
