Skilling the workforce during COVID

IBioIC’s skills programme has continued throughout the restrictions of the pandemic. A total of 65 PhD students across four years have all returned to lab work, albeit in a reduced capacity.  Our MSc and HND programmes are being delivered online, with Glasgow Clyde and Forth Valley college HND students welcoming industry speakers, employment workshops, virtual lab tours and talks from our PhDs, while our MSc programme is continuing to place students with industry partners for industrial placements, and placement projects can be carried out remotely in the form of a desk-based proposal. 

Interested in hosting an MSc student within your organisation?  Contact skills@ibioic.com for an initial chat about the programme. 

IBioIC is continuing to work with our partner funders and host universities to support students wherever possible. The current training programme from IBioIC is being delivered online, and the intention is that some practical training will return in the summer. Where it hasn’t been possible to convert training to an online format, those activities have been postponed until 2022. 

The application process for the October 2021 cohort has been completed and we are delighted to announce that 15 BBSRC studentships are being awarded with the potential for additional joint funded projects with EastBio and EasyCat to be added to the cohort as part of an additional assessment process. 

Student Symposium

The IBioIC annual student symposium was held on Monday 8th February. Titled ‘Getting a Sense of IB’, the symposium had a range of speakers and exercises centred on the five senses. All participants were mailed a ‘senses’ box prior to the event which acted as an agenda throughout the day. In addition to our PhD students, a number of our MSc and HND students participated. Following on from the symposium all our PhDs, MSc and HNDs were invited to attend the IBioIC Annual Conference. In addition to attendance, PhD students also worked together in cross-cohort groups to produce short information videos on key IB topics which conference delegates will have seen playing between conference sessions. 

Training

IBioIC will be delivering practical training at the FlexBio centre as a partner in the successful Roslin CT bid for the Scottish Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network. This will provide funding to develop and deliver a range of courses over the next two years. 

Contact the skills team: skills@ibioic.com