Graduates have positive impact on regional biopharma industry

Wednesday 17 March 2010

The 11-month internships are intended to develop and retain skilled staff within the UK biopharma industry. They are supporting companies of all sizes in moving forward with projects in a time of downsizing, recruitment freezes and challenging economic conditions. Interns are gaining invaluable industrial experience, skills and knowledge in areas of key interest to the industry itself.

Amanda Harding , 28 who graduated from the University of Aberdeen is one of 18 interns on the scheme and has been working at Green Biologics in Abingdon, assisting them with conversion of biomass into renewable fuels and chemicals as part of the Microbial Physiology Group.

Amanda said: “Working for a small company has given me a great opportunity to interact with and learn from all members of the team, from those in the lab to the company executives. My communication skills are continually improving as a result of attending and presenting my data at regular project meetings and at informal company meetings. One of the best things about this internship is the experience of being part of the team and contributing to the company’s commercial success.”

Preben Krabben, Green Biologics company supervisor, said: “Amanda’s work has enabled us to easily discriminate a large number of naturally occurring butanol producers, and she has developed transformation protocols for further augmenting their natural capacity of butanol production. One of the biggest changes moving from an academic position to an industrial position is communications, time, and project management. The Universities of Reading and Surrey have provided a very good and eye opening work-shop on time management and communication.”

Adewale Raji, 27 and graduated from Imperial College London is one of three interns working at Pfizer in Kent.

He said: “I have been able to work with and learn from influential and seasoned experts in the pharmaceutical research industry through real life drug-discovery projects. I have been able to use mathematical modelling skills to predict drug efficacy and safety, helping to save time and cost in conducting pre-clinical trials. If it wasn’t for the ECIF scheme, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to apply my mathematical skills in a pharmaceutical research company so early on in my career.”

David Fox, Director of External Chemistry Partnerships at Pfizer, commented: “All of our interns have already made important contributions to our drug-discovery projects and have helped us to establish new scientific links with the Universities of Reading and Surrey. We have been particularly impressed by the quality of the interns and the level of support they have received from the universities.”

In April, 12 new interns will begin working in various regional biopharma industries, this time on short term projects of 5 months.

ECIF Project Manager Sofie Verzylbergen commented: “We are very pleased to be able to offer these additional internships as they will allow us to compare the impact of shorter term and longer term placements in industry. This research will be incorporated in the final evaluation for the Reading-Surrey ECIF project and will help shape future collaborative projects.”

In the long term, the project will allow the universities and their industrial partners to learn more about how graduates can be helped to manage the transition from university to work in biopharma and to consider how this transition can be improved for future graduates. The project will also help to gain a better understanding of industry skills gaps and make recommendations on how universities and industry might work together to help address these.

Media Enquiries

Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk