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Manchester awarded prestigious Rutherford Fund Strategic Partner Grant

13 Feb 2018

The University of Manchester has been awarded a £149,500 Rutherford Fund Strategic Partner Grant

Through the Rutherford Fund, the University will work with strategic partners to deliver a fellowship programme for researchers who seek to collaborate on opportunities presented by emerging bioscience and biotechnology in addressing challenges of the bioeconomy, sustainability and inclusiveness in Latin America.

In total six Early Career Researchers from Brazil (University of Campinas), Argentina (Universidad Nacional de Rosario), and Colombia (Universidad Externado de Colombia) will be recruited, each spending 6 months in Manchester. Four bioscience Rutherford Fellows will be hosted at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), working on projects including: the development of biocatalysts for bio-based manufacture; synthetic biology for microbial production of antibiotics and fine chemicals; and enabling biotechnologies to support sustainable production processes and bioremediation. Two social science Rutherford Fellows will be hosted at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR), working on responsible innovation and sustainability implications of emerging industrial and agricultural biotechnologies in Latin America.

The Manchester application was led by Dr Neil Dixon (MIB/School of Chemistry) in partnership with Professor Philip Shapira (MIOIR/Alliance Manchester Business School). Dr Dixon commented “We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious grant. This funding will allow us to strengthen strategic links with key collaborators across Latin America and provide new opportunities for further collaboration and joint working”. Professor Shapira added "The Manchester Institute of Innovation Research is very pleased to team with the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology in advancing responsible innovation and sustainability bioeconomy research themes with the Rutherford Research Fellows that we will host in Manchester."

The fellowships are funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Universities UK International (UUKi) Rutherford Fund Strategic Partner Grants programme, with the aim of attracting global talent and strengthening the UK's research base. 

More details are available online.