MIB rebrands to Manchester Institute of Biotechnology

03 Nov 2012

The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology is celebrating its name change this week through a series of events. It’s felt the new brand will help people understand better the wide range of research work taking place at the centre.

MIB has 60 research groups with approximately 120 postdoctoral researchers and 300 full time postgraduate students who come from the disciplines of Chemistry, Biology, Computation, Chemical Engineering and Medicine. Research is geared towards understanding the basic principles of biology, chemistry and bioengineering to ensure advances in biotechnology that will impact in areas such as human health, the energy economy, food security, industrial transformations and the environment.

A launch event this afternoon (5 November) will see Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell officially welcome the name change. There will be a talk by Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC and resident of the MIB on ‘Biotechnology in context’. The event will be attended by staff from across the university alongside industry representatives from the many partnerships the MIB has built up over the years.

A research conferencewill be held on Tuesday to highlight some of the big science stories. There will also be seminars introducing new Chair appointees Professor Eriko Takano (Chair of Biotechnology, FLS) and Professor Rainer Breitling (Chair of Systems Biology).

On Friday, 9 November the MIB will for the first time be opening its doors to 200 A-AS students from 12 schools and colleges from across the North of England. The day will provide them with a uniqueopportunity to visit a world class research institute and see behind the scenes. Students will take part in a number of activities including interactive research stands and guided tours of the research laboratories.

The MIB’s Director, Nigel Scrutton says the centre has a big future ahead of it: “The Manchester Institute of Biotechnologyreflects our leading research activity in the many areas of biotechnology; including medical biotechnology and therapeutics, and industrial biotechnology. This week’s events will make a bold statement about the research focus and future of the Institute”.