Nominations are now open for the BBSRC Innovator of the Year 2017 competition – this year there are four award categories including two new categories of Early Career Impact and International Impact. The deadline for applications is 15 February 2017 4pm.
For further information visit www.bbsrc.ac.uk/innovator

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) workshops are being organised by the KTN, we would encourage Network members to engage with these and more broadly with the ISCF and the emerging Industrial Strategy.

The industrial strategy challenge fund is a key part of the Government’s National Productivity Investment Fund. It is part of an investment which will be £2bn pa by 2020 and spending of the fund starts next financial year. Workshops are an opportunity to make the case for investment in bioscience by raising awareness of the industrial challenges which bioscience research can help solve and demonstrate that UK bioscience research is well placed to solve these challenges.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-engagement-workshops-expression-of-interest-tickets-30469309525?utm_campaign=SocialSignIn&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_content=Collaborating+with+business

The workshops are:
16th January – Southampton
17th January – Glasgow
18th January – London
20th January – Leeds
26th January – Birmingham
24th January – Liverpool
25th January – Cardiff
26th January – Belfast

Expressions of interest are being sought to attend a scoping meeting for a UK – India Newton Fund call in innovative biological solutions for managing industrial waste. Registration closes on 30 January 2017. Open to UK businesses, academics and other eligible organisations as per Innovate UK’s standard eligibility criteria. Further information and application form can be found here:
https://ktn-uk.co.uk/funding/scoping-workshop-biological-solutions-to-reducing-industrial-waste-environmental-inefficiency-and-pollution-in-india

Isomerase Therapeutics is a drug discovery and development company based in Cambridge, UK, with particular expertise in the discovery and development of optimised microbial and fungal natural products.

As a key member of the scientific team in a thriving biotech company, you will play an important role in developing the next generation of natural product-based therapeutics. Your duties will include carrying out synthetic biology techniques, small scale bacterial/fungal fermentations and analysis of secondary metabolite production.

You should possess a relevant science degree, preferably a PhD and have worked in a laboratory environment. Practical experience of standard molecular/synthetic biology techniques is essential. Previous experience with biosynthetic engineering, fermentation optimisation and culturing of fungus and/or actinomycetes would be advantageous. The successful candidate will possess excellent communication and reporting skills, be comfortable working as part of a team and should be keen to develop new techniques and methodologies.

We offer a competitive salary and a highly stimulating working environment. If you are interested in working to shape the future of a young and dynamic company and believe you have the skills and enthusiasm required then please forward a CV with a cover letter to info@isomerase.co.uk. Entitlement to work in the UK is essential. No recruitment agencies, please. Closing date 9th December 2016.

4 year PhD position available in the Osbourn lab at the John Innes Centre – start date Oct 2017: Directing biosynthesis of bioactive triterpenes for pharmaceutical applications
For more information please http://students.jic.ac.uk/directing-biosynthesis-of-bioactive-triterpenes-for-pharmaceutical-applications-osbourn_j17dtp/

4 year PhD position available in the Wilkinson lab at the John Innes Centre – start date Oct 2017: Targeting bacteria virulence
http://students.jic.ac.uk/targeting-bacterial-virulence-wilkinson_j17dtp1/

4 year PhD position available in the Wilkinson lab at the John Innes Centre – start date Oct 2017: Ant Pharming: genome mining for new antibiotics
http://students.jic.ac.uk/ant-pharming-genome-mining-for-new-antibiotics-wilkinson_j17dtp2/

This is the fifth in a series of meetings on natural product synthesis run by the Royal Society of Chemistry and supported by BBSRC. The conference takes place at the University of Warwick from the 22nd-24th March 2017. Full details can be found at http://rsc.li/dbv

Please note the following deadlines:
• Oral abstracts – 9th October 2016
• Poster abstracts – 8th January 2017
• Early bird registration deadline – 22nd January 2017
• Standard registration deadline – 22nd February 2017

We have vacancies for 2 Postdoctoral Research Associates to work on a H2020-funded project: “TOPCAPI: Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients”, based within the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. This 4-year project involves a total of 8 academic and industry partners from 4 different EU countries. The aim of the TOPCAPI project is to exploit the natural fabrication power of actinomycetes as microbial cell factories to produce high-value pharmaceutical ingredients.

We are looking for
1) One Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in synthetic and/or molecular biology allied to strong interests in genome editing, with a strong back ground in the manipulation of actinomycetes.
For more details and to apply see: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/universityofmanchesterinternal/displayjob.aspx?jobid=12186

2) One Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in computational biology, aligned with the requirements of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
For more details and to apply see:
https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/universityofmanchesterinternal/displayjob.aspx?jobid=12187

The positions are initially funded for 2 years with a possibility for extension to a maximum of 4 years.
The deadline for applications is 16 October 2016.

Full details about the post can be found at: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AOO658/research-associate-in-biochemistry/ with a closing date for applications of midnight next Monday (26th September).

This is the fifth in a series of meetings on natural product synthesis run by the Royal Society of Chemistry and supported by BBSRC. The conference takes place at the University of Warwick from the 22nd-24th March 2017. Full details can be found at http://rsc.li/dbv

Please note the following deadlines:
• Oral abstracts – 9th October 2016
• Poster abstracts – 8th January 2017
• Early bird registration deadline – 22nd January 2017
• Standard registration deadline – 22nd February 2017

Genopole is France’s leading biocluster for biotechnologies and research in genomics and genetics, is built upon the model of American and European campuses and unites innovative high-tech life sciences companies, public and private research and higher education facilities at a single site in Evry/Corbeil-Essonnes, just south of Paris. They have launched the Young Biotech Award competition for 2016 First prize : €100,000 and it is open to international projects and start-ups.

Who can apply?
→ A researcher, entrepreneur or student
→ Conceptualizing an innovation or developing one within a start-up (<3 years old) → Biotech applied to the following sectors: environment, food and agriculture and industry Want to know more about the Genopole Young Biotech Award? Follow this link! Contact details are : helene.virasith@genopole.fr, or Emily Hamblin | Regional Manager – Europe, West | UK Science & Innovation Network | British Embassy | 35 Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré | 75008 Paris | email: emily.hamblin@fco.gov.uk | telephone: +33 (0)1 44 51 31 39 | mobile: +33 (0)6 78 71 99 78: Alison MacEwen – alison.macewen@fco.gov.uk