Category: NIBB News

ECR – IB Skills Workshop – 18 and 19 May 16 – Register NOW

C1Net and a number of other BBSRC NIBBs are planning to fund a joint 2 day conference for young scientists working in IBB.

The event will be organized by Cogent, and is supported by the BBSRC and the IBLF skills group.

When 18th & 19th May, 2016Start: ~10.00am On 18th MayFinish: ~4.00pm on 19th May
Where Manchester MacDonald Hotel, London Road, Manchester M1 2PG.
What Free participation and Full boardThe event has 5 main objectives:1.       To make scientists aware of the many non-laboratory career options within Industrial Biotechnology

2.       To do some training on soft skills, such as communications, project management, IP, finance etc.

3.       To explain what it is like to work in industry in companies of different sizes

4.       How to write different proposals for getting money

5.       To be able to meet practising people from different disciplines such as patents, marketing, quality & regulations etc and to meet representatives from companies who during 2016 will be looking for extra staff

C1net will be able to offer ~10 free places at this event, which will be awarded to successful applicants.
More details and an application process will follow.

To register you interest please email jacqueline.minton@nottingham.ac.uk ASAP

Another BIV delivers! A new tool for AD energy requirements

The AD Network funded the University of Southampton and IEA Task 37 (UK) to produce a new program based modelling tool for anyone interested in modelling an AD system. At its simplest, it can be used to calculate potential biogas (and electrical) output for a system, but it is also sophisticated enough to calculated wider energy use and production across a whole system.

The model includes a wide variety of potential AD feedstocks, but users are also able to enter their own values. It is also possible to compare scenarios and to export all the information as a .CSV in order to further manipulate the outputs.

A really useful tool and it’s FREE. Download it from the Bioenergy and Organic Resources Research Group website.

Anaerobic Digestion Network ECR Travel Vouchers Available for Biogas Science: Hungary Aug 16

The Anaerobic Digestion Network is offering a limited number of Travel Bursaries for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to attend the above event to be held on 21-24th Aug 16 at the University of Szeged in Hungary. The Anaerobic Digestion Network can fund travel and accommodation expenses up to £1500 to present at major events in the AD calendar. If you are an Early Career Researcher, are presenting at an event in the UK or overseas,  simply fill in our application form at: http://www.anaerobicdigestionnet.com/funding

Updates from all the NIBB Networks

All the activities from all the BBSRC Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) have now been collated. This information includes all the Business Interaction Vouchers and Proof of Concept grants awarded by all the Networks thus far, as well as a number of interesting statistics. Download this information at the BBSRC NIBB website here.

Metals, Synthetic Biology & C1 Gas Scoping Workshop – 12-13 Nov 15 – Canterbury

The cellular ‘circuitry’ that supplies metals to enzymes is a target for Synthetic Biology. Nearly a half of the enzymes in the protein databank contain metals at their active sites.  Most of these enzymes will bind wrong metals more tightly than the ones needed for activity.  Cell have ‘circuits’ (metallochaperones, metal-importers, -exporters, -sensors, storage proteins, cofactor-assembly pathways) to assist enzyme metalation. There is opportunity to manipulate these circuits to optimise the activities of enzymes in industrial biotechnology and to design novel bio-metallic cofactors. Key enzymes required for the utilisation of C1-gases have especially diverse (exotic) metal demands: The Ni-containing tetrapyrrole F430 in methyl CoM reductase, Cu or Fe in different methane monoxygenases, Co in vitamin B12 associated with various methyl donors enzymes, Fe and Ni hydrogenases, as just a few exemplars. This joint event has been organised by the Metals in Biology and C1net BBSRC NIBB to explore synergy and the scope for joint research.

Registration If you would like to attend this event please get in touch with Charlotte Harrison (email below) ASAP as there are a limited number of places which includes overnight accommodation: C.Harrison-560@kent.ac.uk

Further information is on the on this flyer: Synthetic Biology Event

This is a joint event between Metals in Biology and C1 Net.

Metals related Antimicrobials event – 26-27 November 15 – Durham

Among the candidates for new antimicrobials are metals (see Nature “Bacterial arms race revs up” 402-403, May 2015), chelants, ionophores and agents that interfere with the metal-handling systems of microbes and hosts. This event will highlight advances in understanding the metal-handling systems of microbes, nutritional immunity and why metals are a microbial “Achilles heel”.  Examples of ongoing research involving Academia and Industry will be presented but the purpose of the event is to identify new opportunities for Innovation, to initiate collaborations and to understand potential implications of policy regulations. See the flyer: Metal-related antimicrobials event

Registration If you would like to attend this event, please get in touch (email below) ASAP – especially if you want to attend the second day as there are a limited number of places which includes overnight accommodation: metals.bbsrcnibb@durham.ac.uk

Industrial Applications of Metal-Microbe Interactions – 26-27 Nov 15 – University of Durham

This SGM focused meeting will bring together academics and industrialists to build collaborations in the areas of: biomining; biorecovery and bioprocessing; bioremediation; and biofabrication of higher value products.
Registration If you would like to attend this event contact: conferences@sgm.ac.uk

 

Characterising and Utilising Rhodococcus Workshop – York – 2 Nov 15

Discussion topics include challenges in delivering Rhodococcus biocatalysts to industry; metal‐dependent oxygenases; new enzyme discovery/substrate re‐tuning; molecular biology toolkit for working in Rhodococcus; the academia–industry interface (presentation by the CPI). Attendance at this collaboration-building meeting will allow you to engage with an innovative community, interact with key opinion leaders and enable you to work on & gain help with industry‐relevant scientific challenges. Further information is on the Rhodococcus flyer

Registration If you would like to attend this event, contact Charlotte Harrison ASAP, as there are a  limited number of places: C.Harrison-560@kent.ac.uk

Another BBSRC BIV Completed – Food Waste Net

Fiberight and Southampton have just completed a BIV project on ‘Recovery of food waste from municipal solid waste (MSW)’ during pulping, with funding from the BBSRC FoodWasteNet NIBB (www.foodwastenet.org). The aims of the work were to test an alternative separation technology for Fiberight’s innovative MSW-based sugar platform process, and determine how much food waste can be recovered from different stages. The sidestreams can then be tested for their potential to produce energy and higher-value products. The process is thus a key part of a waste-based biorefinery.

Permastore Tanks and University of Southampton complete first BIV

The Environmental Labs at the University of Southampton have just completed our first Business Interaction Voucher (BIV) project in conjunction with Permastore Ltd. The work involved development of a test procedure for materials to be used in advanced anaerobic digestion applications, including at thermophilic temperatures and in harsh conditions where the process may become unstable or fail. Testing was based on continuous simulation in 35-litre anaerobic digesters, and has provided comprehensive data that would not be available from simple batch tests. An innovative side-stream ammonia stripping system was used to control digestion parameters and provide a wide range of reactor conditions. This BIV was funded by BBSRC through the Anaerobic Digestion Network.

Information on all the work done in the Environmental Labs can be found on their Facebook page.

You too can benefit from such funding for academic help: see www.anaerobicdigestionnet.com/funding for more information.