The NBIC Doctoral Training Centre BRINGING TOGETHER RESEARCH, TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 44 The NBIC Doctoral Training Centre in Biofilms Innovation, Technology and Engineering (BITE) was established in early 2019 and provides a unique and diverse environment to students, with opportunities to network with experts in other disciplines, engage in peer-to-peer learning and participate in collaborative problem solving, as well as partake in student exchanges with international centres of excellence, attend summer schools, joint-nature conferences, and secondments and masterclasses showcasing frontier thinking. It is a world-class integrated pipeline of interdisciplinary training, involving a partnership between NBIC’s four core universities: Edinburgh, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton, alongside international institutes and industry partners. It is the UK’s first graduate training centre to address the skills and knowledge gaps in the biofilm field. We currently have 71 students enrolled in the BITE programme. In October 2021, BBSRC awarded NBIC’s Industrial Advisory Board an annual allocation of funds toward the delivery of Collaborative Training Partnerships (CTP) scheme to support interdisciplinary PhD studentships. The CTP scheme is a doctoral training programme directed at industrial research challenges and delivered by consortia led by businesses in collaboration with research organisations. Twenty- two students have been recruited using the CTP funding, with a further seventeen studentships leveraged as paired studentships. These students form part of our broader BITE cohort. Our BITE Doctoral Training Centre draws on over 70 academic supervisors from physical, mathematical, engineering, life and clinical sciences within the partner research institutions to provide a unique, multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial training experience to the next generation of research leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs, to deliver breakthrough science and technologies in this field. Graduates are supported to develop broad innovation horizons and seamlessly transition from research into technology and impact arenas. NBIC TECHNICAL MODULES NBIC’s four core universities have developed a bespoke training programme, providing an extensive introduction to biofilms and biofilm research from a variety of angles within their areas of specialisation. These technical modules feature a blend of theoretical knowledge provided through lectures and demonstrations, as well as practical skills through hands- on exercises. They also offer networking opportunities for students with other PhD researchers, biofilm experts and representatives from industry. Initially designed for PhD students enrolled in the NBIC Doctoral Training Centre, the training is also accessible to industry partners and industry members within the NBIC consortium. Over the last 12 months, three technical modules have been delivered at the Universities of Edinburgh, Liverpool and Southampton, with modules rotating across the four core universities to reflect their specialist areas of biofilm research: • The University of Nottingham: ‘Microbiology: From Cell Biology to Biofilms.’ • The University of Southampton: ‘’Omics Technologies for Biofilm Research.’ • The University of Edinburgh: ‘Thinking About Biofilms Like a Physicist.’ • The University of Liverpool: ‘Surfaces and Materials Meet Biofilms.’ In addition to this technical training, participants also receive professional development support through complementary soft skills sessions, including policy awareness and stakeholder engagement training. By combining the expertise of four core universities, the Doctoral Training Centre provides the synergy, critical mass, and the breadth and depth required to deliver an ambitious training programme in biofilm science, engineering and technology.
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