Edinburgh Research and Innovation, the commercialisation arm of The University of Edinburgh, is hosting an Academic Industry Meeting (AIM) day event, which will help unravel the life science challenges faced by companies and provide practical innovative solutions to help them advance their research and development.
In 2014, the university became the first academic institute outside Scandinavia to be approved as hosts for AIMday - a collaborative knowledge exchange initiative that has its origins at Uppsala University in Sweden.
By working collaboratively at the event on real life science industry challenges, fresh understanding and perspectives can be brought to a company's strategic objectives. In addition, the day gives academics valuable insights into the issues companies are having difficulties with and how these might relate to their own research.
This showcase event will foster closer ties that enable businesses to work collaboratively with academic specialists spanning key university research areas in industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology, sensors and imaging, bringing fresher perspective to issues and challenges faced by these companies, which may not have access to such high level academic expertise. Extending this further, the Life Sciences AIMday will allow companies access to research in ‘Industrial Biotechnology’, which harnesses cellular and bio-molecular processes to develop technologies and bio-based products in numerous industry sectors such as chemicals, food and drink, materials and energy.
In addition, the University of Edinburgh is keen to highlight its work in Synthetic Biology. Widely recognised as a leader in this field, this is a core area of investment and growth with pioneering new research that delivers transformative solutions for affordable and effective healthcare, food security, the production of novel materials and greener sources of energy.
The AIMday format is unique – one question, one hour, and a group of academic experts discuss several pathways to a solution for the question posed by attending companies. The AIMday events are already proving successful in finding useful contacts, collaborations and new solutions to challenges facing industry.
Lorraine Kerr, commercial relations executive at Edinburgh Research and Innovation comments: “Businesses can often face what they might perceive as insurmountable challenges to get a product or service to the next stage of its evolution, so the announcement of an AIMday focused on the topic of Life Sciences is great news for Edinburgh.
"We have recently appointed new academic staff into the Life Sciences area and are investing in new facilities that will support continued research excellence. This event will help to facilitate company access to this expertise ensuring that our research has impact and relevance to the day-to-day challenges that industry faces."
The AIMday event will be held on Wednesday 9th September 2015 at the University’s Kings Buildings Campus.
Companies can register to attend and submit their questions for Edinburgh’s academic experts until Friday 19th June via the AIMday website.
