Objective
The University College Cork (UCC) hinterland is the location for the largest cluster of European pharmaceutical manufacturing, employing over 20,000 people and contributing exports of ¿34 billion annually. This position of European commercial strength is subject to intense outside competition, with governments offering favourable taxation regimes to companies establishing pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in their countries.
To maintain competitiveness, this cluster of European pharmaceutical manufacturing is broadening its operations to include process development RandD, formulation, product finishing and biotechnology-based operations. Achieving this diversification requires an extension of the skills and competencies of the workforce to include the physical characterisation and processing of pharmaceutical materials and bio-materials. In recognition of this strategically vital research and training need, UCC has established focused research programmes in
- pharmaceutical crystal engineering,
- functional pharmaceutical materials, and
- bio-molecular formulation and bio-pharmaceutics.
Under the present Transfer of Knowledge proposal, three experienced researchers would be recruited for two years each, one to each programme, to transfer essential skills and competencies on the physical characterisation and processing of pharmaceutical materials and bio-materials. In addition, two experienced researchers from UCC would be seconded for four months to the Weizmann Institute, Israel; and one would be seconded for six months to the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
During the return phase, these researchers would transfer knowledge on crystal nucleation and biomolecule-crystal interactions (from the Weizmann Institute) and on formulation of biomolecules (from the University of Utrecht).
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcrystals
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistry
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterials
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-3
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