Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BIOTIN (Biomedical Technologies and Innovation Doctoral Programme)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-01-01 bis 2024-12-31
Despite the recent advances, there remains a significant gap between scientific discoveries and real-life applications in biomedical research. One of the main reasons that has been slowing down translation of academic discoveries in the biomedical field is the lack of qualified personnel having multidisciplinary technical skills endowed with transferrable skills.
Biomedical Technologies and Innovation (BIOTIN) Doctoral Program aims to provide 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) a unique blend of research training skills in the convergence of life sciences, engineering, and computational & data science, and entrepreneurship, to advance innovation in biomedical field. BIOTIN is coordinated by Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) in collaboration with two implementing partners: Boğaziçi University (BOUN) and Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG). A total of 28 associated partner organisations (17 academic and 11 non-academic) is contributing to the program. The program offers interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and international mobility opportunities by bringing together academic and industry institutions, research centers and technology-driven startups around the world. It also provides fellows opportunities to work on cutting-edge research projects along with personalized career development plans focusing on developing scientific expertise, transferable skills, and professional competencies.
BIOTIN program will generate highly-skilled, innovation-minded experts who can address complex biomedical challenges, leading to the development of startups, patents, and innovations in the field of biomedical sciences and technologies. Thus, BIOTIN will not only contribute to improved employability and career development for the DCs, it will also contribute to increased innovation and entrepreneurship in biomedical field and competitiveness of the EU in research and innovation.
Biomedical Technologies and Innovation (BIOTIN) Doctoral Program aims to provide 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) a unique blend of research training skills in the convergence of life sciences, engineering, and computational & data science, and entrepreneurship, to advance innovation in biomedical field. BIOTIN is coordinated by Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) in collaboration with two implementing partners: Boğaziçi University (BOUN) and Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG). A total of 28 associated partner organisations (17 academic and 11 non-academic) is contributing to the program. The program offers interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and international mobility opportunities by bringing together academic and industry institutions, research centers and technology-driven startups around the world. It also provides fellows opportunities to work on cutting-edge research projects along with personalized career development plans focusing on developing scientific expertise, transferable skills, and professional competencies.
BIOTIN program will generate highly-skilled, innovation-minded experts who can address complex biomedical challenges, leading to the development of startups, patents, and innovations in the field of biomedical sciences and technologies. Thus, BIOTIN will not only contribute to improved employability and career development for the DCs, it will also contribute to increased innovation and entrepreneurship in biomedical field and competitiveness of the EU in research and innovation.
BIOTIN project successfully performed several key activities as highlighted below:
1- Recruitment of DCs (Work Package (WP) 3): The BIOTIN Team organized a comprehensive and transparent selection process through two open calls with wide dissemination activities across various digital platforms and human resources portals promoting gender equality among applications.
The recruitment processes were carried out by academic and non-academic independent experts in accordance with MSCA guidelines, ensuring diversity and gender balance. The recruitment process adhered strictly to the European Charter for Researchers. The BIOTIN project commenced on January 01, 2023. The DCs started the program between November 2023 and October 2024. While all 10 DC positions were filled at the end of the recruitment processes, the program currently has 8 DCs due to withdrawals.
2- Research and Training (WP 5): The scientific component of BIOTIN has focused on highly interdisciplinary research activities combining life sciences, engineering and data science to tackle complex challenges related to disease modeling, drug delivery systems, organoid technologies nanobiomaterials and smart prosthetic devices. Interdisciplinary and industry-experienced supervisor teams guide research projects and ensure that DCs receive top-tier mentoring.
BIOTIN has placed a strong emphasis on comprehensive training and skill development. Key events carried out in the first reporting term included mandatory PhD courses tailored to the research needs of DCs, an introduction event at implementing and associated partner organizations and a training session on innovation and entrepreneurship.
3- Career Development (WP 5): Another key achievement was the preparation and implementation of Personal Career Development Plan (PCDP) tailored for each DC. These plans were designed to address both the individual research/technical needs and long-term career aspirations of the fellows. Each PCDP has been monitored and updated regularly to ensure alignment with research goals and career milestones. Progress has been evaluated using 37 well-defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track achievements in each semester.
4- Management (WP 2): The BIOTIN program is being managed by the BIOTIN Management Committee (MC). The MC has carried out all the required tasks on time, including submission of all milestones and deliverables, planning of all training, networking and dissemination activities, management of IPR, ethical and financial issues. During the first reporting term, the MC prepared detailed documents for application, selection and recruitment processes as well as supervision and ethical issues to ensure the compliance of the BIOTIN program with the grant agreement and MSCA rules.
5- Data Management (WP 2): A detailed Data Management Plan was developed and submitted to the REA to ensure proper data management during the project timeline. Data management practices in BIOTIN follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), ensuring that data generated within the research projects is properly stored and shared in accordance with Horizon Europe standards.
6- Ethics (WP 1): BIOTIN program ensures full ethical compliance with fundamental ethics principles and the major European and national regulations on ethical issues, including those reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the relevant ethics rules of Horizon Europe. Accordingly, a detailed Ethics Guide was prepared and shared with all fellows and supervisors to maintain ethical standards.
1- Recruitment of DCs (Work Package (WP) 3): The BIOTIN Team organized a comprehensive and transparent selection process through two open calls with wide dissemination activities across various digital platforms and human resources portals promoting gender equality among applications.
The recruitment processes were carried out by academic and non-academic independent experts in accordance with MSCA guidelines, ensuring diversity and gender balance. The recruitment process adhered strictly to the European Charter for Researchers. The BIOTIN project commenced on January 01, 2023. The DCs started the program between November 2023 and October 2024. While all 10 DC positions were filled at the end of the recruitment processes, the program currently has 8 DCs due to withdrawals.
2- Research and Training (WP 5): The scientific component of BIOTIN has focused on highly interdisciplinary research activities combining life sciences, engineering and data science to tackle complex challenges related to disease modeling, drug delivery systems, organoid technologies nanobiomaterials and smart prosthetic devices. Interdisciplinary and industry-experienced supervisor teams guide research projects and ensure that DCs receive top-tier mentoring.
BIOTIN has placed a strong emphasis on comprehensive training and skill development. Key events carried out in the first reporting term included mandatory PhD courses tailored to the research needs of DCs, an introduction event at implementing and associated partner organizations and a training session on innovation and entrepreneurship.
3- Career Development (WP 5): Another key achievement was the preparation and implementation of Personal Career Development Plan (PCDP) tailored for each DC. These plans were designed to address both the individual research/technical needs and long-term career aspirations of the fellows. Each PCDP has been monitored and updated regularly to ensure alignment with research goals and career milestones. Progress has been evaluated using 37 well-defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track achievements in each semester.
4- Management (WP 2): The BIOTIN program is being managed by the BIOTIN Management Committee (MC). The MC has carried out all the required tasks on time, including submission of all milestones and deliverables, planning of all training, networking and dissemination activities, management of IPR, ethical and financial issues. During the first reporting term, the MC prepared detailed documents for application, selection and recruitment processes as well as supervision and ethical issues to ensure the compliance of the BIOTIN program with the grant agreement and MSCA rules.
5- Data Management (WP 2): A detailed Data Management Plan was developed and submitted to the REA to ensure proper data management during the project timeline. Data management practices in BIOTIN follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), ensuring that data generated within the research projects is properly stored and shared in accordance with Horizon Europe standards.
6- Ethics (WP 1): BIOTIN program ensures full ethical compliance with fundamental ethics principles and the major European and national regulations on ethical issues, including those reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the relevant ethics rules of Horizon Europe. Accordingly, a detailed Ethics Guide was prepared and shared with all fellows and supervisors to maintain ethical standards.
BIOTIN Program has established a cross-disciplinary research eco-system to provide high-quality, innovation-oriented training to DCs to enable new breakthroughs in biomedical field. The integration of data and computational sciences with biomedical curriculum and the exposure of DCs to trainings on entrepreneurship at the early stages of their curriculum are significant aspects of the program.
One of the key impacts of the BIOTIN program is its contribution to the development of highly skilled, cross-disciplinary researchers equipped with both academic knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. The research conducted within BIOTIN is highly relevant to the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. The program actively supports innovation and entrepreneurship activities using potential research outcomes such as improved drug delivery systems, real-time models for drug discovery and prosthetic devices. The outcomes of the research projects have the potential to influence scientific, societal, and industrial landscapes at both national and international levels through scientific publications, patents, new prototypes, start-ups and products from short- to long-term.
BIOTIN strengthens inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary collaborations across the project partners. Furthermore, BIOTIN contributes to the establishment of industry-university collaborations and also enables companies to access highly skilled human resources. While the curriculum created within BIOTIN is new at national level and may evolve in the long term into a new graduate program, the “innovation-minded, data-science powered biomedical research” goal of BIOTIN has positioned the participating organizations as leading institutions in biomedical education at national level.
One of the key impacts of the BIOTIN program is its contribution to the development of highly skilled, cross-disciplinary researchers equipped with both academic knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. The research conducted within BIOTIN is highly relevant to the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. The program actively supports innovation and entrepreneurship activities using potential research outcomes such as improved drug delivery systems, real-time models for drug discovery and prosthetic devices. The outcomes of the research projects have the potential to influence scientific, societal, and industrial landscapes at both national and international levels through scientific publications, patents, new prototypes, start-ups and products from short- to long-term.
BIOTIN strengthens inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary collaborations across the project partners. Furthermore, BIOTIN contributes to the establishment of industry-university collaborations and also enables companies to access highly skilled human resources. While the curriculum created within BIOTIN is new at national level and may evolve in the long term into a new graduate program, the “innovation-minded, data-science powered biomedical research” goal of BIOTIN has positioned the participating organizations as leading institutions in biomedical education at national level.