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Advanced Research Training for the Biotribology of Natural and Artificial Joints in the 21st Century

Project description

Research training program for natural and artificial joints specialists

The EU-funded BioTrib program is dedicated to training early-stage researchers with the technical and innovation skills to develop advances in the performance of natural and artificial joints. The new program's focus is on biotribology, which includes friction, lubrication and wear in these interventions. The researchers will gain the necessary interdisciplinary skills demanded by industry to deliver timely and cost-effective solutions to some of the most intractable European healthcare problems in arthritis. The training goals will be achieved by a combination of hands-on research in leading research centers together with industrial partners and workshops covering technical and transferable skills. The career opportunities for trainees will include regulatory, management and policy affairs, commercial R&D and academia.

Objective

The programme of research training will deliver early stage researchers (ESRs) with the necessary technical and innovation training/experience to provide the much needed advances in the performance of both natural and artificial joints with a focus on biotribology, that is, friction, lubrication and wear in these interventions. These researchers will gain the necessary interdisciplinary skills, intersectoral knowledge and the wider innovation abilities demanded by industry with which to deliver timely and cost-effective solutions to some of Europe’s most intractable healthcare problems in arthritis. These aims will be achieved by a unique combination of hands on research in leading research centres, industry secondments and wide-ranging workshops covering technical and transferable skills. Importantly the ESRs will form a network of highly trained innovators and research leaders that are well placed to be employed in Europe's foremost companies and SMEs. The career options for these ESRs are wide ranging including regulatory affairs, commercial R&D, management and policy advisors, as well as academia, all of which comprise a leadership and innovation component. Issues of biotribology are truly a global phenomenon with the deleterious wear related failure of artificial joints running at record levels and predicted to get higher. The highly significant economic and patient issues around early failure in metal-on-metal total hip and resurfacing replacements have been brought sharply into focus, recently. The media have defined this as a significant public health issue and substantial issues persist with very recent reports of inadequate devices. This is a truly European problem with, for instance, new devices manufactured in the UK being first implanted, unsuccessfully, in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Technically BioTrib will deliver new test methodologies, as well as new bearings, for the meaningful assessment of these innovations.

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
Net EU contribution
€ 909 517,68
Address
Woodhouse lane
LS2 9JT Leeds
United Kingdom

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Region
Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire Leeds
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
€ 909 517,68

Participants (4)