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Prof. julian hopkin (swansea university, rector of the medical school)

The School of Medicine is delighted by this opportunity to join other world leading British universities in the Collaborative. The facilities of the Medical School and ILS were planned to establish links with research partners from the world’s leading institutions. Being included in the Collaborative is an important stage in that process. ILS' innovation powers and the Blue-C supercomputing is the key to this – as is the very exciting emergence of a new Centre for NanoHealth, which represents collaboration between the University's Schools of Engineering and Medicine at its best. Building on the infrastructure investments and the opportunity to leverage them to the benefit of others, is key to developing translational discoveries.

The opportunity of contributing to the Collaborative based on harnessing ground breaking, new technologies in delivering medical and health advance along with training of researchers and clinicians is vital and valuable.

Inclusive to this is the partnership with the local NHS Trust and the ability to conduct human trials; with such a large catchment of patients it too becomes an instrument for leveraging with partners in the development of novel health and medical innovations. This has proven to be quite valuable in that Swansea University is in discussions with a partner institution, Texas A&M University in developing a Trials pathway for such innovations to take advantage, by in partnership conducting Phase I trials at A&M and Phase II in Swansea. This allows the training of researchers in the procedures required for both Phase I&II trials but gives them the understanding of translation to regulatory approvals in both the US and EU.

Tx/uk collaborative “swansea’s three year outcomes”

Swansea University has already exploited this high-profile network, identifying collaborative research opportunities with Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, University of Texas Health Science Center, and MD Anderson Cancer Research Center. The collaboration with Rice University and “The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology” in particular, has enabled Swansea to position itself as a lead institution in Nanotechnology and Bioscience Research, generating true value both intellectually and economically.

Over the past three years Swansea University has achieved the following through its partnership in “The Collaborative”.

• Successful proposal for the establishment of a Center for NanoHealth, strengthened by the support of the Collaborative.
• Becoming the first international partner in the Alliance for NanoHealth (ANH).
• Participating in the FDA - ANH Nanotechnology Initiative FANTI. Two members of Swansea University sit on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Senior Scientist of the FDA with the goal of developing a Collaboration framework that include stakeholders from industry for faster FDA Approvals (pharmaceutical, biotech and devices).
• £60,000 Funding Award from the Houston Foreign Commonwealth Office to promote Research in Wales.
• £6.77 million funding from the EPSRC for research on number entry errors with medical devices has been secured by a Collaboration between UCL and Swansea University this will lead to the design and safe use of interactive medical devices – the proposal was greatly enhanced through the support of the Collaborative.
• £1.4 million funding from EPSRC for research supporting Prof. Huw Summers and Dr. Shareen Doak of Swansea University involving collaboration with researchers at Texas A&M University was facilitated by the Collaborative.
• £1.19 million Joint US-UK Research Programme bid, submitted to 2 ^nd Round Review: Environmental Behaviour, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials between Texas A&M and Swansea University School of Medicine: Shareen Doak as UKPI in the area of In vitro (geno) toxicity along with Gareth Jenkins and Paul Lewis.
• Establishment of joint taught student programmes with Texas A&M University in Bioengineering, NanoMedicine and Process Safety Engineering.
• The Award of “Bridging the Gaps” from the EPSRC for Multidisciplinary Research “Hops” across disciplines, ~£1.5 million for 3 year for
• The development of collaborative research facilities MOU between Texas A&M‘s Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS), Texas Institute for Genetic Medicine (TIGM), National Center for Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing and Swansea University's Institute of Life Science (ILS).