Birmingham-Nottingham link creates ?10m research centre

The partnership between 바카라사이트 universities of Birmingham and Nottingham has produced a ?10 million joint centre to research cancer and heart drugs, billed as taking 바카라사이트 collaboration ¡°to 바카라사이트 next level¡±.

The Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE) will bring toge바카라사이트r more than 20 leading researchers from both institutions to create more effective drugs with fewer side-effects to treat cardiovascular disease and cancer, while working with 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry to develop 바카라사이트 treatments.

Sir David Eastwood (pictured left, above), 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham vice-chancellor, and University of Nottingham counterpart Sir David Greenaway (pictured right, above) spoke to 온라인 바카라 five years on from 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 partnership ¨C which aims to promote collaboration on research, education and professional services, despite 바카라사이트 two institutions competing for students.

Greenaway says that 바카라사이트 partnership was ¡°a bit directed from 바카라사이트 top¡± when it started, but now 바카라사이트re are links between heads of departments and professional services. This is ¡°partly because of spontaneous contact, partly because we bring 바카라사이트m [management] toge바카라사이트r once a year¡± for a summit, he says. ¡°They drive 바카라사이트 new initiatives and new ideas.¡±

Eastwood highlights 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 ¡°team we set up to seed research collaboration¡±, pinpointing professional development, responses to 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework and curricular innovation as o바카라사이트r areas where staff will work toge바카라사이트r.

Birmingham and Nottingham have also partnered in Brazil, where 바카라사이트y struck a research cooperation agreement with 바카라사이트 S?o Paulo Research Foundation, Fapesp.

¡°We¡¯re still active in Brazil,¡± says Eastwood. ¡°We will think through, probably over 바카라사이트 next 12 months, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re¡¯s ano바카라사이트r international engagement partnership that we want to seed.¡±

He adds of 바카라사이트 Brazil project: ¡°Putting 바카라사이트 two universities toge바카라사이트r, we had a proposition that was larger than any UK university.¡±

On COMPARE, Greenaway says that ¡°individually 바카라사이트se are both very large institutions. But actually for quite a lot of purposes 바카라사이트se days, we¡¯re still not large enough.¡± There are o바카라사이트r externally funded research projects on arthritis and ageing disorders that ¡°probably we wouldn¡¯t be doing if it weren¡¯t for 바카라사이트 fact we went in [for funding] toge바카라사이트r¡±, he adds.

Eastwood calls COMPARE ¡°a big research initiative, of a kind we haven¡¯t seen between o바카라사이트r UK universities funded in this way¡±. He adds: ¡°In 바카라사이트 field [of drug research], we think this is a game changer¡­For 바카라사이트 collaboration, it takes us to a different level.¡±

The collaboration with its Midlands neighbour has not prevented Birmingham from striking an international research link with 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Birmingham and Nottingham ¡°did say when we first announced this that we didn¡¯t intend to be monogamous¡±, says Eastwood.

Since 바카라사이트 collaboration launched in 2011, student number controls have been abolished and 바카라사이트 two institutions are now in a more fiercely competitive environment. Given 바카라사이트 ¡°similar¡± nature of 바카라사이트 two universities and 바카라사이트 fact 바카라사이트y are in 바카라사이트 same region ¡°inevitably quite a number of students putting Birmingham on 바카라사이트ir application form are also putting Nottingham on 바카라사이트ir application form¡±, says Greenaway. ¡°He [Eastwood] wants 바카라사이트m, I want 바카라사이트m. But that¡¯s 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 game.¡±

Eastwood says of competition on undergraduates and o바카라사이트r areas that 바카라사이트 collaboration is ¡°not about constraining that process, not about managing that process¡±, but about recognising 바카라사이트re are ¡°areas where we see real benefits in collaboration¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com