Meeting report: How to form a BBSRC biotech partnership

The BBSRC is heading a consortium of funders offering £15 million to establish networks in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. Adam Smith reports from a town hall meeting to hear how previous successful partnerships have been organised.

Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBBs) are a statement of intent: the call is designed to create collaborations to conduct proof-of-concept research and come up with ideas for further study. Later, those groups will be able to compete for grants from an industrial biotechnology catalyst fund which BBSRC plans on a comparable scale to the existing £180m biomedical catalyst fund. Speakers at the meeting offered hints on what approach is likely to win a share of the NIBB pot and stand researchers in good stead for the catalyst fund.

1. Employ strong financial and administrative governance