Dundee University used Wellcome Trust funding to recruit outstanding biomedical researchers, bridge short-term funding gaps, and build core facilities for mass spectrometry and big-data analysis. A flexible Translation Medical Research Fund supported 25 competitive projects linking basic and clinical research, including pump-priming and strategic initiatives. Public engagement activities—school outreach, science festivals, Café Science, and a Women in Science Festival—targeted communities, especially in deprived areas, to widen access to science careers. This matters because it addresses the gap between fundamental biomedical research and its translation into clinical practice, while also building the computational infrastructure needed to manage complex proteomics data. The flexible bridging support allowed PhD students and investigators to generate data for key publications and grant applications, preventing promising work from stalling due to short-term funding gaps. If successful, this could accelerate the pipeline from lab discoveries to patient treatments, improve data management for quantitative proteomics, and foster a more diverse scientific workforce. The public engagement activities aim to create a lasting culture of curiosity and confidence in science among local communities.
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Recruitment and Career Development ISSF has funded start-up packages (equipment, PhD studentships, laboratory consumables and relocation costs) for the recruitment of outstanding biomedical researchers. These new recruits work across cell and molecular biology, bacteriology, immunology, parasitology and drug discovery. The ISSF has also been used to provide bridging support for researchers experiencing short-term funding gaps. This flexible and reactive support has enabled PhD students and investigators to generate data for key publications and successful grant/fellowship applications. Enhancement of Research Infrastructure The ISSF has supported our strategy to have innovative core facilities in key research areas and to develop computational and informatics resources that underpin our WT funded research. Software developers have been appointed to develop computational and informatics resources to support the outstanding mass spectrometry-based proteomics facility [http://www.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/cast/fingerprints-proteomics-facility] in the School of Life Sciences. Novel ways of managing, visualising and analysing ‘big data’ in the field of quantitative proteomics have been developed, in addition to a customised Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Translational Research A flexible Translation Medical Research Fund (TMRF) was used to link the strongest basic and clinical research across the University of Dundee (2011-2014). Funding was awarded on a competitive basis and 25 different projects have been supported including; Pump-priming projects, Strategic projects that benefitted several groups across the University and increase overall institutional competitiveness in translational research; and translational medicine (non-clinical) PhD projects. Public Engagement The ISSF supports community engagement activities targeted at the next generation of scientists to enhance a culture of curiosity, confidence and engagement with science with our communities. A key aim is to increase awareness of Life Sciences Research in schools in areas of social deprivation to promote widening of access to opportunities in science. ISSF funds support the appointment of a School Outreach Organiser (this post greatly increases the quality and scope of our work and supports public engagement activities of our WT funded researchers); school projects; city and rural Science Festivals, the Dundee Women in Science Festival; projects to translate science into public art; an interactive display at the Dundee Science Centre; a Life Sciences career paths booklet and website (through interviews, time-lines and photographs); Open Doors Days; Magnificent Microbes and Marvellous Microbes activities; Café Science; Bright Club science comedy; public talks and debates. The impact of activities is assessed by questionnaires and reflective feedback discussions with stakeholders. We plan a quarterly public survey in Dundee to capture audience knowledge of the Life Science Research and Wellcome Trust activities. This will give us a measure of whether public engagement activities are reaching the community.
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