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Team Science Away Day 2019 1

Team Science Away Day 2019

The COMPARE Team Science Away Day 2019 was held on Thursday 13th June at the St. James Hotel, Nottingham. Having circulated a survey, this year’s away day was based on leadership and management. We partnered with the European Laboratory Research and Innovation Group (ELRIG), an organisation which excels at bringing academia and industry together. There was attendance from ECRs, PIs and technical staff from a variety of research groups that were distributed evenly between UoB and UoN. The ~50 attendees were designated into small groups from the outset to spread expertise and encourage networking with new colleagues.

Following an introduction by Mark Soave and Jeanette Woolard, the day was kicked off by a presentation from Rachael Grimes about using FCS on SMALPs - a prime example of how ECRs can successfully collaborate on a single project across institutions. This was followed by the first activity: building the tallest spaghetti-based structure capable of holding a marshmallow, requiring effective teamwork and communication. Having built initial relationships in these groups, the subsequent grant writing activity challenged each group member to champion their scientific expertise to create a collaborative grant proposal in 20 minutes. Groups then pitched their proposal in 2 minutes to the esteemed judging panel, with presentations featuring some suspiciously vague preliminary data and particularly entertaining performances. Building on the success of last year’s grant writing activity, awards were given to commend ‘Blue Sky’ thinking and project acronyms. This part of the day strengthened bonds in an informal setting while providing opportunities to discuss scientific interests with peers.

Following an impressive lunch, we handed over to Del Tresize (Sartorius BioAnalytics) on behalf of ELRIG to provide insight into management and leadership from an industry perspective. The afternoon was kicked off by an outstanding talk from Steve Rees, the Vice President of Discovery Biology at AstraZeneca. This interactive presentation emphasised the need for self-leadership and explored characteristics essential for being an effective leader. Our speakers were then joined by a panel of industry professionals: Kevin Moore (Tecan, Switzerland), Kathy Dodgson (Aurelia Bioscience, BioCity Nottingham) and David Loczenski (RenaSci, BioCity Nottingham). Prior to the panel discussion, we went back into our groups with an industry professional to discuss how leaders could tackle typical student/supervisor problems faced in academia. The panel discussion then gave us insight into their different experiences with examples from industry, ranging from Big Pharma to Contract Research Organisations.

The day was closed off with the prize giving and closing remarks by the Team Science Committee. As the venue was ideally located above the Crafty Crow pub, everybody found time to chat to colleagues over a drink. Those from Nottingham then attended the ELRIG Networking event at BioCity, while the Birmingham attendees returned home by coach. The cross-institution friendships between all individuals that have developed from each COMPARE event is palpable - more people now know one another on a first name basis than those who don’t, regardless of ‘hierarchy’. It was a successful day that delivered on the clear focus of professional development, while establishing and solidifying relationships in a positive and friendly environment encouraging collaboration between every group within COMPARE.

We would like to thank Del Tresize and all those from ELRIG for their partnership and insight, Chris McGrath and Sharmaine Afferton for their integral help with organisation, as well as all attendees for their fantastic participation throughout the day.

 Team Science Away Day 2019 2

Use your noodle” – teamwork and communication were paramount throughout the day.

Team Science Committee 2018-19

Amanda Dalby, Connie Koo, Desislava Nesheva, Chloe Peach, Mark Soave, Leigh Stoddart and Jack Yule

Posted on Tuesday 25th June 2019

In Partnership: The Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham


University of Birmingham
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The University of Nottingham
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