You Said, We Did

More industry-based training options

We offered the following new training courses in 2023/2024: 

• IBioIC-run training events on: Working with Industry; How to Interpret a Patent; Marketing Yourself; Careers Opportunity after a Science Degree; Chemical Engineering for Biotechnology 

• A 3-day mini-MBA with IBioIC based on the challenge-format that covered basic management, IP, leadership, financial and networking skills, led by industry experts. 

• We coordinated with SULSA to ensure that their 6-week Graduate Employability Masterclasses were open to EastBio students. Presented by industry reps, the training was followed by practical exercises, where participants would be supported to follow a research idea from conception to commercialisation. Participants were given digital badges and invited to join the SULSA LinkedIn page, thus joining a networking hub and having access to a variety of future networking and further training, news, information about the Ambassador scheme, and more. 

• EastBio is also in advanced talks with Edinburgh Innovation to open up their referral-based Engage programme to get training in setting up a spin-off for all EastBio students.  

I really enjoyed this training! I wasn't expecting to be as engaged as I was, as I have very little business knowledge, but I found all of the sessions interesting and helpful.- Mini-MBA attendee

Overall, the mini-MBA was a very good introduction to the world of business and entrepreneurship. It is of course very difficult to squeeze in enough material for such a training event to be meaningful in just three days, and I think this was done pretty well, especially considering this was the first time it ran.- Mini-MBA attendee

Friendly relationship with speakers that allowed for useful conversations outside of talks. - Mini-MBA attendee

“Interdisciplinary and inter-programme training sessions, which include participants from various DTP and PhD programs, provide a broader perspective and facilitate the exchange of ideas and interests, greatly enriching the learning experience. Specifically, the mini-MBA training offered valuable insights into business and entrepreneurship. The presence of PhD cohorts from different disciplines made the experience more engaging and diverse.” - Mini-MBA attendee

More wellbeing training options

In 2023/24, EastBio provided the following new training options: 

• An Inclusive Communication workshop for all new students and supervisors at the Induction 2023 

• Where to Draw the Line? Workshop 

• Active Bystander Workshop, in person at the Annual Symposium  

• Another iteration of Mental Health First Aid training to an additional group of 11 EastBio students and supervisors 

The information that bullying and harassment can come in different forms. Knowing this can help spot when harassment or bullying is taking place. - Where to Draw the Line attendee

The way it went into quite a lot of depth about the two basic ideas of bullying and harassment in the work place. Both at a legal and descriptive level. It's so important to understand the legal definitions since this is something we don't ever think about (as non-lawyers). I also felt the examples were really good at getting you to think about things in more depth in terms of whether a certain behavior is acceptable. This can be tricky when the lines between okay and unacceptable are blurred. I feel I am already better at judging this after this session. - Where to Draw the Line attendee

I liked how interactive the session was and how I could communicate with other EASTBIO students and hear their opinions on different topics. The use of case studies also made the workshop easy to understand and relatable - Where to Draw the Line attendee

More professional/transferable skills training

We have offered the following new training courses: 

• Project Managing your PhD workshop at the Induction to all new students 

• Media training workshop  

• Carbon Literacy Training 

• Literature Review

This was excellent training - I went in knowing nothing about how to make a science communication video and came out feeling ready to give it a go! It was a great introduction to the relevant skills, from scripting to editing to navigating media, and felt both realistic and very positive! I really liked that we had a chance to make our own script and video in the class. - Making Videos for Researchers attendee

The Carbon Literacy training was an eye-opener, especially because it had an optimistic view of what we can all do, right now. I also enjoyed the comments other participants gave (some academics) and was challenged to write my personal pledge! - Carbon Literacy Training attendee

Training information to be streamlined

The EASTBIO team made two key improvements: 

• We have moved all training to Eventbrite to monitor registration and attendance of training events and activities. This is accessible via the Training Calendar and affords students a single-stop registration: https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/training/training-overview 

• We have set up a calendar of all training events on the EastBio website to facilitate easy access to all training, whether mandatory or optional. The calendar provides a plain view of all training with simple ‘registration’ buttons to register.

Travel to attend F2F mandatory training acts a barrier for some of the students based at more remote partner institutions.

We implemented a range of measures to address the highlighted concerns: 

• commitment to maintain a 50%/50% balance between in-person and remote/hybrid training across the programme 

• increased support to first-year students organising the 4 annual cohort-building thematic sessions via a) updated guidance on the Student Handbook and website, b) additional sessions at the Induction Day that allowed for more group discussion and preparation, and c) more independence for innovative formats.  

• we will increase the percentage of training that ca be replaced for non-EastBio training to 30%. We have also formalised a policy and process for approving training points for non-EastBio training: https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/training/external-training-opportunities.

PIPS guidance can be improved, especially for overseas students.

We have reviewed and simplified the forms required to plan for placements, reduced unnecessary steps, and published all guidance here: 

https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/training/placements/information-current-students 

For live PIPS opportunities: https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/training/placements/current-pips-opportunities  

For student feedback on their PIPS: https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/training/placements/past-pips-experiences 

More opportunities for networking and socialising opportunities both within the student cohort, and with alumni/ae.

We organised four different activities that addressed this point: 

• Joint event on EDI (anti-racism focus) with the NorthWestBio DTP, aimed to brainstorm ideas that foster an EDI-forward and researcher-development-focused research culture, establish best practice, and form longer-term research relationships. The Glasgow-held event was attended by over 40 students and supervisors from both DTPs and received excellent feedback with requests for making it a permanent feature of the programme. 

• Networking event for the 2024 Research Experience Placement awardees, held as part of the 2024 REP induction in Stirling. The event, suggested by both student reps and the 2023 REP awardees, connected current interns with past interns and aligned with the scheme’s WP remit. 

• By explicit student request, we piloted a public engagement event organised with the Impact team at the University of Aberdeen aimed at linking DTP students, UGR and alumni/ae to explain research path and career awareness. Participants benefits included enhancing skills in event planning, public speaking, and policy-making. 

• In-person supervisor networking session hosted at the 2024 Annual Symposium, preceded by the production of a high-quality Research Brochure listing research statements from current and prospective EASTBIO supervisors in the spring of 2024. A short talk by Professor Caroline Barelle (CEO Elasmogen, and member of the EastBio Advisory Board) was followed by an informal networking opportunity. This event was organised following feedback from supervisors attending the 2023 Induction event. 

Attending the joint NorthWestBio/EASTBIO DTP workshop on anti-racism was a profoundly enriching experience. It significantly broadened my understanding of racism and its implications both within and outside academia. Hearing participants from two different DTP cohorts share their lived experiences illuminated common challenges and potential solutions. Events like these are invaluable in the fight against racism and discrimination, and their positive impact cannot be overstated. - NorthWestBio joint event attendee

Students on Collaborative studentships need more engagement from their academic partners

• The EASTBIO Industry Engagement Committee has updated the PhD project guidance so that prospective academic supervisors working with non-academic partners are asked, from early on, to provide specific information about (a) expected benefits and outcomes of the project (b) non-academic partners’ estimated contributions (c) a calendar of supervisor meetings (d) placement timings. 

• The EastBio Welcome email to new supervisors was updated to reflect our expectations from supervisors.  

• The Committee is also developing a new a Welcome Pack for student onboarding, with key contacts, expertise and resources committed to the project. 

Lack of financial support with the rising cost of living

We used the UKRI BBSRC Supplementary Funding to specifically support current students with additional needs and challenges (students with young families, caring responsibilities, managing chronic ill health). We have published detailed guidance on this support, accessible via a simple online application here: 

https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/EastBio/equality-diversity-inclusion/EastBio-student-support-fund 

We awarded a total of £16K out of the £17K committed to several eligible cases (29 eligible out of 30 in total), ranging from childcare to conference attendance to advance methods. We will seek feedback on this measure in the summer of 2024. 

There is no complaints procedure

It is true that we relied to some extent on complaints procedures of partner institutions. To rectify this, we have now set up a formal process including guidance and an online form for recording complaints on any aspects of the programme or any individual involved:  https://forms.office.com/e/rxe5LdcftM 

Depending on the nature and wishes of the complainant, the central team will work with the relevant academic lead to addresses the complaint in accordance with the UKRI Terms and Conditions and the policies and regulations of the relevant partner institution.