host_centers

The 14 research units make Joanneum Research one of the largest non-university research institutions in Austria. The role as an innovative partner for business and administration is reflected in the company’s wide range of services: apart from applied research and development for small and medium-sized enterprises Joanneum Research offers custom-designed technical business consulting and vast expertise in interdisciplinary management of complex research contracts at a national and international level.

The Joanneum Research - Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems (JOINTS) provides the expertise required for the goal of Sustainable Development by developing sustainable production technologies based on renewable raw materials and selectively deploying ecologically efficient environmental technologies aimed to minimise pollution.

The researchers of the division Chemical and Technical Plant Utilization (CTP) draw up feasibility studies from cultivation to industrial processing of plants, developing new production methods for complete use of plants, and elaborating innovative implementation strategies for the deployment of renewable raw materials. An important part of the work is to develop analytical methods and to produce extracts from plant material.

GERMANY

Berlin – Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics

Address

Ihnestrasse 63-73,

12157 Berlin

Ca. 15 km from City Centre

Website

www.molgen.mpg.de

The Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics consists of 3 departments and is home to over 400 researchers, technicians, students and administrative staff. Within the International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS-CBSC) additional students are supervised. The institute regularly hosts workshops, conferences and summer schools on networks and molecular interactions.

In the Research group two biocomputing-clusters are available. Through the institutes’ IT infrastructure we have access to up to 200 computing nodes on demand for complex calculations. In addition, a dedicated high-end graphics-workstation and a 3D Projection unit is installed in the lab for the 3D visualisation of protein structures and interfaces. Combined with the array of bioinformatics databases and software implemented, the Bioinformatics / Structural Proteomics lab is well equipped to mode and predict protein structures. The research of the team focuses on novel computational approaches to predict protein structures and their interactions.

Frankfurt - Bayer CropScience AG

Address

Industriepark Hoechst

65926 Frankfurt am Main

Research Center Frankfurt

Website

www. bayercropscience.com

Bayer CropScience is a agrochemical/crop protection company. Our vision is to be a leading partner in providing innovative products and combined solutions for the production of quality food, feed and fiber to meet the global challenges of tomorrow. We aspire to be a Partner for Growth, offering our customers a durable relationship, based on trust, predictability and mutual benefit. Our comprehensive offer comprises a strong and well-balanced portfolio of products and services designed to precisely meet the needs of each customer. Our Global Headquarter is Monheim. An extensive network of Research and Development facilities spanning the entire globe.

1) Research for the Indications Insecticides and Fungicides is located at Monheim.

2) The Research Center in Frankfurt has its focus on Herbicides Research and coordinates Herbicide Research activities worldwide.

The main activities are:

Chemistry: Discovery Chemistry, High Throughput Chemistry, Lead Exploration and Optimization Chemistry, Scientific Computing, Analytical Chemistry

Biology: Ultra High Throughput Vivo Screening, Biochemistry, Screening & Safeners, Profiling & Support

Product Technology: Process Research (early phase Process Development), Product Analytics, Quality Control

We have been running industrial experience training programmes within BayerCropScience for several years now and have successfully hosted students from all over the world. The students spend their time with us, usually as an integral part of their undergraduate degree course, and work within our chemical synthesis or analytical chemistry laboratories or in our biological Research. The work is primarily practically based but the students do have access to our library as well as to several electronic databases and are invited to attend our chemical or biological colloquia. An ability to speak German is not a prerequisite because the daily work can be conducted in English, but obviously some knowledge of the German language is helpful.

We are looking for students who have a strong interest in biological research, practical organic or analytical chemistry and who are in the top half of their class with respect to examination results.

Frankfurt – Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH

Address

Human Resources Recruitment & Marketing

Industriepark Höchst / Gebäude H831

65926 Frankfurt am Main

Website

www.sanofi-aventis.com

Sanofi-Aventis is the world´s third largest pharmaceutical company and number one in Europe.

Based on outstanding pharmaceutical research, Sanofi-Aventis has built leading positions in seven core therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, diabetes/metabolism, central nervous system, international medicine and vaccines.

In Germany, Sanofi-Aventis has sales of approximately 3.8 billion Euro and employs 10.000 associates in research, production, distribution, marketing and sales.

The research center is located in the west of Frankfurt as part of the Industrial Park Hoechst.

Training within the Leonardo da Vinci project is offered in two different sections:

First, the Natural Products Science section aims to identify novel compounds from natural resources (plants, bacteria) that are suitable as lead structures in drug discovery.

Second, the Medicinal Chemistry Section is responsible for the optimization of lead structures through organic synthesis in order to deliver drug candidates that enter clinical development.

Karlsruhe – University, Institute of Organic Chemistry

Address

Fritz-Haber-Weg 6

76131 Karlsruhe

Website

www.ioc.uni-karlsruhe.de

The Universität Karlsruhe (TH) is the Winner of the Excellence Initiative 2006 launched by the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal states. It is one of the universities strongest in research worldwide. The university has the highest acquisition of DFG third-party funds per capita in Germany.

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) represents the merger of the Universität Karlsruhe with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Both partners are joining their forces in KIT in order to achieve an unprecedented quality of cooperation. With roundabout 8000 employees and an annual budget of about 700 million Euros, KIT has the potential of becoming a leading institution in selected science disciplines in the world.

With the decision of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal state of Baden-Württemberg to have both institutions merge in a public corporation from 2009, the legal and political prerequisites have been created for the trend-setting KIT model.

The vision: KIT will become an institution of top research and excellent academic education as well as a prominent location of academic life, life-long learning, comprehensive advanced training, unrestricted exchange of know-how, and sustainable innovation culture.

Karlsruhe – Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe – BioInterfaces Programme

Address

Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1

76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen

(approx. 15 km from Centre of Karlsruhe, approx. 130 km from Frankfurt am Main)

Website

www.fzk.de;

www-itg.fzk.de/biointerfaces

Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) is one of the biggest science and engineering research institutions in Europe and funded jointly by the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Baden-Württemberg. Its research and development program is embedded in the superordinate program structure of the Hermann von Helmholtz Association of National Research Centres and concentrates on the research areas of Structure of Matter, Earth and Environment, Health, Energy and Key Technologies. The University of Karlsruhe (Technical University) and the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe have founded the “Karlsruhe Institute of Technology” (KIT). KIT combines the strengths of both partners, first in micro- and nanotechnologies, scientific computing, and materials research for the energy sector.

The BioInterfaces Programme of FZK brings together biologists, chemists, physicists, IT specialists, engineers, and material scientists with the common goal of controlling living systems, and bridges the gap between fundamental research and development of application-oriented technologies and products. The programme is tightly linked with the Universities of Karlsruhe and Heidelberg. The partnership with these two universities offers complementary strengths and provides the BioInterfaces Programme with a regional research focus.

Leipzig - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ

Address

Permoserstrasse 15

04318 Leipzig

Website

www.ufz.de

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Germany, was established in 1991 as the first and only centre in the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centres (HGF) to be exclusively devoted to environmental research in a great variety of fields. It currently employs around 800 people. Founded in response to the severe pollution prevailing in Central Germany, the UFZ has already become a world-wide acknowledged centre of expertise in the remediation and re-naturation of contaminated landscapes, as well as the preservation of natural landscapes. The UFZ has the capacity, resources and experience to participate in this project. Since its foundation in 1991 the UFZ has participated in 106 EU-projects, co-ordinating 37 of them. Within the Fifth Framework Programme the UFZ has launched 22 projects co-ordinating 7 of them. In Framework six UFZ is or was involved in 48 projects co-ordinating three Integrated Projects, two STREPs, two ESTs, one RTN, one SFC, and five TOKs. At present the UFZ is in grant agreement negotiations for four Cooperative Projects within FP 7, two of them are coordinated by UFZ.

Monheim - Bayer CropScience AG

Address

Alfred-Nobel-Str. 50

40789 Monheim am Rhein (Colonge/Düsseldorf 20 km)

Website

www. bayercropscience.com

An extensive network of Research and Development facilities spanning the entire globe.

1) Research for the Indications Insecticides and Fungicides is located at Monheim.

2) The Research Center in Frankfurt has its focus on Herbicides Research and coordinates Herbicide Research activities worldwide.

The main activities are:

Chemistry: Discovery Chemistry, High Throughput Chemistry, Lead Exploration and Optimization Chemistry, Scientific Computing, Analytical Chemistry

Biology: Ultra High Throughput Vivo Screening, Biochemistry, Screening & Safeners, Profiling & Support

Product Technology: Process Research (early phase Process Development), Product Analytics, Quality Control

SPAIN

Barcelona - Centre de Regulació Genòmica

Address

Dr. Aiguader 88

08003 Barcelona

Website

www.crg.es

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona is a new interdisciplinary research institute, founded in 2000 by the Catalan Government and the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) of Barcelona. Its aim is to promote basic research in biomedicine, focusing in particular on the study of the human genome, its role in the regulation of the development and functioning of the organism, and the application of the results in diagnosing, preventing and treating disease.

The CRG is integrated in the Biomedical Research Park of Barcelona (PRBB), that includes several other biomedical research institutions, such as the Department of Health and Life Sciences of the UPF, Municipal Institute of Medical Research (Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, IMIM), and Barcelona Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CMRB). This research park -whose setting-up involved an investment of approximately 80 million euros- has a total surface of more than 55.000 m2 and was officially inaugurated in 2006. Once fully operational, it will house more than 1000 people working in up to 80 research groups. Furthermore, the building houses several state-of-the-art technology platforms, and the largest and technologically most advanced animal facility in entire Spain, with a total capacity for the housing of up to 70.000 mice and 50.000 zebrafish.

The CRG, currently employing around 300 individuals, is organised into six scientific programmes, each coordinated by a scientific coordinator and made up of independent research groups each led by young scientists. Presently existing scientific programmes comprise: 1. Gene Regulation (coordinator: Miguel Beato); 2. Differentiation and Cancer (coordinator: Thomas Graf); 3. Cellular and Developmental Biology (coordinator: Vivek Malhotra); 4. Bioinformatics and Genomics (coordinator: Roderic Guigó); 5. Systems Biology (coordinator: Luis Serrano), 6. Genes and Diseases (coordinator: Xavier Estivill). Since the creation of a new partnership in 2006 supported by the Spanish Minister of Education and Science, the Systems Biology Programme represents a new southern outpost of the Heidelberg-based European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). A large fraction of the CRG staff is made of internationally recruited top scientists, who are subjected to regular evaluations by an external Scientific Advisory Board formed by ten internationally renowned scientific leaders.

Seminars and workshops

A major aim of the CRG is to promote the exchange of ideas and the interaction with the foreign scientific community. The CRG organizes a weekly Seminar Series with outstanding international scientists. In addition, each programme at the CRG has a weekly seminar (“data club”), in which each scientist presents his/her ongoing research project, and a weekly “journal club”. In 2006, more than 100 seminars by external scientists were presented in the CRG. PRBB also organises scientific conferences and seminars.

CRG graduate programme

Along with the Department of Life and Health Sciences of the UPF, the CRG participates in an international PhD programme “Biomedical Research” that attracts excellent students from various nationalities. All these activities are presented in English and interaction among the CRG personnel is highly encouraged.

Specific training offered to students

Additionally each research group participating in the project will offer specific training activities within their labs (lab meeting, specific seminars and workshops, etc.)

Barcelona - Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB)

Address

Baldiri i Reixach, 10-12

08028 Barcelona

Website

www.irbbarcelona.org

IRB Barcelona is an independent, non-profit research institution engaged in basic and applied biomedical science that aims to improve quality of life by applying advances in this field. IRB Barcelona is a very young research institution that was founded in October 2005 by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona).

The Institute aims to promote multidisciplinary research of excellence at the interface between biology, chemistry and medicine, to foster collaborations with local organisations and international research institutes, and to provide high-level training in the biomedical sciences to staff, students and visitors. IRB Barcelona is located in the Barcelona Science Park (www.pcb.ub.es) in the Pedralbes Campus of the University of Barcelona, a centre in which first-class public research converges with the private sector in a stimulating, vanguard scientific environment.

Researchers at IRB Barcelona have the opportunity to use first class technology offered either by their own IRB Barcelona Core Facilities and Services or by the PCB Technological Facilities. In addition, PCB building also harbours the Scientific and Technical Services from the University of Barcelona (www.sct.ub.es) which are also avalilable to IRB members.

Barcelona - Parc Científic de Barcelona

Address

Parc Científic de Barcelona

C/Baldiri Reixac 10-12

08028 Barcelona

Website

www.pcb.ub.cat

The Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB) is a cornerstone of the innovation system developed by the University of Barcelona. The convergence of multidisciplinary research groups from public and private sectors and a wide range of state-of-the

-art technological facilities make the PCB a pioneering point of reference in the promotion of knowledge and technology transfer and the setting up of new technology-based companies.

The PCB hosts over 45 companies, three large public research centres and a bioincubator for technology-based companies, all of which are involved in cutting-edge basic and applied research. As an institution devoted to research, development and innovation, the PCB runs its own technological platforms, which provide services to customers and participates in research projects. These platforms cover such a wide array of areas as combinatorial chemistry, transcriptomics, proteomics, high throughput crystallography, toxicology and nanotechnology. The PCB also hosts a first-rate animal facility, which offers tailored solutions to researchers’ projects. All these activities take place in a 24.000 m2 laboratory building, and within the next three years the PCB will expand to double the available laboratory space.

The main focus of the international multidisciplinary research groups and companies within the Park is biomedical. This includes research into understanding the biological aspects of disease, as well as into the biochemical and pharmacological strategies to treat it. A part of the research at the PCB revolves around bioengineering, and particularly the nanotechnology approach to solving biological problems.

This experimental activity is complemented by on-site research in human and the social sciences. This strategy of open priorities enables the PCB to remain at the forefront of new technology and to respond to the economic cycles which characterize technologically advanced sectors.

Barcelona – Universitat de Barcelona

Addresses

University of Barcelona

Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585 - 08071 Barcelona

Faculty of Pharmacy

Av. Joan XXII, s/n, 08028 Barcelona

Faculty of Biology

Av. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona

Faculty of Medicine

Bellvitge Campus, Feixa llarga s/n.

08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat

Scientific and Technical Services

Baldiri I Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona

Website

www.ub.edu

The University of Barcelona (UB) was founded in 1450. Today it boasts of a student body of 74,000 and a teaching staff of 4,150 members. The UB is structured in related areas of teaching, twenty university schools, 96 departments and 71 degree courses. Postgraduate and graduate school programmes are also offered, as well as a large number of continuing education courses. UB students have access to an extensive range of services. Ten thousand bachelor’s degrees and 400 PhDs are awarded each year. Nowadays the university has four campuses in different parts of the city.

The UB is the largest of the six universities of Barcelona and of the ten in Catalonia. The UB is ranked the first Spanish university, and the twenty third European institution, in scientific quality and productivity. The UB manages about 150 European projects per year, for an amount of about 19.3 million €. In addition, the UB has implemented a quality programme aiming fundamentally to design mid and long term strategies in order to evaluate and improve teaching and research in public higher education.

The faculties and the Scientific and Technical Services (SCT) of the University of Barcelona who are offering the above work programmees are housed on the Pedralbes campus:

http://www.ut.edu/mapes/campus_diagonal.htm

Bilbao – Cic bioGUNE

Address

Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Ed. 801A

48160 Derio (Bizkaia)

(10 Km from Bilbao)

Website

www.cicbiogune.es

The word “biogune” means a site for biosciences, which is precisely what CIC bioGUNE is: a place that attracts talented researchers from all over the world. It was first opened in January 2005, as a center of excellence for biomedical research and it is committed to high quality research based on state-of-the-art equipment and tools.

There are several Technological Platforms and Research Units in the Centre and positions are available in the Unit of Functional Genomics (Dr Barrio, one position) and in the Unit of Cell Biology and Stem Cells (one position in the laboratory of Dr Kypta, and another one in the lab of Dr Vivanco). The Units share common space, technical equipment and scientific interests.

The Centre is now well equipped technically and most groups are well formed with a variety of scientists from different backgrounds, and many of them from abroad, providing an stimulating and energetic environment for the training and scientific development of young investigators. The weekly seminars are in English, as well as our Data and Journal Clubs, contributing to the international atmosphere.

Madrid – Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (CSIC)

Address

Calle Darwin no. 3

Campus de Canoblanco

28049 Madrid

Website

www.cnb.csic.es

The National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB) was created in 1992 as a strategic research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), serving both an academic and a technology transfer purpose in Biotechnology.

The mission of the CNB is the generation of excellence scientific knowledge and its application to solving human and animal health issues, environmental, and agricultural challenges, whilst collaborating with industries and ensuring the transfer of technology. We offer services in new technologies to the academic community and private companies.

The CNB is committed to the training of highly qualified personnel. It offers biotechnology-oriented counselling to companies and public institutions as well as an important communication of its scientific activity in specialized journals and press media.

In 2005 CNB welcomed an evaluation panel sponsored by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). The committee’s report ranks the CNB at the level of the best Biomedicine and Biotechnology research centres in the world.

Tres Cantos (Madrid) – Noscira S.A.

Address

Avda. De la Industria 52

28760 Tres Cantos (Madrid)

Nearest big city: 23 km from Madrid

Website

www.neuropharma.com

Noscira is a company 59% financially supported for the chemical industry holding ZELTIA and 41% by private investors, which was born in May 2000. Our mission is to research, develop and commercialise new drugs active for CNS. In this first step of our company we have created a potent Research Department and we have focused our research to the future therapy of Alzheimer´s disease. Up to date, we have started the clinical trials for two of our molecules. We have the two compounds, namely NP-12 and NP-61, in clinical phase I trials for Alzheimer´s disease.

As source of biodiversity in our assays we used extracts of marine organism as well as directed drug design programmes.

We have now 1.800 m2 of laboratories with basic equipment for molecular biology, cell cultures (including primary cell cultures), biochemistry, organic and bioanalytical analysis, organic synthesis, natural products isolation and pharmaceutical development. We have a broad high technology equipment such NMR (400 MHz), LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, HPLC (analytical and semi-preparative), microwave organic synthesis reactor, ELISA equipments, fluorimeters, fluorescence microscopy, scintillation counter, etc. Up to date, we are 42 researchers in staff from biology, chemistry and pharmaceutical areas.

We have five main projects in different state of development each of it. In these projects we are focused on specific targets relevant for Alzheimer´s disease with the aim of finding new drugs that act as disease-modifying agents and that could interfere with the main histological hallmarks of the pathology: beta-amyloid and tau protein.

We develop our own screening assays. The cell-based ones are selected if it possible for the specific target. In this moment we have a very efficient platform for primary and secondary screening in the five projects in course. That allow us to select with high efficacy candidates for further development.

In the chemistry department, we have a potent research group in natural products that proceed to the bio-assay guided isolation of the positives. After chemical elucidation of the hit, two programmes born in parallel: the total synthesis of the marine natural product and the medicinal chemistry programmes of analogues that allow to define the pharmacophore.

At the same time ADME properties are considering in this step, and further modifications to structure were performed in order to obtain oral bioavailable compounds and to improve the cross of BBB.

Preliminary pharmacokinetic screening is also performed in our laboratories and so the bioanalytical methods should be developed.

FRANCE

Grenoble - Laboratoire HumProTher

Address

Equipe TheREx-GREPI

Laboratoire TIMC-IMAG, CNRS UMR5525, Université Joseph Fourier, UFR de Médecine, 38706 La Tronche, Grenoble

Nearest big city: Grenoble 1km, Lyon 90 km

Website

http://www-timc.imag.fr/HumProTher/

The HumProTher Laboratory is part of the TheRex/TIMC-IMAG group. The TIMC-IMAG group is a mixed research unit - UMR 5525- shared by several establishments (CNRS [National Center of Scientific Research], UJF [Joseph Fourier University] and INPG [National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble]). The HumProTher Laboratory is under the administrative supervision of Joseph Fourier University (UJF) in Grenoble, France. The Joseph Fourier University, one’s of the country’s largest, academic, non-profit research and university organizations, has rapidly achieved the status as one of the top institutions in France for higher education and research. The Joseph Fourier University has very recently been recognized as an outstanding education and research center by the French government and has obtained financial funds for its development by building new facilities and research centers. From its history (the first university was built in 1339) the UJF has always stood at the forefront of higher education and fundamental research. The UJF’s staff includes more than 1300 faculty members (85% Ph.D holders) and 960 administrative and support personnel. The total current campus enrollment is over 17.200 students including 60% in Sciences and Medicine/Pharmacy and more than 23% in Engineering sciences and technologies. Over 400 foreign students are hosted under international exchange programmes and 200 foreign researchers are invited each year. The UJF has become internationally recognized for its pioneering projects in nanotechnologies and bio-engineering.

The TIMC-IMAG is a group of more than 200 individuals including:

more than 120 researchers and teaching-researchers
a third of doctorate students and post-doctorate
engineers, technicians and administrative staffs

organized in research teams and research support services. The TheRex group is divided into 2 research units: the BacVac Laboratory (co-directed by Pr B. Polack and Pr B. Toussaint) and the HumProTher Laboratory (directed by Dr JL Lenormand).The TheRex group’s staff includes more than 4 professors or associate professors, 4 post-doctoral fellows, 3 Ph.D students, undergraduate students and administrative and support personnel. Rather than isolating faculty members and research domains into separate and distinct fields, Pr B. Polack the director of the TheRex group, has encouraged and stimulated a collaborative spirit. The pursuit of scientific excellence is paramount and all efforts are directed toward that end. Consequently, the Therex scientists have currently contributed to more than 19 scientific publications to the medical literature these last 5 years.

Lyon - Ecole Normale Supérieure

Address

Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire de la Cellule

46 allée d’Italie

69364 Lyon Cedex 07

Website

www.ens-lyon.fr/LBMC

The Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon is one of the top academic research institutions of France. The Laboratory of molecular and cellular Biology (LBMC) has state of the art facilities for world class biological research ranging from standard laboratory to microscopy, genomics and proteomics platforms to name but a few of the resources. There is a diversity of expertise in biology, easily accessible in the open format of the laboratory but also technologies at the interface of biology, chemistry, physics and materials science, in the Joliot-Curie laboratories.

Over 250 scientists in three research units – Virology, plant science, molecular and cellular biology train over 40 students and post-doctoral fellows at any given time, offering an ideal ratio of seasoned scientists to students. There is significant incentive to innovate as illustrated by the number of high tech start-ups that have emerged from the labs in several areas in addition to Biology.

Lyon - Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines (IBCP)

Address

7, Passage du Vercors

69367 Lyon Cedex 07

Website

http://www.ibcp.fr/fr/index.php

The Institute of Protein Biology and Chemistry (IBCP) is an excellence mixed research unit (UMR 5086) jointly administered by the CNRS and by the University of Lyon I. It is located in Lyon (France) in the Gerland area, at the confluence of Rhône and Saône rivers. It is one of the ten research units constituting the Federated Research Institute (IFR 128) "Biosciences Lyon-Gerland".

The current building dates from 1992 (phase 1), and was extended in 1997 (phase 2, North West wing) and again in 2003 (phase 3, two additional floors), making a current surface area of 4500 m2 distributed over 5 floors.

The general aim of the research carried out at the IBCP is the study of proteins in their biological context. The approaches used include integrative cellular (cell culture, various types of microscopies) and molecular techniques, at both experimental (including genetic engineering, biochemistry, biophysics, crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance) and theoretical (structural bioinformatics) levels.

The 13 research groups are spead over 3 scientific departments of equivalent sizes: Molecular Biostructures, Membranes-signalling-transport, and Matrix biology-tissue engineering.. Altogether, it includes about 170 people (researchers, university academic staff, technicians, administrative staff, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students), representing 9 nationalities, of which half have tenured positions. The IBCP houses the Lyon-Gerland site of the Rhone-Alpes Bioinformatics Centre (PRABI).

The Institute is equipped with all major facilities at both molecular and cellular levels. Additional, more specific, equipments are available in close proximity, within the IFR 128. It is considered as one of the best European research centers dedicated to Protein Science.

Nantes - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Address

BIA, BP 71627

44316 Nantes Cedex 3

Website

www.inra.fr

Center of INRA in Nantes employs over 200 scientists and technicians devoted mostly to the studies of:

· Biopolymers, their structure and interactions

· Animal and public health, epidemiological analysis, comparative animal physiopathology

· Human nutrition

Paris – Institut Cochin

Address

27, rue du Fbg. St. Jacques

75014 Paris

Website

http://www.cochin.inserm.fr

The Cochin Institute is an institution dedicated to biological and medical research.
Its mission is to federate and co-ordinate a broad spectrum of research projects which share biomedical applications. It operates in interaction with a medical school (Paris 5) and a major hospital centre, the Groupe Hospitalier Cochin – Saint Vincent de Paul – La Roche-Guyon.

The Cochin Institute operates under the authority of Inserm (U 567), of the CNRS (UMR 8104), and the Université René Descartes Paris 5. It is a member of the Institut Fédératif de Recherche Alfred Jost.

Research at the Cochin Institute ranges from basic researches at cell and molecular level through clinical research. It is mainly structured around 6 main themes: Endocrinology/Metabolisme and Cancer, Cellular biology, Genetics and Development, Hematology, Immunology, and Infection diseases. It also possess 8 common technical facilities: Transgenics, Microscopy, Sequencing, Histology and Pathology, Cytometry, Microsurgery, Mass spectrometry, Animal facility.

The institute has 600 staff members distributed in 47 teams, common services, and administation with a total 12,000 m2 of laboratory space.

The institute regularly hosts workshops, conferences and symposiums on biological and medical topics.

Paris - Institut Curie

Address

26 rue d’Ulm

75005 PARIS

Website

www.curie.fr

Internationally renowned tumour and cell biology institute. Great research environment. International student and post-doctoral programmes.

State-of-the-art technological platforms: genomics, proteomics, flow cytometry, confocal and 2-photon microscopy, electron microscopy, intra-vital microscopy, animal facility.

Department of immunology with 8 independent groups. Lab meetings and journal club in English.

Paris region (Crossy sur Seine) - Institut de Recherches Servier

Address

125, chemin de Ronde

78290 Croissy sur Seine

Website

www.servier.com

Working in synergy with all disciplines within R + D, our scientific teams contribute to the definition of novel and innovative strategies, targeting discovery of new treatments in the fields of:

· Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

· The Neurosciences

· Cancer

SERVIER is France’s 2nd pharmaceutical group employing 20 000 people worldwide, and has achieved a consolidated turnover

of € 3.7 billions.

Our success depends upon the dynamism of our research directed towards the discovery of new drugs, mainly in metabolic, cardiovascular, neuroscience and oncology diseases.

Thanks to its 3000 scientists, our growing company has a pipeline of 78 drugs in development.

In our Research center, a major and expanding scientific and medical hub within Europe, we are offering training opportunities.

The research laboratories are situated in the Paris region.

Paris – Université Paris Descartes, Biomedical Faculty, INSERM U648, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacochemistry

Address

45 rue des Saints-Pères

75006 Paris

Website

http://www.biomedicale.univ-paris5.fr

Our laboratory is attached to the IFR 95 “Biomedicale-Saints Pères”, gathering 12 laboratories recognized by the French research organizations (5 CNRS, 5 INSERM). This research center includes two poles, “pharmacology, toxicology, cancerology” and “neurosciences” and our laboratory is attached to the first of these two poles. We are located in full center of Paris (district of Saint Germain des Pres), at the Faculty of Medicine Paris Descartes (Hospitals Necker, Cochin, Pompidou). The laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacochemistry includes 30 people with 20 statutory members and 10 PhD students.

The objectives of our laboratory are to characterize and validate new protein targets implied in the deregulations of cell signaling in association with pathologies and more particularly with cancerology. A second phase consists in the development of inhibitors of these proteins with a pharmacological aim and to test their in vitro and on cellular models effects. Our multi-field approach associates the techniques of molecular and cellular biology, chemistry and molecular modeling in silico and the physicochemical and enzymatic tests. Our targets are located in the transduction pathway induced by the tyrosine kinase receptors (Grb2, RasGAP, STAT3) and in the cellular cycle (CDC25, Cdk) or are kinases like focal adhesion kinase FAK and the VEGF receptors.

Tours – Centre INRA, Animal Infectious Disease and Veterinary Public Health research unit

Address

UR INRA 1282 IASP

Centre INRA de Tours

37380 Nouzilly

(20 km from Tours)

Website

http://www.tours.inra.fr/le_centre/english

http://wcentre.tours.inra.fr/PoleSante/internet/eng/

The INRA research center, located near Tours, has a staff of more than 500 permanents with three research units: the Animal Infectious Disease and Veterinary Public Health Research Unit (IASP), the reproductive and Behavior physiology unit and the poultry research unit. Our institute offers several shared facilities for molecular and cellular analyses.

The IASP research unit is part of the pole for Animal Health, the largest multidisciplinary research organization on animal infectious diseases in France. Our research unit is composed of 12 teams with 60 permanent scientists, in disciplins including virology, bacteriology, parasitology and immunology. Our research unit is a partner of Tours University.

The candidate will join the Molecular Virology team, which is interested in avian viruses (influenza viruses and Marek's disease viruses) and composed of 6 permanent scientists, 3 technicians and 3 students.

Tours - Université François Rabelais, UMR Imagerie et Cerveau, INSERM U930 – CNRS ERL 3106

Address

Université François Rabelais, UMR Imagerie et Cerveau, INSERM U930 – CNRS ERL 3106

37044 Tours cedex

Website

http://med.univ-tours.fr/

http://neuropediatrie.med.univ-tours.fr/

http://www.chu-tours.fr/

http://www.u930.tours.inserm.fr

The Inserm Unit U930 is hosted in the Tours University Hospital which covers a region of approximately 3 million inhabitants with 2000 beds, 7000 employees and 17 research units including 4 Inserm units. One of the oldest research unit is the Inserm Unit U930 named “Brain and Imaging”.

The Inserm Unit U930 is composed of 6 teams which bring together 155 people. The general scientific objective of the unit is the study of normal brain development and disease from the perinatal period to adulthood through the combination of clinical research and imaging.

The team 3 is the team Neurotransmission:

Our team is composed of 6 permanent scientists, 5 affiliate scientists, 8 technicians and 13 students.

Using an approach based on molecular imaging of receptors and transporters, our goal is to provide tools to

(1) understand pathophysiological mechanisms of disorders of the central nervous system,

(2) allow their early detection,

(3) facilitate the development and evaluation of therapeutic approaches

This is achieved through a multidisciplinary team which, involving clinicians, neurobiologists and chemists.

THE NETHERLANDS

Groningen - Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen

Address

Antonius Deusinglaan 1

NL-9713 AV Groningen

Nearest big city: Amsterdam-Groningen ca. 180 km; Utrecht-Groningen ca. 200 km

Website

www.rug.nl/farmacie

The Department of Pharmacy belongs to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMNS) of the University of Groningen (RUG). At the department, fundamental and applied research is carried out and education is given in pharmacy and in pharmaceutical sciences. Pharmacy takes a central position in life sciences.

The Department of Pharmacy consist of eleven research groups. The largest part of the research is organized in the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP). This research institute participates in the graduate school Groningen University Institute for Drug Exploration (GUIDE), in which also groups from the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG). The research group Molecular Pharmacology is embedded in two research institutes: the Groningen Research Institute of Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), like GRIP also part of GUIDE, and the Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences (CBN). CBN is part of the interfaculty graduate school of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), in which also groups from the UMCG participate.

Pharmaceutical research is multidisciplinary and has a central position in life sciences. It bridges medical sciences on the one side and chemistry, biology and physics on the other side. The interaction of pharmaceutical sciences in Groningen with medical sciences, through participation in the graduate schools GUIDE and BCN, offers excellent possibilities for cutting edge research. Next to local collaboration there is successful collaboration on a national and international level with other universities, industries and governmental bodies.

Research in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Groningen includes the following themes:

- Molecular aspects of drug design and drug action;

- Unraveling of drug signal transduction routes, in relation to pathophysiology;

- Development of relevant in vitro disease models;

- In vitro technologies for the evaluation of human drug metabolism and toxicity;

- Drug discovery on the basis of medicinal chemistry (synthesis of drugs) and natural products;

- Biotechnological production of drugs, including protein engineering and gene engineering;

- Protein analysis and medical proteomics;

- Pharmaceutical, biomacromolecular and toxicological analysis;

- Bioanalytical and biosensoring techniques, including biomonitoring and microdialysis;

- Advanced technologies for programmed drug delivery and drug absorption;

- Cell selective (pro)drug and gene targeting research;

- Pharmaceutical manipulation of gene expression;

- Pharmaceutical technology for the development of innovative drug dosage forms and their production process;

- Pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics and drug use studies;

- Social pharmacy and patient information;

- Pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical patient care.

Wageningen - Plant Research International

Address

Bornsesteeg 65

6708 PD Wageningen

Nearest big city: Utrecht, 50 km; Arnhem, 25 km

Website

http://www.pri.wur.nl/UK/research/

Plant Research International (PRI) is one of the strategic research institutes of Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR). WUR combines fundamental and applied research with innovative education in the areas of food, agrotechnology, production systems, nature and the environment. About 5500 professionals are committed to translating technological knowledge into study programmes and practical applications. At the beginning of 2009 all plant scientific groups (including PRI) will be placed in one new building on the new campus of WUR. PRI is a non-profit organisation that is active in all fields of plant related sciences, from molecule to agrosystems, and is the biggest Dutch research institute in the field of plant biotechnology. The total staff of about 450 persons includes members from 30 different nationalities. At any given time, some 70 researchers and trainees from abroad are playing an important role in our organisation. As all Dutch employees are at least bi-lingual, internal scientific meetings are conducted in English. The research described below in the WORK programme will take place within the Business unit (BU) Bioscience. The topics of this BU include the genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic fields.

SWEDEN

Stockholm – Karolinska Institutet

Address

Stockholm South Hospital (Södersjukhuset)

118 83 Stockholm

Website

www.ki.se/sos

Karolinska Institutet is one of Europe’s largest medical universities. It is also Sweden’s largest medical university accounting for 30% of medical education and 40% of academic medical research in the country. It offers 19 different education programmes and a number of continuing education and free courses. Research at the Karolinska Institutet ranges from basic researches at cell and molecular level through clinical research and research in nursing. Karolinska Institute is known among others for its role in the award to Nobel Prize in physiology and medicin. Of the Eight Swedish Nobel laureates, five comes from the Karolinska Institute.

UNITED KINGdOM

Cambridge – Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus

Address

Babraham Research Campus

Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT

Nearest big city: 5 miles from Cambridge

Website

www.babraham.ac.uk

The Babraham Institute is an independent charitable life sciences Institute, sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), carrying out world-leading innovative research and advanced training with relevance to the biomedical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical and healthcare communities. Research focuses on the mechanisms of cell signalling and gene regulation that underlie normal cellular processes and functions, and on how their failure or abnormality may lead to diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and rheumatoid arthritis. Major breakthroughs have been made at the Institute, unraveling the complexities of cellular communication and providing insight into the physiological processes behind medical conditions like hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure, infertility, cancer and bipolar disorders such as manic depressive illness. The Institute’s research effort underpins the overall healthcare responsibility of the BBSRC and aims to provide novel targets for the development of therapies and diagnostics of potential social and economic benefit.

The fundamental strategic unit of research at Babraham is the ‘Laboratory’, of which there are sevensix: Developmental Genetics & Imprinting, Chromatin & Gene Function; Lymphocyte Signalling & Development; Cognitive & Behavioural Neuroscience; Molecular Signalling; and the Inositide Lab and the Technology Research Group. Each consists of two or Within each ‘Laboratory’ a number of more Group Leaders running research groups and sharing share complementary approaches to address a common set of biological questions. There are currently 32 31 Project Leaders, 170 research scientists and laboratory support staff, and approximately 70 graduate (PhD) students. Internationally recognised as a research centre of excellence, with particular strengths in epigenetics and molecular signalling, , the Institute is also an exemplar in the training of graduates and postdoctoral scientists. There are about 500 members of the Institute, including support staff and up to 100 working visitors, coming from all over the world. This diverse, international mix of interests and cultures produces a stimulating research environment.

Babraham Bioscience Technologies Limited (BBT) the Institute’s wholly-owned trading subsidiary, manages all commercial activities on the Babraham Research Campus, including technology and knowledge transfer. BBT provides full business, scientific and technical mentoring to help biotechnology start-up companies achieve success and also promotes and negotiates research partnerships with the pharmaceutical and healthcare biotechnology sectors. Babraham’s Bioincubator currently hosts 29 around 30 bioscience ventures with about 200 250 employees. The juxtaposition of a world-class research institute with a thriving cluster of life science companies provides an enabling environment that brings together fundamental, applied science and commercial R&D and promotes innovation across the academic and commercial divide. The Babraham Research Campus, located 6 miles south of Cambridge has an underlying philosophy to cultivate an environment that encourages and stimulates effective commercialisation and Knowledge Transfer (KT) for the benefit of society. As part of the UK Science Base, Babraham contributes to the wealth creation, quality of life and public understanding of science objectives of Government.

Cambridge - Colonix Medical, Babraham Research Campus

Address

Babraham Research Campus

Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT

Nearest big city: 5 miles from Cambridge

Website

www.colonixmedical.com

Colorectal cancer (CRC) causes the second largest number of cancer-related deaths in the developed world. One in 20 persons in the Western world develops CRC in the course of their lifetime. Globally, about 655,000 people die each year from this disease; over 1,000 deaths a week occur in the US alone. The European Commission has defined CRC as one of the major uprising health issues.

Early detection of CRC not only increases survival rates to reach up to 95% but also reduces the significant treatment costs. Screening programmes to detect the disease early are therefore widely discussed and have been implemented in several countries.

Colonix is an innovation medical technology/diagnostics company aiming to reduce mortality and treatment costs of CRC by developing a new diagnostic and screening method. Detection of the disease at an early stage will enable health and insurance providers to redistribute financial resources no longer needed for CRC treatment.

Colonix has developed a sampling device (“Colonix Cell Sampling device”) and an economically viable laboratory procedure providing an early pre-colonoscopy test for CRC and other colorectal diseases. Eventually a test for the CRC screening market based on the same platform as the pre-colonoscopy test will be finalised. The first pilot clinical trials have successfully validated the approach. The project has now expanded to an international multi centre study with the aim of achieving clinical acceptance.

Cambridge - Horizon Discovery, Babraham Research Campus

Address

BBTI, Babraham Campus, Babraham, Cambridge

CB22 3AT, UK

(5 miles from Cambridge)

Website

www.horizondiscovery.com

Horizon Discovery has 2 bases in Cambridge, UK and Torino, Italy. Our lab in Torino is at the state of the art Molecular Biotechnology Center at the University of Torino in the heart of Turin. In this center we focus on the generation and characterisation of our X-Man cell lines.

Our lab in the UK is at the Babraham Campus, a research campus set in pleasant countryside located 5 miles from Cambridge. The Campus houses academic groups funded by the BBSRC as well as many companies in its Bioincubators (see babraham.ac.uk)

Our Cambridge lab mainly works on cell culture providing X-Man cell line generation and characterisation. We are also involved in drug screening on the X-Man cell lines for clients as well as for our internal work.

Horizon Discovery is an award-winning translational genomics company founded in June 2007 and is headquartered at the Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK and with additional research laboratories in Torino, Italy. Horizon’s goal is to convert new information on the genetic causes of cancer into laboratory models that will facilitate the discovery of drugs that target these defects. Central to this aim is Horizon Discovery’s offering of isogenic cell-lines, which represent accurate models of defined cancer patient populations and their matched normal genetic backgrounds – a missing link in the rational and efficient development of novel targeted anti-cancer agents.

Cambridge - Innova Biosciences Ltd, Babraham Research Campus

Address

Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AT

Nearest big city: Cambridge

Website

www.innovabiosciences.com

Innova Biosciences Ltd is a small biotechnology company located on the Babraham Institute campus, close to the historic University City of Cambridge, UK. We develop innovative research products for the hospital, diagnostic, pharmaceutical and academic sectors. The company’s core business revolves around its revolutionary Lightning-LinkTM bioconjugation echnology, which massively simplifies and accelerates the production of antibody conjugates. Innova also manufactures reagents and kits for drug discovery labs. The company currently has five full time staff, which includes two Italians who were offered employment after very successful Uniphama-graduates-3 placements in 2007.

Cambridge – Phico Therapeutics Ltd, Babraham Research Campus

Address

Babraham Research Campus

Babraham Hall, Babraham

CB23 4AT Cambridge

5 miles from Cambridge

Website

www.phicotherapeutics.co.uk

Phico is a small early stage biotechnology company based on the site of the Babraham Research Institute near Cambridge, UK. The company employs 12 people of which 10 are full time post-docs with post-doctoral experience in varying backgrounds: molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, assay development and protein purification.

Phico is developing a range of completely novel antibiotics based on using bacterial viruses to deliver a gene encoding an antibacterial protein to target pathogenic bacteria. The antibacterial gene encodes a small acid-soluble spore protein isolated from Bacillus species. Phico has already developed its first product which is currently being manufactured by an outside organisation to produce material for clinical trials. Phico’s first product is aimed at eliminating MRSA from the nose of Staphylococcus aureus carriers.