Life Sciences at the heart of the University

The recent University restructure has seen the creation of four Colleges to replace the previous seven faculties. In the first of our College profile features, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Life Sciences Professor Pete Downes describes his vision for the future. Professor Pete Downes describes his vision for the future.

Life Sciences at the heart of the University

In an age when the quality of academic activity is judged in terms of international competitiveness, none more so than in the rapidly growing life sciences sector, it may seem strange to begin by considering the place of our College within the University of Dundee.

With 70% of our budget coming from external funding sources for research, and the position of our research complex at the extreme north west of the campus it is all too easy to think of Life Sciences as a special case with little to give to or to learn from the rest of the University.

Nothing could be further from the truth and, if this has become the perception, the new College-based structure is an ideal opportunity to change it. One of the best ways to learn from each other is to develop inter-disciplinary programmes and we have links with all parts of the university that could be advanced.

The relocation of Mathematics to the Medical Sciences Institute, tissue engineering, sci-art programmes and the human identification studio located in Duncan of Jordanstone College are examples to build on. The fact that the US pharmaceuticals giant, Wyeth, chose to locate its Translational Medicine Research Centre in Dundee shows the enormous potential of linking basic research with clinical excellence.

Our College will therefore develop more effective links with the Medical School wherever the strengths in fundamental research are mirrored in the clinical setting and we will invest in joint appointments and coordinate estate strategies to achieve this. Immediate priorities are the establishment of a Cancer Centre drawing on staff and facilities in both Colleges and the development of a clinical PhD programme.

The impact of Life Sciences on regional economic development

During his recent visit, the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, commented on the enviable relationship the University enjoys with the people of Tayside.

This isn't surprising given that life science research, biotechnology and supporting industries currently account for about 17% of the local economy. He also said that collaboration between the academic and commercial sectors is often hampered by a lack of respect from both sides for the complementary skills that each sector possesses.

We have no such prejudices in Dundee and this will continue to be a key factor as we aim to expand commercial development of discoveries in the life sciences in the coming years. This is vital not just to fulfil our responsibilities to the region, but also as a source of core income that is required to fuel sustainable growth and keep our research at the forefront internationally.

Realising our potential in teaching and student recruitment

We have done much to improve undergraduate recruitment in recent years, but this will be counterbalanced by demographic change, so there is much to do to maintain student numbers and improve quality.

The successful launch of Forensic Anthropology undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes provides some important clues about what we need to do. These courses are unique in the UK, there is high student demand for related courses and there is outstanding academic leadership.

These characteristics strongly distinguish Forensic Anthropology in Dundee from courses elsewhere in the UK. In the future we will have a portfolio of unique, niche and more standard degree programmes. But we also have a unique structure comprising two schools, of Learning and Teaching and Research.

Within the School of Learning and Teaching, specialised teaching staff can develop their skills, introduce new approaches to learning, take the lead in initiatives such as e-learning and above all maintain the highest possible standards of teaching quality. This is already paying off in terms of new courses and teaching awards for staff (in Pharmaceutical Chemistry).

Research-active staff in the School of Research provide the research-led components of undergraduate programmes, expose students to projects in world class labs and train research postgraduate students. The benefits of this division of responsibilities to the experience and training of our students should be central to our future marketing strategy.

Growth through partnership

Life Science research is growing rapidly and globally with major technological developments and a shift in culture from small specialised research teams towards large multidisciplinary units.

To continue to succeed in this new and changing environment requires new strategies. Critical mass and technological needs will drive more focused resource allocation which risks losing the broader perspective from which most new developments will emerge.

We must therefore adopt a dynamic and flexible approach to the development of scientific, educational and financial partnerships. Current partnerships range from specific collaborations between individual scientists to the formal relationship that exists between Life Sciences and the Scottish Crop Research Institute.

Increasingly we must view our major research funders (the Research Councils and charities) as partners and engage in more effective dialogue with them about our aims, strategies and research. On the immediate horizon is a new 'experiment' in partnership between Scottish institutions, the 'research pooling' initiative supported by the Scottish Funding Council.

Rather than responding to initiatives, we need in the future to develop new partnerships that benefit us and lead to concrete outcomes. Whether these should be local or global in nature and who or what they should involve is a subject I look forward to debating in the newly-formed College Board and amongst the staff and students of the College of Life Sciences.

A brief history of Life Sciences

The Life Sciences Complex houses 68 research teams and nearly 700 scientists and support staff from 49 countries and is as large as the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Below is a brief history of the growth and success of life sciences at Dundee from humble beginnings in a building previously used as stables in the late 1940s.

1940s: Biochemistry research begins under Robert Cook

1965: Department of Biochemistry is formed

1970: Medical Sciences Institute completed, soon followed by the Biological Sciences Institute

1987: Departments of Anatomy and Physiology merge

1997: £13.5 Wellcome Trust Biocentre is completed

2000: School of Life Sciences is formed from the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Chemistry

2005: Sir James Black Centre is completed creating a fully integrated Life Sciences Complex including the Sir James Black Centre, the Wellcome Trust Biocentre and the Medical Sciences Institute operating under a single infrastructure.

2006: The College of Life Sciences is formed incorporating the School of Research - the only 5* rated biological sciences grouping in Scotland - and the School of Learning and Teaching, which received the highest rating for all aspects of biology teaching by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council

Professor Pete Downes OBE FRSE

Professor Downes has been Head of Life Sciences at the University since 2000. He joined the University in 1989 as Professor of Biochemistry and has played a key role in developing life sciences in Dundee to its current status. His work co-directing the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy led to the signing of a two phase £23m contract. The Division received the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2006. He is among the UK's most cited scientists and his scientific contributions over the years have been recognised with various awards including the Colworth Medal of the Biochemical Society. He was honoured by the Queen with an OBE in 2004.