Plant Biotechnology and Enterprise

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This programme provides a unique opportunity to really shape the future. Gain the technical and scientific skills needed to support increased agricultural productivity and the development of new biotechnological innovations whilst also delivering a commercial approach through the business-related enterprise element of the course.

Alongside taught modules and practical lab-based experience offering one to one mentoring, this focused programme will enable students to develop their own research project, access vital training in business development and create links with leading biotech industries whilst developing essential skills for the employment market.

Now is your chance to join a world top 100 University, benefit from an outstanding student experience, be part of world leading research in state-of-the-art facilitates – apply today, join us at Durham and achieve the extraordinary!

One of the principal challenges that our society faces is the need for increased agricultural productivity via improved crop protection and plant biotechnology. The number of novel crop protection and biotech products registered in the EU has been decreasing over the last 10 years. This is, in part, due to a sector covered by a reduced number of companies, a difficult legislative environment, and the lack of professionals with skills and specific knowledge. Given the quality of the UK Plant-science research and education system, the socio-economical context and the increase in global warming-associated natural catastrophes, there has never been a more important time to train new scientists in plant biotechnology, to underpin economic growth.

Most of the Biosciences graduates finish their degree with limited practical and experimental skills, and the practical knowledge required for translating their ideas into commercial products. Furthermore, due to the rapidly evolving nature of the biosciences field, employers seek graduates with transferable skills beyond those established in their first degree. To fulfill this curriculum gap and to improve the employability and business development know-how of home and overseas bioscientists, academics at the DU Biosciences department have designed a postgraduate taught course in Plant Biotechnology & Enterprise.

The programme consists of five compulsory taught modules (80 credits) and a research project (100 credits). Three of the five taught modules have been explicitly designed for this program and two further modules are inter-disciplinary. Holistically they aim to provide exceptional theoretical subject-specific content and transferable knowledge and skills. The “Bioinformatics and Data science” module, shared with the PGT in Data Science, will provide fundamental knowledge of, and practical skills in, the computational and statistical analysis of big-data. The “Innovation and Enterprise in Plant Biotechnology” module is jointly run with the Durham Business School and introduces students to the key theories of innovation and how these can be applied to individual plant biotechnology research projects. The research project builds on material covered in the taught modules and will provide practical and experimental knowledge and skills.

Course Structure

The course is comprised of the following compulsory modules: