London Development Agency (LDA) Support: The London Development Agency (LDA) is supporting UCL in 2 initiatives that aim to address the skills required to develop the next generation of pharmaceuticals. This support is directed at SME companies who wish to enhance their employees’ capabilities, aiding the provision of specialist training skills and subsequently raising competency levels in bioprocessing. The 2 initiatives are:

1. MBI® Voucher Scheme: Over the next three years, the scheme will provide vouchers to employees of London based SMEs to undertake an MBI module of their choice. The scheme will provide approximately £1,000 of funding for each student, which will cover 75 per cent of module fees. Who should attend? The MBI® Training Programme is designed specifically for industrialists. The programme can be completed as stand alone modules or can be combined for Certificate, Diploma or Masters qualifications. To date, 1,000 modules have been taught to over 700 international delegates and more than 200 companies have participated.

2. Competition to win funding for a UCL Postgraduate Diploma in Bioprocessing: Open to employees of SMEs based in London , the prize will cover course fees. It has a value in excess of £15,000 and should provide the recipient and their company with a wide range of scientific and industry insights.

How to register: Interested delegates from London SMEs can find further details about the MBI® Training Programme at: www.ucl.ac.uk/biochemeng. Further details of the schemes and eligibility are available from: Dr Karen Smith, Director of Bioprocess Leadership Activities, UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering, Email: karen.smith@ucl.ac.uk, Phone: +44 (0)20 7679 4411

The competition will be judged by a panel led the UCL Head of the Department of for Biochemical Engineering, Professor Mike Hoare. The winner will be announced in July 2007. Details of how to enter the competition will be available on the UCL website shortly. For more information about the LDA visit www.BioLondon.org.uk or contact Jummy Ayodeji on 0207 593 8240.