SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme

Dr Marco Monopoli, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at RCSI, was awarded an SFI Industry Fellowship* award in 2016 to spend time at Ludger Ltd. in the United Kingdom to develop glycoprofiling technologies for biological therapeutics. Read about Dr Monopoli’s experience as a former SFI Industry Fellow here.   

“The best science is collaborative but the SFI Industry Fellowship is something more impactful than that. In my case, it allowed me to have a year of total immersion in an industry environment where I learned new techniques and methods that I am now routinely implementing in my laboratory after my return to academia.” 

What were your research interests at the time? 

When I applied to the SFI Industry Fellowship, I was a senior postdoctoral fellow in UCD working in Prof. Kenneth Dawson’s research group. I was studying the effects of biological fluid and environmental media on nanoparticle behaviour, to understand and predict their potential toxicity. In the last year of my postdoctoral fellowship, I developed my interest in glycobiology when I had the opportunity to collaborate with Professor Pauline Rudd in NIBRT, a world-renowned leader on this topic. 

What drew you to the SFI Industry Fellowship?  

The all-too-common state of career limbo that many postdoctoral researchers find themselves in creates strong feelings of doubt and uncertainty about the future. The SFI Industry Fellowship spoke to me because it was specifically tailored to the development of the postdoctoral researcher, and I knew this was the right programme for me. Another thing was its bottom-up approach to funding which gave me the motivation to pursue the research that I was most passionate about. Preparing for career grants can be incredibly time consuming which causes high levels of anxiety and limits your ability to plan too far ahead. The SFI Industry Fellowship application process was straightforward and much less complex than other funding schemes and also had a much higher success rate. It was clear to me what was being asked of me, and this made the process more accessible and less intimidating. I would describe it as being like a Q&A style of application so writing the proposal felt very natural. 

How did you go about finding an industry partner? 

Bridging the academia-industry gap is difficult! At the beginning, I was a bit scared to send out emails to companies. I wish I had been more proactive about this. I think you could try a hundred different things and if one of those things works then you are lucky! You should have a strong idea of what it is you want to do and which companies operate in that space. Identify topics in the R&D space that excite you and make a list of keywords. When scoping out companies, check to see if they have a track record of securing funding? Are they open to academic collaborations? Use your existing network. Check the employer’s LinkedIn profile, do you have any mutual connections here? Ask for an introduction. At the time, I knew there must be some company working in the glycobiology space that is a partner on a European level project (that’s how I got the partnership with Ludger Ltd. who I found on the European Commission website). Ultimately, it’s a bilateral partnership so you need to be strategic and offer something that will also be of value to the company. Be confident in your abilities and be generous with your skill set.  

Do you have any additional advice for applicants hoping to apply to the SFI Industry Fellowship?  

Don’t be afraid, reach out to companies often and early. You may need to be very patient waiting for a response from a company director. In my case, it took weeks. Know your worth – postdoctoral researchers are highly trained scientists that are extremely valuable to companies. We are often most comfortable when talking to other scientists and academics but there can be a much broader infrastructure behind you. I was lucky to have the support of the technology transfer office (TTO) in UCD who were friendly, approachable and brought a lot of knowledge around IP and possible inventions. They were enthusiastic and open to having those talks with me. Engage with your TTO/innovation office as soon as possible.  

What impact did the SFI Industry Fellowship have on your career? 

My Industry Fellowship was a lot like a sabbatical. Without the added responsibilities of teaching or supervising, it gave me the time and space I needed to apply myself fully, think more deeply about what I could develop and how I could plan for the next stage of my career. I was highly active in the laboratory from day one and was treated like any other team member. We learned a great deal from each other by sharing knowledge and solving problems through our collaborative work. After I returned to Ireland and joined RCSI, I had built a much stronger professional network. When it comes to applying for the next grant that Ludger also fits, I know that I can pick up the phone and we can have that conversation – we have so many ideas! I also bought equipment that I now know how to use and could continue to do what I did at Ludger. For example, with the new machines, I was able to secure two other European grants where this expertise was needed. I believe I couldn’t have achieved this in a solely academic setting.  

Dr Marco Monopoli is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at RCSI where he is establishing a multidisciplinary laboratory focused on obtaining a complete understanding of the mechanisms of interaction between nanomaterials and living systems.  

*The SFI Industry Fellowship Programme was re-launched in 2021 as “Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme"

Dr Marcus Baumann, Associate Professor of Continuous Flow Chemistry and Lecturer at University College Dublin, was awarded an SFI Industry Fellowship* in 2020 to spend time at Almac Group Ltd. in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, to collaborate on the development of technologies for manufacturing chemical intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via the synergetic marriage of continuous flow and biocatalytic processes.

Can you tell us a bit about your research background?

My background is in Organic Chemistry. In 2017, I moved to Ireland to join University College Dublin (UCD) as an Assistant Professor in Continuous Flow Chemistry to pursue an independent research career. I currently lead the Baumann Research Group. We are a synthetic chemistry group exploiting flow reactor technology in combination with photochemistry and biocatalysis to create molecules with interesting biological properties. Continuous flow chemistry is practical for industrial applications because it allows for faster reaction times and a scaled-up process, better quality product and critically, the ability to perform chemistry that is difficult or impossible to do in batch mode. It also produces less waste which makes it a lot safer and environmentally more friendly.

How did the partnership with Almac Group come about?  

I first met Professor Tom Moody (Almac’s VP of Technology Development and Commercialisation) in 2018 at an event in Manchester where I had delivered a talk. Almac have extensive expertise in biocatalysis (using enzymes to do chemical transformations) which is a highly valued enabling technology for pharmaceutical research and development. It was something I didn’t have a lot of hands-on experience in at the time. Almac were also interested in continuous flow chemistry, an area I had already been working in for more than 7 years. It was an opportunity to marry the two technologies. Shortly after, I travelled to Almac's site at Craigavon and delivered a presentation. In the 6 months leading up to the Fellowship there was some back and forth as we discussed options for collaboration.

What drew you to the SFI Industry Fellowship?  

I applied to the SFI Industry Fellowship Programme in 2019. It was Dr Megan Smyth (Team Leader at Almac Group Ltd.) that introduced me to the SFI Industry Fellowship. As an established faculty researcher with an independent group, it was an opportunity for me to extend my research portfolio into industrially relevant fields and in turn, an opportunity for Almac to further expand their existing flow chemistry platforms. The chemical and pharmaceutical sector in Ireland is large and biocatalysis and flow chemistry are both recognised as key technologies to produce sustainable chemicals globally. So, of course there is a lot of interest from academia in training students in these newer technologies. Comparably, there is also the interest from industry to hire people that have these skills. In this way, my research lab was a perfect match for Almac and the SFI Industry Fellowship was an ideal entry point for meaningful collaboration.

How did you benefit from the SFI Industry Fellowship?  

The SFI Industry Fellowship was invaluable in getting the collaboration with Almac up and running. Synergy and transfer of knowledge and expertise were a priority. It offered me insights into working with enzymes in flow which is something we will certainly intensify in our lab. Another benefit was the open-dialogue and exchange of ideas that took place throughout. It has allowed us to work on a number of interesting and industry-relevant projects, jointly publish our results while also still achieving the objectives outlined in the Fellowship proposal. We currently have 6 joint-publications and are working on a 7th. We have since been featured on the cover of the Journal of Organic Chemistry and the European Journal of Organic Chemistry. It also allowed us to apply for, and secure, extra funding to recruit postgraduates that we are jointly supervising. For example, I was recently awarded a Frontiers for the Future grant from SFI (Almac Group are a collaborator). I was able to reduce my teaching hours which was crucial at the beginning to get things off the ground. I spent a lot of time at Almac's site at Craigavon where I saw how research is carried out in an industrial environment and have since transferred some of these insights back to my own lab at UCD. 

What additional advice can you give to other faculty researchers thinking about applying?  

Having an established industry contact early on was a huge advantage and accelerated the process. Approach the fellowship as a stepping-stone to expand your industry network. When engaging with companies, have a strong idea of what you want to achieve with a partnership and have a good strategy in place in terms of shared research. Almac Group Ltd. are a company that are very open to publishing which meant that we were productive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and it brought a lot of positive exposure and visibility to the partnership. This is good for me as an academic but also for the postgraduate students that were involved in the research. I would say that the Fellowship was the driving force behind our continued collaboration with Almac today. Applicants should keep this in mind whether you are a senior postdoctoral researcher or already starting to build an independent career in research.  

“Almac Group Ltd. strongly values collaboration with academia. The success of this SFI Industry Fellowship has generated positive exposure and visibility to our company within the research community at UCD and across Ireland. The breadth of complementary expertise Marcus brought to the partnership was invaluable and has allowed us to perform high-quality research at an accelerated pace and present case studies to our customers. It has also proven to be an excellent mechanism for attracting and retaining talented scientists with the necessary skills and expertise. Overall, it was a very successful partnership  and we look forward to continued collaboration with Marcus and his research group.” 

-              Dr Megan Smyth (Team Leader at Almac Group Ltd.) 

*The SFI Industry Fellowship Programme was re-launched in 2021 as “Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme”.

Dr James Murray, a former postdoctoral researcher at Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), was awarded an SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship in 2022 to spend time at DePuy Synthes in Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork and the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) 3D Printing Center of Excellence (Jacksonville, FL, USA) to work on the recovery of additively manufactured polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for reuse in orthopedic implants.

Can you tell us a bit about your research background?

My background is in composites and manufacturing processes. I was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh in 2020 having worked on the development of a manufacturing process to produce a high-performance recyclable alternative to metals and thermoset composites for structural automotive parts. I returned to Ireland then and joined TUS as a postdoctoral researcher and led several research projects in bio-based pigments and biopolymer development.

What drew you to the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship?

I was thinking a lot about the future and what direction I wanted my career to go in at the time. I knew that I wanted to work at the forefront of research, development and innovation and saw myself making that transition to industry eventually, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was in a hurry to leave academia either. The SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship was the perfect vehicle for me to bridge that gap and explore what a career in industry could offer without cutting those ties to academia completely. It’s a very supportive programme in that way. Colleagues of mine have taken similar routes to the one I am currently undertaking (transferring from academia to industry) and their advice was also helpful to me in the beginning.

How did you go about finding a suitable industry partner?

Coming from a composites background, I wanted to continue working with high-performance materials like titanium and PEEK so naturally the medical devices industry in Ireland, given its size and influence spoke to me. With medical devices, I was particularly interested in implantable devices in orthopedics due to the structural nature of the materials which require the ability to support high loads, be flexible and withstand impact. I began brainstorming ideas and researching companies in this space. Fortunately, I had a contact in Depuy Synthes in Cork, who I knew had a background in metals and worked on these types of implants so I reached out to him, we set up a call and I pitched my ideas. As it turned out he would become one of my industry mentors. There was some back-and-forth and while the project I ended up working on was very different to the one I proposed, I really got a lot out of that initial experience.

How did you benefit from the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship?

My prior knowledge and experience of 3D printing prior to the Fellowship programme was limited and it offered a great opportunity to train, gain experience and expertise in some of the most advanced forms of 3D printing. Most of my R&D work was carried out in Jacksonville, Florida at the Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Center of Excellence where I spent 10 weeks in the Spring and then another 5 weeks in Autumn. I gained a thorough understanding of the behaviour of PEEK material and the different variables affecting it. My supervisor in Jacksonville, was an expert in 3D printing polymers. Through general conversations, project planning and review, I gained a lot of knowledge from them and was exposed to methodologies they use in areas such as experimental design and statistical engineering. If and when I manage a team in the future, their leadership style would be inspirational and valuable to me. When I wasn’t in the US, I was based at Depuy Synthes in Cork, where I was working on the analytical and reporting elements of the project. The Fellowship gave me a good understanding of how priorities differ between industry and academia.

What advice would you give to applicants?

Be strategic about the companies you engage with and choose them wisely. DePuy Synthes were already familiar with the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship and were enthusiastic to collaborate. Reach out to your network from college, some of them could have at least five years’ worth of experience in industry by then. Take full advantage of all opportunities for training and travel. I undertook an intense 12-week Data Science Programme with MIT online. I also completed training with J&J on a number of their products and surgical processes. While in Florida, I built up my network of contacts at J&J. These are people I can work with again or ask for advice regarding my own work. I would say the application itself was also a learning experience for me. I hadn’t written my own proposal before, but you learn how to be organised with planning and working budgets and timelines. You are sort of representing the University and the company so you’re managing expectations too. TUS and SFI were very supportive throughout the process so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Dr James Murray is currently employed as a Manufacturing Engineer at DePuy Synthes in Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork.