Objectives

The 3ME Initiative forges a new link between members of two interdisciplinary Research Institutes at Keele University:

  • Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine (ISTM)
  • Institute for Environment, Physical Sciences & Applied Mathematics (EPSAM).

in order to provide mathematical modelling expertise for a range of Medical Engineering projects.

What are the objectives of the 3ME Initiative?

Objectives of the 3ME Initiative are to:

  1. create an interdisciplinary environment and culture that enables Keele researchers to work together in small groups on new common interest areas
  2. host international senior research visitors to enhance the research skills of Keele and the UK's capability in medical engineering
  3. invest to start up new key collaborative medical engineering projects

Who will benefit from the 3ME Initiative?

Beneficiaries of the 3ME Initiative will be:

  1. Clinicians seeking new and cost-effective treatments for human diseases that would benefit from tissue and cell engineered interventions, eg orthopaedic replacements using the patient's own laboratory grown tissues
  2. Those patients' quality of life as a result of successful interventions
  3. Industry supplying products and services to support clinical use of medically engineered solutions, and the ultimate growth of the UK research and manufacturing base in Medical Engineering.
  4. Engineering researchers at a wider level, including the next generation of students seeking to apply engineering solutions to healthcare problems.
  5. Mathematics researchers through application of modelling to novel, relevant fields.
  6. Geophysics researchers through the mutual development of modelling and imaging techniques.

The 3ME Initiative is specifically intended to generate at least two new funded projects and a range of grant applications to the Research Councils and the European Commission, and further strengthen Keele's links with the UK Medical Engineering industry.

How will the 3ME Initiative support collaboration?

  1. 3ME “Researcher in Residence” scheme in Keele each year. This is the key mechanism to deepen collaboration between ISTM and EPSAM, in which staff swap roles to immerse themselves in the research culture of the other’s laboratory and discipline. Three Researchers in Residence will be drawn from Lecturers and Senior Lecturers involved in the 3ME Initiative, enabling them to spend up to 5 months each in this role. This support is as flexibly as possible to suit the needs of the colleagues who take part. There will be organised opportunities for each Resident to present lectures and workshops to academic colleagues, to PhD and Masters students, and to undergraduate students in the Schools of Medicine and Natural Sciences.
  2. 3ME Problem Scoping Workshops in year 1 will set the agenda for the Initiative by identifying a series of complex problems of mutual interest and defining approaches to tackle them. Guest participants will be invited including relevant collaborators from industry.
  3. 3ME “Speed Dating” at the Opening Meeting in which all staff interested in taking part in the 3ME Initiative match up expertise and explore potential collaboration.
  4. 3ME “Sandpits” for 30 selected participants in year 2, in which risky ideas can be discussed. The two planned Sandpits will typically last for two days, carefully designed to generate preferred paths to the solution of their focal problem or theme. All Sandpit participants will be working together or split into smaller multidisciplinary teams to tackle specific sub-components. A reward will be offered for the best, most feasible idea. A pump-priming prize of £25-30,000 will be awarded for that best idea with the object of generating full grant application(s) to EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC or NERC and the European Commission.
  5. “Back-to-Back” 3ME Seminars: a series of two 40 minute seminars one after the other, on the same topic from contrasting perspectives, ie mathematical and bioengineering. Four per year are planned to provide a regular physical meeting space, with opportunity for informal discussions too. Two will be delivered by the Visiting Senior Research Fellows.
  6. 3ME Visiting Senior Research Fellow programme in which two visitors spend a period of two weeks each at Keele, delivering workshops, lectures and one-to-one sessions that advance and publicise the 3ME Initiative objectives. They will offer specific sessions for research students.
  7. 3ME Themed “Research Retreat” or “Outward Bound” for 4 days at a residential location away from Keele for about 30 participants, including research students, to work together on a range of problems.

How will the results of the 3ME Initiative be made available?

The 3ME Steering Group will lead the dissemination strategy, and plans to use the following:

  • Joint-authored scientific papers, posters and national or international conference presentations that arise as a result of cross-disciplinary projects initiated by 3ME.
  • New project grants and studentship applications (including CASE) generated by 3ME participants and submitted during year 3.
  • Clinical Research Days – ISTM’s targeted dissemination days for clinicians to communicate new ideas and technology opportunities for translational research.
  • Interface with ISTM and EPSAM’s current research networks, eg EXPERTISSUES, the European virtual Institute in Tissue Engineering
  • Website to showcase the results of the 3ME Initiative.
  • Workshops and training courses aimed at undergraduates and postgraduates.
  • Incorporating new interdisciplinary approaches in ISTM’s annual BBSRC Modular Training for Industry Programme at masters level.
  • Public Understanding of Science activities, in particular to stimulate interest through inter-disciplinary application of science, though our links with the Science Learning Centre West Midlands, based on Keele campus.

EPSRC has supported Bridging the Gaps activities at other UK universities, including:

 

EPSRC logo  The 3ME Initiative is funded by EPSRC and Keele University