Hub User Feasibility Studies
Members of the Hub’s partnering companies and organisations (Hub Users) are invited to submit proposals for the FTHM Hub 2022/23 User Feasibility Studies call, by 1700 UK time Wed 5 October 2022
2022-23 call open for applications
Members of the Future Targeted Healthcare Manufacturing Hub are invited to submit proposals for a feasibility study that will test or demonstrate research techniques generated by the Hub in a company or user context. These popular awards will include up to 3 months (full-time equivalent) of a Hub Researcher’s time, spread over a longer period, and up to 30 September 2023 at the very latest. Users are expected to provide industry supervision and access to required materials, equipment or data.
Research techniques might include:
- Experimental Methods
- Decisional Tools
- Analytical Techniques
- Research Approaches
The output is a short report to the Hub consortium outlining the potential of the technology or approach investigated. On the basis that confidentiality information is protected, it is understood that the User organisation will facilitate publication in an academic journal or at conferences.
Examples of User Feasibility Studies awarded include:
| Partners | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Albumedix and University of Nottingham | Formulating recombinant human albumin as a nanoparticle-scaffold and assessing the potential for drug delivery. |
| West Pharmaceutical and UCL | Comparing freeze-thaw performance of vials vs bags for the cryopreservation of T-cells. |
| Bioindustry Association (BIA), Oxford Biomedica and UCL | Economic analysis to investigate the consequences of switching to scalable GMP processes for viral vectors on drug development lifecycle costs. |
| Fuijfilm Diosynth and UCL | Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) demonstration of industrially relevant products |
| Ipsen and UCL | Techno-economic evaluation of a cell-free synthesis system of the expression of highly potent recombinant proteins. |
| Trakcel and Imperial College | Development of supply chain optimization models for autologous CAR T cells |
| Cancer Research UK and UCL | Novel DNA manufacturing platforms for targeted therapies |
| Purolite and UCL | Bringing down Cost of Goods in MAb downstream processing |
Application Process
User Feasibility Studies are awarded competitively. The application form is designed to be easy to complete, comprising just three pages for the work plan, deliverables and finances. Applications should be developed by the user organisation(s) in collaboration with the Hub Researchers. The award is a one-stage process with a review of applications by the Translation & Impact Committee with ratification by the Advisory Board. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 5 October 2022, with successful proposals announced late in November 2022.
To apply, please see further details in this document:
And complete the following document
Note that User Feasibility Studies are only open to members of the FTHM Hub Users Group. If you would like to join the FTHM Hub or have further questions on the application process, please contact Ella Bonnist, FTHM Project Manager; eleanor.bonnist@ucl.ac.uk
