GIPS · Generating an integrative plant science
FP6 — Marie Curie Actions (Human Resources and Mobility)
- Duration
- 2006-09-01 → 2010-08-31
- EU contribution
- €774,777
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- TOK
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Final Activity Report Summary - GIPS (Generating an Integrative Plant Science)
The development of bioscience research in the 21st century requires the bringing together of classical experimental approaches with computational and mathematical techniques to interpret large-scale quantitative data sets. This approach has been termed "integrative biology". The aim of this proposal was to transfer the knowledge required to establish integrative plant science in Sheffield. To achieve this aim, a number of research fellows were recruited to the host institute, each of them expert in a particular field of research. These researchers acted to both transfer their knowledge to a series of PhD and postdoctoral researchers within the host institute and, by working together on a single project, provided an exemplar of how researchers from distinct disciplines can work together in an integrative fashion. As a result of this project, a cadre of young scientists were trained in integrative plant biology. In addition, the fellows created a number of research tools and developed their own skills, providing them with a platform for future employment. They also contributed to a series of scientific events by which their skills could be show-cased. The scientific focus of the project was understanding the control of leaf size and shape. Novel computational approaches to measuring and modelling leaf form have been developed, and a series of experiments performed in which parameters propose to play a role in the control of leaf shape have been manipulated, using a combination of molecular and microscopy techniques. As a result, a number of scientific papers have been published or are in preparation. Overall, the project ran well with the new scientific approaches becoming embedded in the host institute, and the TOK Fellows going on to scientific careers.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The next stage in bioscience research requires the combination of skills in wet" experimental approaches and "dry" computational biology. This integrative biology allows the generation of in silio models based on large- scale quantitative data which can be used to inform further experimentation. In Sheffield, the plant science group has international-level ability in the experimental approaches but lacks expertise in computational biology. The aim of this proposal is to acquire these skills and to generate an integrative plant biology. This aim will be achieved by 4 TOK Fellows with complementary skills in the quantitative analysis of growth, modelling, the integration of genomic-scale data and teaching. This will enable the group to maintain an international level of competitiveness and facilitate the transfer of basic scientific knowledge into crop science, a key objective of the EU.In addition, since the acquired skills in computational biology are highly transferable they will enable the generation of a new cadre of young biologists with broad skills in integrative biology. A key objective of this project is the generation of teaching modules which will be delivered by the host department to a large number of undergraduate, PhD student and post-doctoral workers in biology. The production of a pool of trained graduates in integrative biology is required for the exploitation at both academic and commercial level of the advances being made in bioscience research. This will not only benefit the local less-favoured region of South Yorkshire (where bioscience has been identified as a key facilitator of economic renewal) but also provide a stream of highly qualified bioscience researchers for the ERA."
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD · SHEFFIELDCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union