Biotechnology Group

Purpose and scope

The Biotechnology Group is the focal point within the RSC for members who have an academic or industrial interest in the chemical aspects of biotechnology.

The Group was formed in 1987, partly in response to the publication of the Spinks Report in 1980, a government-funded Report of a Joint Working Party on Biotechnology under the chairmanship of Dr. A. Spinks, ICI. The report was to define Biotechnology as the ‘application of biological organisms, systems or processes to manufacturing industry’, a description that would not be contested now in the 21st Century.

Aims

The aim of the Biotechnology Group is to further the interests of both academic and industrial members of the RSC in the subject of biotechnology.

The remit of the Group is:

• To organise conferences and courses that (i) promote the advancement of knowledge in biotechnology and (ii) facilitate networking of its practitioners
• To interact with the RSC, the Society for Chemical Industry, the Biochemical Society and other interest groups, as appropriate, to facilitate broad-ranging discussion of biotechnology issues
• To interact with subject groups in other RSC Divisions in order to exploit the multi-disciplinary nature of biotechnology to the benefit of the RSC in general
• To assist the Industry and Technology Division (ITD) and the Chemistry Biology Interface Division (CBID) in their work with government in order to enhance the understanding of the importance of biotechnology and the role of chemists within this diverse scientific discipline.

Benefits of joining this group

• Advance notice of relevant events, meetings and conferences and courses
• Reduced registration fees for meetings
• Networking opportunities
• General info of various topics associated with the interest group and related RSC Subject Communities
• Keeps members up-to-date with current developments within the sector and promotes Continuous Professional Development

Get involved

Activities

In order to provide Biotechnology Group members and other RSC interest group members access to the latest cutting edge research, a major activity of the Group is to run conferences. This also establishes and encourages interaction between members. We usually run two to three per annum, mostly one-day meetings but occasionally 3-day meetings. The meetings, or series of meetings, run by the Group over the past ten years or so have had the following wide range of titles:

• Biotransformations: From Science to Industrial Application
• Chemical Tools in Systems Biology I, II, III
• Chemistry, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine I, II
• Chemical and Biological Therapeutic Approaches to Neurological Disorders I, II, III
• Formulation and Analysis for Biotherapeutics
• Glycomics - From Glycobiology to Diagnostics & Therapeutics I, II
• Translational Biocatalysis
• Micro- and Nanotechnologies for Diagnostics and Therapeutics
• Biodiversity: New Leads for the Pharmaceutical and Agrochemical Industries
• Functional Molecules from Natural Sources
• Bioactive Natural Products: Translating Promise into Practice
• Nucleic Acids as Diagnostics and Therapies.

In the near future, the Group plans to run conferences covering the following important topics:

• Nano/Microtechnologies for Diagnostics and Therapeutics
• Bioimaging and Biosensing
• Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery and Vaccines
• Natural Product Inspired Drugs and Agrochemicals
• Crossing the Blood Brain Barrier: From Science to Clinical Application

Courses and Workshops

The Group also runs Courses/Workshops in collaboration with The Bioupdate Foundation with titles such as Freeze Drying of Biologicals and Pharmaceuticals, Protein Biotechnology in the 21st Century, and Introducing Glycotechnology.

In order to keep our members abreast of Group activities, we publish, usually biannually, a Biotechnology Group Newsletter. This lists meetings already run and a website link to a Report/Programme of each meeting so that members who were unable to attend can view the list of speakers and the titles of their talks. It also generates publicity for upcoming meetings which are also listed. Some issues also contain feature articles of interest to members. 

Forthcoming events

View forthcoming events organised by the Biotechnology Group.

Annual report

Please get in touch with the Networks Team if you would like to be sent a copy of last year’s annual report for the Biotechnology Group.

Newsletters

• Biotechnology Group Newsletter - Spring 2024

Keep in touch

The group issues e-alerts which provides links to group events and other relevant information which may be of interest to you.

Committee

The committee members listed are responsible for designing programmes that will advance chemistry in the subject area, helping the RSC to meet its aims, engaging with and supporting our members.

We are always keen to welcome new members to the committee. When vacancies arise, we circulate a “Call for Committee”, where an email is sent to all members of the group to make them aware of new opportunities to join the committee.

It is important to have diverse representation on committees to consider the needs of our membership. All RSC members are welcome to stand for committee positions when vacancies are advertised.

Glossary for Committee Positions

Quick links and information

Awards

The Biotechnology Group awards the Felix Franks Biotechnology Medal to encourage and recognise excellence in early career scientists. 

What is Biotechnology

A non-profit educational research which provides information on what biotechnology is, who has been involved in its development, and the impact it has on healthcare. Since its launch in February 2013, the website has had nearly 60,000 visitors from around the world, including school children, policy makers, industry experts, scientists and financial investors.

Contact the Committee

For any queries about the interest group, please contact the Committee Secretary using the contact form, accessible via the button below.

Contact us

Contact the Networks team with your queries.