Biosciences at Swansea has a good relationship with a wide range of external partners, including SMEs, Government Agencies, Local Government , UK and overseas research institutes and universities.

Undergraduate Links

Undergraduate students benefit from the experience of working with an external organisation for their research projects.  Current partners include:

• Gower Bird Hospital
• Swansea County Council
• South Wales Amphibian and Reptile Group
• Amphibian and Reptile Trust UK
• Neath Port Talbot County Council
• Carmarthenshire County Council
• Llanelli Water Vole Group
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• Chester Zoo
• National Public Health Service
• Bimini Biological Research Centre, Bahamas
• Bat Conservation Trust
• Countryside Council for Wales
• Environment Agency Wales
• National Trust
• Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

 
Postgraduate Links

Taught Masters and Postgraduate Research projects include projects based in the School working  in close collaboration with companies.  The companies benefit from access to high calibre students and in return the experience has a significant benefit to the student, increasing their employability, skills and knowledge of the Welsh Economy.  Partners include:

• Merlin Biodevelopments Ltd
• Lliw Mill Trout Farm
• Countryside Council for Wales
• National Trust Gower
• National Wetlands Centre Wales
• AgriSense BCS Ltd
• RSPCA
• Environment Agency Wales
• Forest Research Wales
• Shellfish Association of Great Britain
• Dragon Feeds Ltd
• Waltham Pet Nutrition

Collaborative Research

Biosciences at Swansea has long-standing collaboration with a wide range of organisations and partners.  Current projects and partners include:

SEACAMS (Sustainable Expansion of the Applied Coastal and Marine Sectors), supported by the Welsh European Funding Office, offers expertise, research and development opportunities, and training in various fields associated with marine and coastal sectors: coastal oceanography and resource exploitation; coastal zone management; environmental quality assessment; sustainable resource development; geological resources and technology.  Partners vary from environmental consultancies to survey companies, and from survey instrumentation designers to aquatic plant producers.

The recently inaugurated Algal Biotechnology for Wales Knowledge Transfer Centre, is based at CSAR. It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and Welsh Assembly Government through the Academic Expertise for Business (A4B) programme. The KTC offers industry focused research and development, information and advice, and demonstration and training in the field of applied algal biotechnology. We assist large established industries such as TATA Steel Strip Products (UK) Ltd by investigating waste bioremediation using algae.  The nutritional supplement sector (such as Cultech Ltd) and biotechnology companies are also interested in developing products from algal compounds. Emerging companies offering microalgal growth and harvesting techniques are another significant sector, and we thus collaborate with other R&D groups across Swansea University and the UK to assist product and process development.

The Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture also collaborates in various European Commission Seventh Framework Programmes (FP7s).  Project partners include:

• Stiftelsen Norsk Sjomatsenter, Norway
• Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers
• Irish Salmon Growers Association Ltd
• Norwegian Seafood Federation
• Oldermann Seafood AS, Norway
• SeaFare, France
• Malthe Winje Automasjon AS, Norway
• Pladomin, Spain
• Teknologisk Institutt AS, Norway
• Institut Portugues de Investigacao das Pescas e do Mar, Portugal
• Cyklar-stulz, Switzerland
• Formoplast, Germany
• ARA Consult, Austria
• Teqma s.l., Spain
• Hardingsmolt AS, Norway
• Selonda UK
• Act of Grace 128, South Africa
• The National Institute of Technology, Norway
• Aqua Consult Ingenieur GmbH, Estonia
• University of Hannover, Germany
• Norsk Bioenergi Foreming
• Association europeene pour la biomasse, Belgium
• British Trout Association Ltd IPS
• Sea Marconi Technologies di Vander Tumiattis a.s., Italy
• IngrePro BV, Netherlands
• Varicon Aqua Solutions Ltd, UK
• Value for Technology BVBA, Belgium
• Teknologisk Institutt AS, Norway
• University of DurhamHellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
• Universita Degli Studi di Firenze, Italy

The Ocean Acidification Research Programme, funded by the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to investigate the potential impacts of ocean acidification on the life stages of commercially important species, on their associated ecosystem and socio-economics, and their capacity to resist and adapt.  Collaborators include:

• Plymouth Marine Laboratory
• Exeter University
• University of Strathclyde

Natural Products Cymru, a world leading Research and Technological Development consortium that facilitates the development of a vibrant, intellectually and economically sustainable biotechnology sector based on exploiting high value natural products in Wales over the coming decades, and also provides critical service support, for example in bio-processing and bio-analytical support, to industrial partners in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. 

The WISE Network (Welsh Institutes for Sustainable Environments) allows businesses instant access to the wealth of knowledge and facilities of Bangor, Aberystywth and Swansea Universities.  Swansea’s involvement includes the following projects:

• Sustainable Aquaculture with Bluewater Farms Ltd (CFF)
• Coastal Studies with Swanturbines Ltd, Environment Agency Wales and Countryside Council for Wales
• ‘Black Box’ recorder with ‘Mare Gratia’ of Deepdock Ltd
• Assessment of Equipment with RIOCHEM and TinyLab
• Bluebell sustainability with Vera Bluebell Ltd
• Analysis of Oils with SWB Cymru Cyf
• Easy Growing Plants with Ultra Soil
• Professional Practice for Sustainable Development with Lantra Sector Skills Council
• Underwater Acoustics with Seiche Ltd

Advanced Professional Training

Advanced Professional Training (APT) in Bioscience is a new range of accredited training courses from Swansea University designed to meet the needs of individuals and businesses in the Welsh Bioscience sector. 

Part of the European Social Funded (ESF) Work-based Learning programme hosted by the University of Glamorgan. Our courses aim to equip professional learners with practical skills and specialist knowledge to enhance and supplement their existing laboratory or field skills. 

Courses are flexible and allow learners to select a number of complementary modules to tailor their learning to their professional roles and to ensure continued professional development in their field.

More information >