A UNIQUE new venture between University of Limerick and leading members of the biopharma sector will seek to cultivate the leading scientific minds of the future with hands-on experience.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD launched a bespoke new immersive programme for the BioPharma sector – a BSc/MSc Immersive Bioscience and Biotherapeutics (iBio).
iBio has been designed in collaboration with top biotech companies and students will have the competitive advantage of two years of experience working in industry when they graduate.
Students will receive a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in four years, with half of their time spent learning on campus and half in paid residencies in Biotech industries.
Two major international companies with operations in the Mid-West of Ireland, Eli Lilly and Company and Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), have teamed up with UL as significant partners on the course.
Minister Lawless said: “The launch of the iBio programme at the University of Limerick marks an exciting step forward in how we deliver higher education in Ireland. This innovative, industry-led and learner-focused course recognises that not all learning happens in lecture halls.
“Through immersive, hands-on experiences,
both on campus and in the workplace, students will graduate with not just a degree, but two full years of real-world industry experience.
Professor Kenneth Stanton, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at UL, said: “The beauty of adding a course like iBio to our already broad programme offerings is that it allows a wider choice of options to learn and engage at UL for our prospective students. It also significantly deepens our engagement with industry across the Mid-West and further afield, which further underlines the importance of the university to the region in both an educational and economic sense. I look forward to seeing the emergence of future leaders for the biopharma industry who will emerge from iBio in coming years.”
