University of Strathclyde–GlaxoSmithKline Collaborative Research Degree Programmes

Winner: 2021 Industry-Academia Collaboration Award

For the creation of a sustained partnership which has driven a culture of research and training excellence, and created a flow of skilled personnel to enhance capabilities within the sector.

Celebrate University of Strathclyde and GSK

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The significance and reach of the collaboration has gone well beyond the initial aims.

The University of Strathclyde and GlaxoSmithKline partnership was set up to develop a framework whereby GSK employees work towards an MPhil/PhD degree through active drug discovery/development projects within GSK laboratories, with both industry and academic supervision.

To date, 187 employee and non-employee postgraduate researchers have registered, with 105 students having graduated to this stage with higher degree awards (97 PhD and 8 MPhil). Five chemical entities associated with the Strathclyde–GSK partnership are progressing in GSK’s drug discovery pipeline, with clinical trials targeted, 26 patents filed, and over 110 collaborative primary research papers published.

The partnership has transformed approaches to industry–academia engagement. It is driving a culture of research and training excellence, and creating a flow of skilled personnel to enhance capabilities within the healthcare sector.

GSK was attracted by the research achievements of the university's chemistry academics and its track record of innovation in industry partnerships. GSK associates approached Strathclyde with the intention of establishing a unique research and training platform, as part of a sustained mission of continuous improvement of their drug discovery scientists.

As intended, the research and training endeavours have provided appreciably challenging and prominent scientific and career development opportunities for talented graduate staff, while also establishing a pervasive culture of academic rigour and enhanced scientific excellence within the wider laboratory teams.

Buoyed by these successes, in 2012, the programme was expanded to include further sub-disciplines, as well as to introduce non-GSK employee PhD cohorts, within either GSK or Strathclyde laboratories, with similar collaborative supervision, and the offering of secondments in both directions, providing exposure to both academic and industrial settings.

Overall, the partnership has led to enhanced researcher performance, productivity, rigour, and creativity from the scientists involved, whilst driving the translation of new science from academia into industry (and vice versa). Complementary expertise from each partner has maximised innovation and research performance at GSK, which is catalysing the generation of new and essential healthcare products, has influenced the culture and creativity of individual scientists and collaborative teams, and extensively raised training standards, all leading to broader benefits to the wider healthcare sector with eventual downstream positive impacts on public health.

Collaboration with industry is at the heart of our operations at Strathclyde and we are both delighted and honoured that our Strathclyde-GlaxoSmithKline research degree programmes have been recognised as worthy of the RSC Industry-Academia Collaboration Award. The establishment of a rich array of pharma-aligned postgraduate students and associated research projects has resulted from a series of sustained and reciprocally beneficial relationships over a large number of years, where deep mutual trust has been established, alongside clear appreciation of the respective demands, drivers, and requirements of each partner.

The significance and reach of the collaboration has gone well beyond the initial aims. This award is testament to the committed and talented research supervisors and students we have across the partnership, who vigorously employ two-directional knowledge exchange to maximise innovation and impact within GSK and all as related to the wider national and international healthcare sector.

These programmes have led to enhanced levels of project-relevant scientific knowledge, advanced thinking, and overall scientific rigour … The established collaborative framework has had a positive impact on and is now contributing extensively to overall organisational learning within GSK.