The Biotechnology Young Entrepreneur Scheme (YES) aims to raise awareness of the commercialisation of bioscience ideas among postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists, and is attended by experts of the biotechnology industry on all aspects of technology transfer and the commercialisation of bioscience.

The winning team from Bristol, comprising four Biochemists and a Cellular and Molecular Medicine researcher - Sarah Miles, Layla Malt, Richard Birkinshaw, Laura Carney, Katie Dunstan (pictured right) will compete in the national heat in London on 13 December.

Dave Jarman, Enterprise Skills and Education Manager at the University of Bristol, said: “These schemes are a really valuable way of enabling future academic researchers to develop a range of critical skills that help them work with industry as well as potentially licence or spin-out technologies. They also help them develop their awareness of career options and professional skills outside of academia.”

The Biotechnology YES competition has been running for 15 years, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the University of Nottingham, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), amongst others.