Nottingham, UK, 16^th March 2006 - bioKneX, The East Midlands Bioscience Knowledge Exchange in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University, The University of Leicester, and The University of Nottingham are pleased to be able to announce two collaborative pump priming prizes, sponsored by the East Midlands Development Agency.

A key theme of the Congress is better collaboration. To acknowledge this, the East Midlands Development Agency has contributed a total of £10,000 for two prizes.

The first is for schools to encourage links with industry. Ideas should be based around how schools can engage with industry in the area of oncology. The successful idea will be awarded a £4,000 prize in order to implement the links and improve the teaching of SET in schools.

The second prize being announced, will be awarded to a regional HEI and industry collaboration idea for pump priming collaborative research in the area of oncology, this could be used for example to employ a student from a regional HEI on a short term project designing new products and services or helping with process improvement.

An official announcement and more details of both prizes will be made by Dr Steve Beasley, CEO of bioKneX on the day of the conference. Expressions of interest for both prizes should be provided electronically by 31^st March 2006 to info@bioknex.org.  The final closing date for entries is 15^th May 2006.

About the Cancer Congress:

The morning of the Cancer Congress is aimed at charities, patient groups and, as part of National Science Week, students aged 14 and over. The morning’s activities are of more general public interest and will present some of the latest findings on chemoprevention, drug discovery, clinical trials and palliative care.

The afternoon symposium, aimed at academics and industry scientists, will include talks on chemoprevention, diagnostics, radiation studies, proteomics, drug development and imaging. SME spin-outs with an interest in oncology will also be presenting.

More information and an application form will be available on the website after the conference at www.bioknex.org/cancercongress

About bioKneX:

bioKneX is the East Midlands BioScience Knowledge Exchange, a new initiative formed through collaboration between Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham, University of Leicester and BioCity Nottingham, with funding from the three Universities and the East Midlands Development Agency.