1st July 2011

MediWales member Q Chip launches prestigious Internship competition

TEQSTARS Launch: Q Chip launches prestigious Internship competition with support from Cardiff University and Cardiff Council

Cardiff, Wales, 30th June 2011 – Q Chip Limited, an emerging bio-pharmaceutical company developing innovative sustained-release drug formulations for cancer and other diseases, announced today the launch of a competition to identify Welsh based research leaders of the future.

TEQSTARS is a novel internship competition designed to help identify and develop talented researchers. With support from Cardiff University and Cardiff Council, Q Chip is inviting graduates and post graduates from the science and engineering schools at Cardiff University to apply for three six month fast-track funded internships. These will provide a hot-house environment for talented and ambitious scientists and engineers to develop their research and collaborative skills. 
 

The three selected candidates will each take up a six month long, paid internship, in which they will work collaboratively on a single, multidisciplinary research project.  Q Chip works with drugs that are made from fragile biological material, for example insulin, that can’t be taken orally. Typically these drugs require daily injections, which can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Q Chip has developed a manufacturing process that enables the drug to be encapsulated in very small beads. The diameter of these beads is less than the width of a human hair. The beads are made of a special material that can be safely injected into the body. The beads are designed to slowly release the drug over many weeks, significantly lowering the number of injections a patient requires.

Given the current economic climate the internship programme will provided successful candidates an opportunity to enhance research and collaborative skills through product development in a leading biotechnology company and gain vital CV enhancing industrial experience. In addition to the funded placement, the best candidate, judged by a panel of leading academics, will win an additional cash prize.

Q Chip’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Dan Palmer commented, “TEQSTARS is going to provide young, driven graduates the opportunity to develop their research skills in a real industrial environment. We are really appreciative of the support and enthusiasm we’ve received from Cardiff University and Cardiff Council.

The TEQSTARS programme is open from June 30th. All applications must be submitted by Friday 22nd July 2011.

To download an application form click here.

Complete and email an application form to teqstars@q-chip.com