focus on Microscopy & Microtechniques
Life Science Research: Tomorrows Trends and Technologies Joanne Fallowfi eld, Marketing Manager for Life Science Research, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Leica Microsystems
As a discipline, life science research has come an extraordinary long way over the last century. The revolutionary work of life science researchers has changed how we view and understand biological systems and this new knowledge has led the way to innovative opportunities, allowing the sector to grow and evolve at a phenomenal rate.
Understanding the Life Science sector as it is today and more importantly, anticipating the changes and developments set to meet us in the future, is crucial for life scientists wishing to continue this trend of improvement and development. The current economic climate means that all researchers are facing similar challenges, with upcoming technologies and increased communication pathways enabling a whole range of new advancements.
The LifeSight report, published in July 2014, took the views of over a thousand researchers and scientists and produced a unique glimpse into current and developing trends within the life science research sector. In this article, we discuss the key issues and prospects recognised by the participants, who included Lab Managers and Heads of Department, in areas such as collaboration, funding, big data and Super-resolution microscopy and consider the impact they may have on the future of life science researchers.
Working Together
No sector can hope to develop without successful communication and sharing of data. When speaking to the life science research community, one of the key trends recognised as having an impact on day to day work is the ways in which researchers communicate, both with each other and the world as a whole.
Initially, it would appear we are talking more. An increasing amount of collaboration, internationally and between disciplines, has had a real impact on life scientists. This could be partly due to the emergence of ‘Big science’, which has seen an increase in large-scale projects requiring fi nancial support and labour from many international parties. However, collaborations have also emerged due to heightened possibilities. Thanks to advances in transportation and telecommunications, including the rise of the Internet, communication between institutions has never been easier [1].
This increased communication could have some unexpected advantages. For those looking to acquire funding, the complementary skills provided by different life science researchers, may help projects meet grant conditions. Private foundations have also shown themselves willing to fund centres combining a variety of specialities and several universities have set up funds for projects running across departments [2].
Finding the funds
Across the world, in Southern Europe in particlar, securing funding is proving challenging. The economic downturn in 2008 led to many government budgets being slashed and many expect the decline to continue in coming years. This is supported by recent developments – in 2012, the UK Chancellor announced the country’s R&D budget would remain at its current level, which amounts to about £4.6 billion per year, through to the next election. Publicly funded science in the UK will have to try to continue to grow with another period of fi xed spending [3].
With limited grants available, funders are being more particular about where money is allocated. According to life science researchers certain areas, such as translational research and clinical research, appear more likely to receive funding than others. In addition, funding is expected to become more concentrated around centres of excellence, making it more diffi cult for external institutions to access resources.
Crowd-funding, or funding by non-government bodies, generates a more polarised response from life scientists and the general feeling is one of uncertainty, suggesting that it may be a longer wait until we start to see this appearing more regularly. Although there are many opportunities available for life scientists to obtain funding through non-government channels, there is no strong indication that this will become normal practise.
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