For Applicants

Research Fields

BIOTIN offers 20 research projects in three areas: 1) drug development, 2) diagnosis and 3) tissue engineering and artificial organs.

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Host recruiting institutions

BIOTIN is coordinated by Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) in collaboration with two partner organisations: Boğaziçi University (BOUN) and Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG). IZTECH, IBG and BOUN are located in two major cities of Türkiye, İzmir and İstanbul and all will be recruiting DCs.

İzmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) https://en.iyte.edu.tr/

Boğaziçi University (BOUN) https://www.boun.edu.tr/

İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center https://www.ibg.edu.tr/

BIOTIN APPLICATION GUIDE

About The Program

BIOTIN program aims to facilitate translation of scientific discoveries in the field of biomedical sciences into potential diagnostics and therapies through excellent doctoral program. The training mission of BIOTIN is to provide 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) with the best possible research and professional skills to empower them to become the next generation of experts and innovators in 3 themes of biomedical research, i.e. Drug Discovery and Development, Diagnostics, Tissue Engineering & Artificial Organs.

BIOTIN ensures appropriate opportunities for fostering a multidisciplinary approach in each PhD thesis project. DCs will have the opportunity to work in a diverse and inclusive research environment, which benefits from the interdisciplinary team of supervisors.

DCs will be enrolled in a doctoral program of one of the 3 implementing (recruiting) partners and will implement the PhD project with the aim of obtaining their doctoral degree. The program consists of 4 major elements: 1) PhD mandatory courses tailored to the aims of program; 2) PhD project, including secondments and short-visits; 3) Network-wide events; 4) Access to trainings and workshops provided by the host organisations (individual level):

1) PhD mandatory courses tailored to the aims of the program: A rich number of courses will be offered to fellows on specialized topics of biomedical sciences and engineering, data science and business administration by the participating departments of each implementing partner as well as İzmir University of Economics as an associated partner. The course curriculum and the timeline will be provided to DCs at the beginning of the program. In addition, DCs can participate in any of the specific courses and program offered by IZTECH, BOUN and IBG as a part of Bologna agreement. All courses are given in English.

2) PhD project, including secondments, short-visits and trainings: Each recruited DC fellow will implement individual research projects as part of their PhD thesis. During the project, they will also acquire transferable skills through regular research meetings, networking events and presentations. A number of compulsory and optional activities will be available for the fellows; they will have to complete several training activities described in the school/faculty website as part of the PhD requirements. The program offers students a rich secondment, short- visit and training program. Secondments will open up new horizons for BIOTIN DCs by encouraging transnational mobility. All DCs engage in at least one research secondment at an international academic institution, and at least one short-visit or training at an industry partner (in Turkey or in abroad). Additional short research visits will be encouraged to support skills training and collaborations.

  All DCs will engage in international academic secondments with a duration of 6 months in Europe and beyond. In addition, 8 out of 20 proposed projects offer industrial secondment opportunities in abroad. Non-academic partners (industrial, NGO, TTO, Technopark, research centre) involved in BIOTIN will expose the students to a wide range of possible future workplaces. Through active collaboration and engagement with these actors, DCs will gain a better understanding of the science in industry and entrepreneurship. The combination of research experience with academic & non-academic sectors will increase the employability of DCs.

  >60% of Biotin PIs have either start-up companies or consultancy experience with industry. Students will be appointed three academic supervisors, with at least one with business/industry experience.

3) Network-wide BIOTIN events: The program will provide recruited fellows the opportunity to participate in a number of additional events organized in the frame of the program. For example; an Introduction Event for BIOTIN Doctoral Students will be organized, oferring a variety of activities, giving an impression of IZTECH, BOUN and IBG with their faculties and facilities and the city.

  Hands-on-schools will be organized for practical training in several topics of interest within the program, with the aim of developing skills through hands-on activities. Each fellow is expected to attend at least two of these schools during their PhD.

  A BIOTIN Summer School (M32) will be organized to highlight the latest advances in the fields, with special focus on the research lines of the hosting supervisors. Recruited fellows will be encouraged to present their work though oral communications.

  The Final BIOTIN Scientific Symposium will be organised by the DCs where they will present their data to fellow researchers and supervisors.

4) Trainings and workshops provided by BIOTIN host organizations: The recruited fellows will be provided workshops and training program to develop transferrable and entrepreneurial skills such as technology commercialization, IP rights and patent writing. They will have also full access to all the workshops and training program available on site for the local personnel. Emphasis will be put not only on broadening of the scientific knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, but also on providing the tools for a successful career in academia and industry (publication of results, secure local and international funding, interpersonal skills, language courses, project management, leadership).

About implementing partners:

BIOTIN implementing partners consists of Turkey’s top technology-focused (IZTECH and BOUN) Universities alongside a clinical- (IBG) research centre. They are located in the largest cities of Western Turkey: Istanbul and Izmir. IZTECH is one of the top research universities in Turkey. It is an academic leader among the public universities in Turkey, with the highest number of scientific publications per faculty. BOUN is one of the oldest higher education institutions and ranked as the best university in Turkey (Best Global Universities ranking). IBG is Turkey's first independent thematic research center in the field of life sciences with interdisciplinary, international research groups, covering research topics from cancer, rare diseases, infectious diseases to bioinformatics, bioengineering and state-of-the-art core facilities and services.

About associated partners:

In addition to implementing partners, The BIOTIN ecosystem includes worldwide academic and industry associated partners, TTO and NGO that perform complementary work to arrive at best practices in high-quality doctoral research and training. See our associated partners (LINK) for academic secondment and industry training opportunities.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted using the online portal

When to apply?
Eligibility
Selection Procedure
Employment Conditions

Call Opening: 30 November 2023

Application Deadline: 10 January 2024, 17:00 CET

With this call, 9 successful applicants will begin their doctoral programme at the start of the academic year 2024-2025, i.e. October 2024. 

Projects

BIOTIN offers 20 research Projects in three areas. 1)drug discovery and development, 2) diagnosis and 3) tissue engineering and artificial organs. Allocation of DC positions among IZTECH, BOUN and IBG is 6, 3 and 1, respectively. All projects in BIOTIN will respect fundamental ethics principles and the major European and national ethics regulations, including those reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the relevant ethics rules of Horizon Europe.