reports

Report of the General Board on the establishment of a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

The GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. In this report, the General Board propose the establishment of a single Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, through the merger of the existing Department of Chemical Engineering and the Institute of Biotechnology. The proposal follows extensive consultation with the Council of the School of Technology, the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicates, and the staff of the two Departments.

2. At present the two institutions are separate Departments within the School of Technology. The Department of Chemical Engineering, founded in 1948, has developed its work beyond the reactions and processes of liquids and gases to include the processing of biological materials and solid materials of all kinds. The Department has twenty established academic staff and a research school of approximately 100. The Department is responsible for a four-year undergraduate programme leading to the B.A. and M.Eng. Degrees and also teaches a one-year M.Phil. course in Advanced Chemical Engineering. The Institute of Biotechnology, founded in 1988 as a result of an initiative of the then University Grants Committee, undertakes research at the interfaces of the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and has five academic staff and a research school of approximately 60. In addition to its Ph.D. programme, the Institute offers M.Phil. courses in Biotechnology and in Bioscience Enterprise.

3. In recent years, as a result of the convergence of their academic interests, there has been increasing collaboration between the Department and the Institute, including joint research grants applications and a biotechnology module in the final year of the Chemical Engineering undergraduate course. The two institutions are making a combined submission to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

4. The new Department would aim to provide unique teaching and research skills in science-based chemical engineering and biotechnology, which would distinguish it from other departments, nationally and internationally, and complement developments in the industrial chemical engineering sector. Within the University, the Department would be fully integrated into the wider activities in bioscience, energy, materials science, chemistry, physics, nanotechnology, and medicine. A shared vision for the future development of research includes a joint strategy to expand towards being the international leader in systems biotechnology and planned joint activities in fields including bioenergy, imaging, biopharmaceuticals, and (bio)product engineering. As well as expanding and increasing the quality of this science/engineering base in the University, the new Department would be well placed to benefit from initiatives to be set up between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), as well as the 'Energy' theme defined as part of EPSRC strategy. It is envisaged that the Department would maintain and extend the international reputation of the existing institutions in teaching and research, and that it would enhance its capacity for raising external funds to expand the number of academic staff, to rationalize the infrastructure and, in due course, to construct a new building to house the merged institution on a green-field site.

5. The new Department would continue to teach the Chemical Engineering Tripos and the M.Phil. courses currently offered. It is expected that the courses would gradually evolve over time to the mutual benefit of both current organizations. At the moment, academic staff within the Institute of Biotechnology do not normally undertake undergraduate teaching as the Institute has no undergraduate course. However, involvement of members of the Biotechnology sector with undergraduate teaching in the new Department would be welcomed. Any members of staff appointed to the new Department would be expected to contribute fully to the undergraduate teaching programme, even if they are associated with the Biotechnology sector of the new Department.

6. It is proposed that the current Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering be made Head of the new Department, while the current Director of Biotechnology be made a Deputy Head of the new Department. Within the new Department, the work of the Institute would be represented as a distinct sector. The title of Director of Biotechnology would be preserved, giving the holder particular responsibility for the Biotechnology sector. The existing separate Syndicates, responsible for the respective institutions would be abolished, and replaced by a single Syndicate, as proposed in Recommendation III, with responsibilities, powers, and duties comparable to those of a Faculty Board. Graduate students would continue to be managed by the Degree Committee of the Faculty Board of Engineering as is the case currently.

7. Proposals for the reassignment of existing Professorships and Readerships to the new Department are set out in Recommendation II. Subject to the approval of this Report, the General Board would reassign other offices, with the concurrence of the present holders, to the new Department. The reassignment of such offices, and their current holders, has been discussed with the individuals concerned and agreed in principle. All other staff would become members of the new Department. Staff and trade unions have been consulted about plans for a merger and kept informed of progress. There will be no compulsory job losses as a direct consequence of this merger.

8. The General Board consider that the establishment of a new Department would facilitate significant developments in research, further promote excellence in teaching quality, and provide a strategic opportunity to rationalize and improve the accommodation and facilities of the two institutions. The General Board have, accordingly, accepted the proposals and commend them to the University for approval.

Recommendations

9. The General Board recommend:

I. That, with effect from 1 August 2008, a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology be established within the School of Technology, that the Department of Chemical Engineering be suppressed, and that the Institute of Biotechnology be incorporated into the new Department as a named distinct sector.

II. That, with effect from the same date, the following Professorships and Readerships be reassigned to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology:

the Professorship of Biochemical Engineering
the Shell Professorship of Chemical Engineering
the Professorship of Process Innovation
the Professorship of Chemical Engineering
the Professorship of Biotechnology
the Professorship of Analytical Biotechnology
the Professorship of Molecular Biotechnology
the Readership in Fluid Mechanics and the Environment
the Readership in Electrochemistry
the Readership in Optical Measurement Science
the Readership in Chemical Engineering (2004)
the Readership in Chemical Engineering (2005)
the Readership in Biotechnology

III. That, with effect from the same date, certain regulations be amended as follows:

A. Unless otherwise indicated below, by replacing all references to the Department of Chemical Engineering and/or the Institute of Biotechnology by reference to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; and all references to the Chemical Engineering Syndicate and Biotechnology Syndicate by reference to the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicate.

B. Regulations for Departments and Heads of Departments (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 555)

By removing the reference to the Institute of Biotechnology under Departments independent of any Faculty.

C. Regulations for the School of the Biological Sciences (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 543)

Regulation 2(b).

By removing from this regulation the reference to the Director of Biotechnology.

D. Regulations for the School of Technology (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 546)

Regulation 2(a).

By amending this regulation so as to read:

(a)	the Heads of the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and of Engineering, the Head of the Computer Laboratory, the Director of Judge Business School, and the Director of Biotechnology, all of whom shall be members ex officio;

E. By rescinding the regulations for the Institute of Biotechnology and the Biotechnology Syndicate (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 567) and by transferring the regulations for the Director of Biotechnology (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 568) to the regulations for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

F. Regulations for the Department of Chemical Engineering (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 568) under the revised title of Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Regulation 2(c).

By amending this regulation so as to read:

(c)	three University officers appointed by the Syndicate;

By amending Regulation 1 of the regulations for the Chemical Engineering Syndicate so as to read:

Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicate

1. The Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicate shall consist of:

(a)	the Heads of the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Engineering, and the Director of Biotechnology;
(b)	two persons appointed by the Council;
(c)	two persons appointed by the General Board;
(d)	one person appointed each by the Councils of the Schools of the Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, the Physical Sciences, and Technology;
(e)	three persons elected from amongst their own number by the Professors of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, except for any Professor who is the Head of the Department or the Director of Biotechnology;
(f)	three persons elected from amongst their own number by the University officers of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, except for the Professors and the Head of the Department and the Director of Biotechnology;
(g)	not more than two persons co-opted by the Syndicate;
(h)	two persons elected in accordance with Regulation 3.

And by amending the class references in Regulations 2, 3, 4, and 6 accordingly.

G.	Regulations for the Director of Biotechnology (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 568)

By amending Regulation 2 so as to read:

2. The duties of the Director of Biotechnology shall be to undertake teaching and research in biotechnology, and exercise such administrative responsibilities as directed by the Head of the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Department.