Environmental Biotechnology Research Hub

Dr. Grace N. Ijoma, holds a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of South Africa. She is a single mother of five children. She has lectured Biotechnology at the Pearson Institute of Higher Education for over 8 years and is currently a postdoctoral fellow.   Her PhD research focused on fungal antagonistic inter-specific interactions. Her research has been submitted for patent. She is working on developing commercial products from her research.  Her research interests are eclectic and she has projects in a variety of areas including, Bio-prospecting of niche environments, Food Microbiology, Environmental and Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (particularly Fermentation technology and process optimization), Microbial enzymes and bio-degradation of xenobiotic compounds including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and synthetic dyes, Ground water quality research and Microbial treatment of industrial waste water, Solid waste management. She is currently supervising Honors, Masters and PhD research projects designed towards industrially relevant applications with several publications.

 There exists a knowledge and skills transfer gap, predominantly deficient among young black South African students at postgraduate level impacting  high drop-out rates from programs of science and technology, directly linked to skills shortage in all fields of science. My observation from years of teaching undergraduates infers a consequence of inadequate training in science skills and methods from high schools. Incorporating this aspect into the curriculum, significantly improved critical thinking and grades.

This deficiency, has greatly affected progress in Science and Environmental Biotechnology, which is the aspect in application that can be used to find sustainable solutions to pollution abatement and remediation.

It is proposed that an environmental biotechnology center for excellence that integrates preliminary re-orientation of critical thinking and scientific methods will have best outcomes. This will promote innovations and creativity, an important vehicle for entrepreneurship and a strategy towards creating sustainable industries thereby growing the South African economy.

At least 90% of electricity in South Africa is generated from coal combustion, moreover mining is big business. These endeavors significantly pollute air and water and gravely affect the climate. Importantly, solution-driven research is hampered by a scarcity of available graduates in sciences, including, environmental biotechnology, considering that it's an important field for nearly all industrial processes that inevitably generate wastes.

One of the lasting legacies of Apartheid is in the deficiency of science and technology training within the majority, black communities in South Africa. Often, the undergraduates I have encountered in my classrooms are the first ones to attend tertiary education in their families, as a result they have no support matrix. As tertiary educators, we experience an uphill task of progressively teaching advanced application of science. Generally, presuming that good entry grades imply that students have the pre-requisite skills and knowledge. However, most of these students attended high school education that did not incorporate scientific methods or skills in their curriculum. Moreover, most students from poor backgrounds have to work and study science, through open distance learning further affecting their ability to execute independent research later on.This problem is far-reaching and exacerbates the drop-out rates of postgraduate students. 

My project wishes to convert the current Biotechnology Unit in the Institute for the Development of Energy for African Sustainability (IDEAS) starting with its currently enrolled students into an Environmental Biotechnology Center of Excellence (CoE). This flagship program will be sustained as a center that will focus with a mindfulness on the disadvantage gap in the education of under-privileged majority South Africans in critical thinking and scientific methods and launch their post-graduate education from this platform rather than the traditionally accepted approach that assumes their capability for independent research. It is believed that this add-on will be rewarded with the following in the CoE: 

• Retention and training of Postgraduate students through applicable and industry-relevant research projects (Honors, Masters and PhD)
• Encourage the active participation of staff members and emerging young researchers within the ranks of University of South Africa to not only provide training where they have expertise but also receive skills training on novel techniques and instrumentation in the ever evolving field of Biotechnology and the ‘Omic technologies
• Involve multidisciplinary research in the effort of solving environmental and industrial problems using biotechnology.
• Develop alternative industrial processes using biocatalysis where possible, with a premeditation towards solving environmental issues of pollution

The target community that will be impacted by this project are the pool of the majority black African postgraduate students applicants, studying biotechnology at the University of South Africa. 

Interviews and interactions over the years with students, identified  inclusions important to the re-orientation agenda that will better develop and equip students for independent research. 

The current group of postgraduates have assisted through active participation and questionnaires in identifying areas of weakness that has hampered their growth in independent research. This has allowed us develop a "Master-Class" to address this. It ran several times in 2018 and 2019. We, developed cluster support groups consisting of peer interactions that provides support. This vibrant ecosystem consisting of post-doctoral researchers and students with similar interests and backgrounds have allowed an openness, important for creative thinking and innovations. 

Importantly, emotional and intellectual maturity as well as the dedication and zeal to pursue knowledge that characterizes postgraduate education imply that assimilation and outputs are faster once the students are developed in critical thinking as compared to undergraduates. The implication is that the goal of producing researchers in the critical area of environmental biotechnology to address the challenges of the environment and climate will be achieved faster.

This project addresses two salient issues: (1) Understanding that we cannot reach credible solutions for climate change or solve issues of pollution, through mitigation or remediation; (2) if we do not have the necessarily skilled individuals in the society to execute various related environmental projects. As such targeting the training of young black scientists in South Africa who often avoid these aspects of research that they considered "difficult," will go a long way in promoting the environmental friendliness approach in most industrial pursuits. Moreover, the pool of students accepted in the University considers other African students, extending the broader reach.

Teaching undergraduates in various related fields of Biotechnology for several years exposed me to listening to my South African students. I observed the disappointments that often plagued conversations just before some of my students dropped out. It prompted me to push for departmental changes in the science skills module to incorporate critical thinking and scientific method. We experienced remarkable results in grades and interests in science. 

As a post-doctoral fellow tasked with supervising post-graduates, I observed the same issues were being expressed by this more mature audience and in discussion with my promoters Professors Hildebrandt and Matambo, we realized this endemic problem, could be traced to foundational training. I leveraged the lessons learnt from dealing with undergraduates, we decided to try the same approach and focus for four months on re-training rather than the research. At the end of it, we were pleasantly surprised at the results. Students crafted better research proposals, came up with innovative ways to improve their research, were applying their observations to help and critique other researchers and students. It also made it easier to direct their focus to my target research area which was reviewing various industrial downstream processes to mitigate wastes generated.

As an African immigrant, I have benefited significantly from the academic hospitality of my host country South Africa through the bursaries made available for the study of the scarce skills area of Environmental Biotechnology. Considering my financial situation and family-life, I would not have achieved post-graduate education and I believe I can only give back in the best way I know how - Research and Education. I also observed that even though bursaries in South Africa for postgraduate education in Science and Technology are available to all disadvantaged persons, majority of the beneficiaries are African migrants.  I observed that the variable, giving advantage to us is our foundational training. My late mother once said to me - "Blindness that is the consequence of darkness in a room is soon solved with switching on incandescent light". I believe that most people if provided with the right tools will reach their full potential.

In addition, environmental degradation due to wanton human exploits has always been a source of concern to me. It is my fervent hope that our generation provides lasting solutions for the next. I know it is only possible when there are more people who participate through research.

The following skills, background and experiences uniquely positions me to deliver on the establishment of a research center of excellence in environmental biotechnology:

Academic Qualification

Ph.D., Environmental Science (Interdisciplinary) March 2013 – June 2017, Department of Environmental Sciences, UNISA Florida Campus, South Africa

M.Tech., Biotechnology, Jan 2008 to Sept. 2010, Department of Biosciences, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

B.Tech., Biotechnology, Jan 2007 to Sept. 2007, Department of Biosciences, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

HND, Microbiology (Distinction), Jan 1998 to Sept 2000, Department of Microbiology, Yaba College of Technology, Nigeria

Professional Experience

• Post-Doctoral Fellow (June 2018 – till date), Institute for the Development of Energy for African Sustainability, UNISA Florida Campus, South Africa.
  • Responsible for planning and execution of research projects
  • Co-supervision of postgraduate students
  • Writing academic journal for publication
• Senior Lecturer (June 2011 – 2019), Department of  Applied Science, Pearson Institute of Higher Education, Midrand, South Africa.
  • Responsible for teaching (undergraduate) and research education in Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food and Water Microbiology, Agricultural Biotechnology, Food Technology, Biology and Biotechnology Ethics
  • Curriculum design and assessment preparation, marking and moderation
• Manuscript Reviewer for the African Journal of Microbiology Research (May 2017- Till date)
• Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Textile Science and Engineering (June 2017 – Till date)
• Member of the Review Committee for the African Academy of Science
  • Responsible for the Journal article review
  • Responsible for reviewing grant application s for post-doctoral fellowships

Upon completion of my doctoral studies, it became evident to my supervisor that my work needed to be submitted for a patent. She motivated to the Senate that I should continue with a post-doctoral fellowship. It was the first time the University will consider a student within the institution, the policy was to accept students from other local and international universities. Their acceptance came with the condition that I had to work in another college. This was disappointing to me as I had hoped to continue my work with my supervisor, Professor Tekere. The choice to assign me to IDEAS was premised on aspects of my work progressing to developing alternative energy; it did not consider the challenge of required prior research involving molecular biology (omics technologies). The institute was at its core engineering with a different research mindset. I had to motivate and convince my promoters to procure equipment needed for my research, identify and develop multiple streams of research relevant to my subject area that will drive my primary research. In the space of 14 months, I have achieved all of this and now have 7 PhDs and 3 Masters all doing research relevant to my primary research.

In 2014, I started a network for academic assistance for my female students. Every year, I identified four to six undergraduate female students, I called them my "global children". They helped me track each other's progress as "academic sisters" for the duration of their undergraduate studies. My joy is in the realization that these ladies have kept the relationship even after graduating. At present I have 'children' from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Cameroun, Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, Congo DRC, Mozambique and France. These were girls that graduated Bio-Medicine and Biotechnology (BSc)  from Pearson Institute. We had a tradition where I gave them the text-book I used during my studies (BTech) for Microbial Biochemistry. The class-year group leader returned it to me at the end of their time and I passed it on. Among these girls, I have Naomi Okugbeni studying her Masters Degree at Stellenbosch University in Molecular Genetics, Patience Matlala graduate Medicine University of Pretoria (my first girl), Tolu Abe, graduate Medicine, United States, Teresa Lopez studying  Masters Biotechnology (Portugal). It was through Teresa, I realized that they still have a network and kept in touch. I still get the periodic phone calls at 2 am to discuss research.

The Biotechnology Unit is headed by Professor Tonderayi Matambo, it is proposed to become the Environmental Biotechnology Center of Excellence. The unit is at present within the Institute for the Development of Energy for African Sustainability (IDEAS) which has the director as Professor Diane Hildebrandt. This institute is within the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at the University of South Africa. However, the CoE will be moved to the College of Environmental and Agricultural Science at the University of South Africa to better align with the research goals. This initiative is being promoted by Professor Tekere, my previous supervisor.

This project wishes to change the approach to post-graduate training, especially within the unique narrative of the South African discourse. Understanding, that if we do not fix the dissonance in education attributable to the mishandling that emanates from the existing curriculum gaps, it perpetuates the vicious cycle. Intelligence must be paired with systematic training in intellectual and critical thinking. Young adults need this necessary infusion into their early education to awaken their minds. This for me, in its simplicity is the missing piece, removed from the equation, there will be slow progress. As simple as it is we need to point young adults in the direction to "see."

Moreover, there is usually a human attribute of focusing on outcomes, that often fails to address the process or the journey. We wish to solve climate change issues and our first impulse is to close down all polluting industries without considering the ramifications. It cannot be a quick fix. It requires a holistic, evolving framework that will only be achieved with several innovators, critical thinkers equipped with the knowledge capital in the various aspects of human endeavors putting their minds to finding small solutions and completing the big puzzle.

Also, being mindful that pollution is an immediate threat, that cannot wait for curriculum changes and reforms, we, critically target the fastest way to generate the necessary knowledge capital by focusing on the retraining and integration of this missing link at postgraduate level where we believe it will make the best impact.

Introduction:

Post-apartheid era, young black graduates’ retention remains low and undergraduate performance is poor in South African tertiary institutions [1-3]. According to the Department of Education [4], these observations emanate from interface discontinuities between high school and university education (articulation gap).  Apartheid era policies contributed to aspects of this articulation gap which even the 2008 curriculum revamping (introducing the National Senior Certificate) could not resolve in science and engineering fields. Chetty and Pather [5] noted that only 11% of black youths and 7% of coloured youths in the 18 to 24-year age bracket make it into universities possibly due to low quality primary and secondary schooling. This points to dysfunctionality along the education value chain and it is a daunting task to correct this. Case et al. [6] postulated that the quality of schooling is unlikely to change dramatically in the short term and universities need to look for ways to improve student success rates, particularly in science and engineering, where skills gained are critical to societal development. It is well known that tertiary education nurtures knowledge based societies [7] and are vehicles for accelerated development in all spheres of human endeavors.  Currently, curriculum reforms remain as the main approach to introduce changes in education [8-9]. However, it is important that whilst the anticipated reforms which take long to materialise are developing, we begin to explore other means to address the articulation gap.

Presently, only Rhodes University in South Africa offers Environmental Biotechnology at postgraduate level and since 2011, they have produced only 11 postgraduates. (https://www.ru.ac.za/ebru/people/). Upon this premise and the motivation to accelerate development of critically skilled environmental biotechnologists who will be tasked to research and provide solutions for the myriad of pollution problems from various industrial pursuits, our approach is to contextually solve the skills gap identified.  This articulation gap usually lingers even at post-graduate levels. We shall address this by incorporating critical reasoning and scientific methods into the Environmental Biotechnology Center for Excellence that will cater to these uniquely challenged post graduates.

Theory of Change Model for the Establishment of the Environmental Biotechnology Center of Excellence

Currently, the project serves 15 post graduate students in both Masters and PhD programs with research that targets a variety of industries including mining, wastewater treatment, agriculture and food. Future implication is that the impact of research will directly affect these companies and the lives connected to them particularly in aspects of waste management. Considering, also future impact: waste landfills around Urban fringes in South Africa tend to be sites for informal settlements often with populations of approximately 15, 000 people.

In one year, with new entrants into the Honors program of Environmental Science. We would like to attach 2 students each to the current Masters projects to begin training and assisting with the current research being executed which will add a total of 30 Honors students to the group. But also generate a pool for succession into postgraduate. Thus, the group will have  at least, 45 honors and postgraduate students in total.

With stakeholder partnerships that is being created from identified companies expressing willingness to participate, through directed research towards solving their environmental pollution problems, it is hoped that in five years we would have at least 275 postgraduates students, spreading their reach in research and its application towards these industries as well as in community development campaigns, through research in environmental monitoring, pollution mitigation, remediation and waste management. Replicate community development group projects will include industrial and clean-water reclamation, biogas installation for clean energy generation, building mini water treatment plants and testing water quality in rural communities e.t.c.

The CoE will in the first year strive to achieve the following:

• Integrate critical thinking, logical framework and scientific method as well as writing for publication and ancillary professional training in Bioinformatics and equipment instrumentation into the training of our first 45 Honors and postgraduate students with a structured framework.
• Encourage the writing of critical reviews for publications among our Masters and PhD students as a measurement for research outputs and progress.
• Realign research projects and encourage innovative solutions on global environmental issues that applies biotechnology.

In five years:

• Run industrial trials and pilot projects with research derived solutions for environmental waste management, remediation and mitigation
• Infuse graduates generated in the program into the knowledge and human capital development, needed to grow the South African economy and the African continent at large.
• Drive through research, innovations that will build capacity in biotechnology and engineering, producing technologies and  patents of commercial value and in this way sustain the research center.
• Create and nurture partnership with industries to realign and circumvent processes that generate significant effluents in agriculture/food, energy sector, mining, pharmaceuticals, waste water treatment.
• Actively lobby for legislative reforms through our research work that promotes environmental mitigation using the University as a platform
• Replicate research centers with similar models in other provinces in South Africa

Financial Barriers: The financial and logistical running costs of the CoE, particularly for bursaries and stipends for enrolled students, that supports their studies. Students must avoid working except for research and teaching. It divides focus and attention. There's difficulty in sourcing this funding especially in the first five years before research outputs begins to generate income, poses a challenge

Technical Barriers: Studies and research requiring biotechnology comes with constant training requirements in bioinformatics and instrumentation training for the specialized sequencing platforms. Students and supervisors alike must train and re-train periodically to keep informed of new techniques in the evolving field. Moreover, students must primarily be conversant with computer programming, language and software. This is usually difficult for biological science students.

Administrative Barriers: There are existing institutional policies that promote the establishment of centers of excellence and institutes under the auspices of the University. However, the chain of approvals through the University is bureaucratic and tends to slow down most processes.

Cultural Barriers: Majority of our students often are in families where they are the first generation of postgraduates, or are even married to spouses who do not have degrees. This makes for home life clashes with the demands and intensity of focus needed to drive research.

Industry Resistance Barriers: Obtaining and building cooperation with companies who are identified as polluters to obtain samples to run analysis. Often, they are afraid and put up a wall presuming that these analyses will be submitted to government and will lead to legal-prosecution.

Financial Barriers:  An intensive drive in applying for various funding and grants to ensure the logistical barriers is surmounted and therefore stabilize the CoE in its first five years before it reaches financial sustainability. 

Technical Barriers: Part of the re-orientation program will include professional up-skilling and training geared towards learning the various computer programming, language and software applications. Students who become competent quicker, will be paired with the ones struggling, to provide support.  Research that require bioinformatics while a student is still challenged will be cooperatively executed by a group of students with tasks shared so it does not interfere a great deal with their individual research work.

Administrative Barriers: begin preliminary conversations and submit paper work for perusal to steering committee charged with the approval of CoEs to allow them understand the projects and do follow-ups to ensure signatures are obtained and approval is pushed quickly. Apply for a fast-track process and write the necessary motivation memorandum required for this, to expedite the process.

Cultural Barriers: set up an internal support system that assist the students to navigate these challenges. Hold team building exercises that incorporates family members and educates them in challenges of research and postgraduate studies.

Industry-Resistance Barriers: Reassure companies of the anonymity provided for in all ethical research frameworks. Hold regular stake-holders forum meetings to open a good channel of communication. It would also allow currently participating industries to encourage other companies that are wary of the implications of opening their waste management to scrutiny.

Department of Science and Innovation (South Africa): provided joint funding which the Biotechnology departments shared with three other Universities in South Africa which are University of Johannesburg, Cape Town University of Technology and University of Limpopo on a collaborative project on Wetlands, Environmental Monitoring and other ancillary research. We hold a twice-yearly, sponsored interactive-forum where students review projects and critique research, this provides a support-matrix, ensuring there are no duplication of research.

Technology Innovation Agency (South Africa): is offering guidance in the development of technological products towards commercialization. They have organised workshops to educate postgraduates of handling innovation and new technologies under development.

National Research Foundation (South Africa): provides individual funding to some of the financially-struggling postgraduate students within the biotechnology group.

Agriculture Research Council: outsource-point for some analytical work, from students’ research.

Inqaba Biotec: commercial outsource-point of genomic sequencing analysis, from students’ research.

South Africa Coal and Oil Company (Sasol): provided funding for individual students working on projects related to Fischer-Tropsch effluent bioremediation research.

Westfalia Fruits Company: providing samples of agro-residue waste towards project in Biogas production. 

Pikitup Johannesburg (SOC): have allowed students collect leachate samples at several landfill sites around Gauteng for research projects.

Emfuleni Wastewater treatment facility: have allowed projects on wastewater and biogas research to be designed by students for them. Have allowed seasonal collection of samples towards these projects.

South African National Energy Development Institute: partnering with our research group in developing and optimizing biogas production targeting rural area and future urban home integration 

Overview: The CoE leverages postgraduate students research uniquely designed to target industry-specific related pollution, to service companies and provide alternative environmental solutions to waste management.

Target Audience:  The CoE has two target sectors, the postgraduate students and companies.

Business Processes:  Consultation and research and development (R&D) services to industries. Possibilities of equity partnership agreements with companies, profits derived applied in developing technologies and patents. Revenues will support pilots and guarantee financial sustainability of the center. 

Value Proposition: Although, several university research centers presently exist, most are traditionally academic-output driven and do not apply readily available pool of intellectual capital to drive fiscal sustainability. The yearly entrants bring new innovators in the form of students (human and knowledge capital). We provide new perspectives in tackling different industrially relevant challenges. Few, if any, build the intellectual capital and apply them immediately.

Business Resources: The CoE will develop its website annexed to the University’s. It will work actively with the intellectual property office to strengthen our legal foothold in business negotiations. We will actively hold stake-holder forums to find new clientele.

Key Business Partners: Most industries that inevitably generate wastes during their downstream processes including agro-allied, agricultural residues, food, pharmaceuticals, mining, energy sectors. Leveraging the University network, we will develop alliances with these industries.

Demand Generation Strategy: Currently, this re-imagined concept is spurred by businesses approaching us to provide solutions to their waste management. They are motivated by a need to focus on core business but outsource research and development to credible institutions.

A variety of approaches will be used to ensure financial stability:

Application for local and international grants and funding: Students and staff alike will be encouraged to actively design projects that are worthy ventures to attract funding

Providing analytical services: It is hoped that the procured analytical equipment will also be used to provide services to small companies that wish to out-source analysis as well as other universities that do not have these equipment.

Product Installation and commissioning: chemical engineering students involved particularly in energy sector projects and process engineering will be involved in industrial trials and final product commissioning at a fee to the companies.

Equity finance from novel technologies and patent sales: the specific targeting of industries to afford them an on-going research and technology input will come with commercial implications as products developed thereof will be sold to these companies. Further individual research yielding patent can also be developed commercially through spin-off companies.

Government research output incentives: Although small, government does provide yearly publication incentives to Universities and Institutes. We will encourage students and staff alike to target this revenue, by producing high impact factor publications that will receive these incomes which will be re-invested into the CoE.

At present, there are no funds raised for the Environmental Biotechnology Center of Excellence. We are currently leveraging from the Biotechnology Unit of IDEAS

With the understanding that a cycle of 3 to 5 years’ is needed to produce the first set of graduates and financially stabilize the Center of Excellence. We wish to raise funds through grant and equity from developing patents and technologies, that we at present working on to finance expenditure to at least the sum of $ 4 470 301,00  to cover first five years.

Due to the CoViD19 Lockdown that has affected regular day-to-day activities we are stalled but hope that by November 2020, we will raise enough to finance the 2021 cycle and students’ entry and begin the process.

Below is a break down and estimated cost by expenditure category for 2020 only. Total cost for a 5- year period can be projected for all categories at +5% inflation except with student bursary and stipends which will be doubled annually for a period of 5 years

The major barriers that need to be overcome are as follows

Financial Barriers: The financial and logistical running costs of the CoE particularly for bursaries and stipends for enrolled students that supports their studies. This represents the critical investment area. Students must avoid working except perhaps in research and teaching other students. It divides focus and attention and will defeat the purpose of accelerated graduate times frames that must incorporate a 'pre-postgraduate' re-orientation and training, compounded by the intensity of focus needed in research. The difficulty in sourcing this funding especially in the first five years before research outputs begins to generate income poses a challenge. The Prize money will greatly ease this burden.

Technical Barriers: Studies and research requiring biotechnology comes with constant international training requirements in bioinformatics and instrumentation training for the specialized sequencing platforms. Students and supervisors alike must train and re-train periodically to keep informed of new techniques in the evolving field. Moreover, students must primarily be conversant with computer programming, language and software. This is usually difficult for biological science students. We believe that the network available through Elevate will truly aid in navigating this arena. The financial implication involved in sending students for specialized bioinformatics training with laboratories overseas that routinely carry out these type of research, has also been a barrier. We have even sourced some of these laboratories and institutes and they have shown a willingness to support at our cost and this has stalled this essential training.

Funding and Revenue Model: with the potential and possibilities of setting up spin-off companies that leverage novel technologies developed within the center. Staff and researchers alike will benefit from professional advise in this aspect as most have only scientific and academic training and struggle to navigate business.

Mentorship and/or coaching: aspects of capacity building and linking with international leaders in industries of biotechnology.

Monitoring and Evaluation: the absence of business training and administration for most researchers and academics means that this is an area of weakness that we will benefit from assistance in developing.

Marketing, media and exposure: similarly, this is not a considered area of expertise for most scientists and researchers and professional management of this aspect of interest will be best.

It is hoped that we would foster research collaborative partnerships and possibly exchange programs for students and staff to the following Institutes/Universities in the near future:

1. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
2. Lakehead University, Ontario Canada
3. Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu, India
4. University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, Italy
5. Institute of Technical Biocatalysis, Hamburg, Germany
6. Biotech Institute, Westlake Village, California
7. Michigan University
8. Roosevelt University, Chicago
9. Illinois University of Technology, Chicago

Specific area of partnership will be in research areas involving pilots from bench phase with enzyme purification, cloning technology (eukaryotic and prokaryotic), marine ecological studies sampling protocols towards bioprospecting this niche environment, e.t.c