InnoCAR-T establishes a joint training programme for 10 fellows to attain a broad level of expertise in frontier academia and state-of-the-art inter-sectoral companies, a combination required for effective translation of new ideas into viable cancer immunotherapeutics. Consistent with the research programme, this training programme covers a broad range of scientific and technology development in immunology, CAR and antibody design and drug formulation. It is designed as an interdisciplinary high-level training programme for early career researchers, which integrates in-depth lab-based and high-level experimental training aimed at high-impact biomedical applications in cancer. The unique academia-industry network of InnoCAR-T will provide Doctoral Candidates with the scientific knowledge, technical excellence and transferable skills necessary to excel in academic and non-academic sectors.
The primary Training Objective (TO) of InnoCAR-T is to deliver researchers with interdisciplinary and intersectoral expertise. Specific Training Objectives (TOs) are:
TO 1: To help researchers build a career in forefront areas of biomedicine by delivering a structured interdisciplinary training programme taught by leading international scientists in state-of-the art infrastructures.
TO 2: To provide academic, industrial and public sector employers with researchers equipped with a wide range of skills and techniques and with experience of interaction across disciplines.
TO 3: To produce researchers with excellent transferrable skills, able to transform new ideas into influential outcomes.
TO 4: To create an active, long-term network of young researchers whose personal contacts, support and expertise will help Europe shape the future of biomedical research.
TO 5: To cascade expertise and spread good practice throughout Europe by personnel exchange and delivering European researchers able to become leaders in multiple interconnected fields in the near future.
To achieve its training objectives, InnoCAR-T provides a versatile training programme that addresses academic and industrial expertise and personal skills. The training programme encompasses: (1) original research projects as the core of doctoral education, performed at the host institution and through secondments; (2) formal training via courses and workshops by each institution; (3) original training components offered by the consortium network; and (4) components accessed by DCs through existing outside-network activities.