Postgraduate Course: Project Proposal and Literature Review for MSc Drug Discovery and Translational Biology (BICH11005)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences | 
College | College of Science and Engineering | 
 
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) | 
Availability | Not available to visiting students | 
 
| SCQF Credits | 10 | 
ECTS Credits | 5 | 
 
 
| Summary | Preparation for the MSc Research Project will take to the form of a grant proposal on a topic related to, but distinct from, the research project to be undertaken in the later part of the programme. | 
 
| Course description | 
    
    This course simulates the production of a funding application for a medium term (36 Month) research project. This is coupled with the students research project topic and allows them to perform a thorough literature search as well as some research into some experimental/data collection skills that are current within their topic.
    
    
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites | 
 | 
Co-requisites |  | 
 
| Prohibited Combinations |  | 
Other requirements |  Entry to the course will be for students already holding (or expecting to hold) an Honours degree or equivalent in a biological subject such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, pharmacology. Students with a background in chemistry, physics, computer science or Informatics will also be considered, and those with other scientific or medical backgrounds should contact the Course Organiser. | 
 
 
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) 
  
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Quota:  None | 
 
| Course Start | 
Semester 2 | 
 
Timetable  | 
	
Timetable | 
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) | 
 
 Total Hours:
100
(
 Lecture Hours 2,
 Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6,
 Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
90 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) | 
 
  Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) | 
90%: One written Research Project Proposal, in the form of a grant proposal for a 3-year research project. 
10%: Two short oral presentations (worth 5% each); one summarising the background to the scientific question in the proposal and the second outlining the proposed methodology to be applied/used in the project to address that scientific question. | 
 
| Feedback | 
Individual, in-person verbal feedback on one draft, and written feedback for final submission, of the written Research Project Proposal. Written feedback for the oral presentations. | 
 
| No Exam Information | 
 
Learning Outcomes 
    On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
    
        - Describe the process of obtaining funding for academic research
 - Search, identify and critically evaluate the relevant literature to gain a thorough and current knowledge of a drug discovery-related topic
 - Design the appropriate experiments to build on current biochemical knowledge and identify the resources required to investigate a drug discovery question
 - Prepare and orally present short summaries of both the current knowledge of, and proposed experiments to address, the drug discovery question
 - Prepare a relevant, coherent and acceptable grant application
 
     
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills | 
Not entered | 
 
| Additional Class Delivery Information | 
2 lectures, 1 tutorial session to review previous examples and 6 workshops. | 
 
| Keywords | DDTB RProposal | 
 
 
Contacts 
| Course organiser | Dr Iain McNae 
Tel: (0131 6)50 7048 
Email:  | 
Course secretary | Ms Louise Robertson 
Tel: (0131 6)50 5988 
Email:  | 
   
 
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