News

MPEG work showcased to Minister Jane Hutt

Thursday 12th February 2015

Led by Bangor University, the £31m Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) project, backed with EU funds of over £20 million, is helping Welsh businesses to work with academics and students from Welsh universities to develop new and innovative products for commercial success.

The project is helping to boost the research capacity of Welsh companies, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, by supporting them to undertake research, develop key technologies, and recruit researchers.

The scheme is also helping universities to build their research excellence by preparing and training people to become research professionals as part of a Masters or PhD qualification. Students also have the opportunity to achieve a postgraduate skills development award as part of the scheme.

Welsh Government Finance Minister, Jane Hutt, said:

“Vital EU funds are helping to increase the numbers of excellent researchers in Wales, in turn building Wales’ research capacity in key areas to create clear and long term impact in business productivity and turnover"

“As well as assisting companies to diversify and grow, the project has also secured employment and economic benefits to the people of Wales.”

MPEG returns to Brussels

Microbial water quality: Challenges to Blue Growth in Shellfish

Ty Cymru/Wales House, Brussels
Monday 29th September 2014

The workshop was organised as an opportunity for exchange of information and views on issues relating to microbial water quality and shellfish production and specifically the implications of the proposed introduction of a Norovirus (NoV) standard. Attendees included representatives’ aquaculture producers, shellfish industry associations, national and EU regulatory agencies, laboratories and researchers in the field of shellfish and human health. The workshop was structured to provide an opportunity for proponents of the introduction of a NoV standard in shellfish to present the background and current status of the proposal to stakeholders and for a series of invited speakers to present their perspectives on the issue, together informing a moderated discussion in which all attendees had the opportunity to discuss the information and evidence presented and to introduce their own information and views.

Speakers were:

Richard Bates – DG MARE

David Lees – European Union Reference Laboratory

Tony Harrington – Welsh Water

John Harris – Public Health England

Willem van Leeuwen – GiMaRIS/TOPlab

Beverley Perkins – MEnv

A report from the meeting can be accessed here.

MPEG 'Across the pond'

Mpeg members Dr Jasmine Sharp and PhD student Tracy Perkins are attending the Water Microbiology Conference 2014 next week in the USA.

Hosted by the University of Carolina, the focus will be on water microbiology, from watershed to human exposure including current concerns in recreational waters, shellfish harvesting waters, emerging technologies and quantitative tools.

Tracy Perkins will be presenting her current research - Microbial pathogen-sediment interactions in the ConwayEstuary, North Wales, UK

MPEG - Back in Brussels

HOPE Conference - 3-4th March 2014

Dr Shalegh Malham and Dr Jasmine Sharp attended the Healthy Oceans Productive Ecosystems conference in Brussels. The conference brought together over 400 delegates from member states, Regional Sea Conventions, academia, industry, NGOs and other stakeholders, to attend presentations from experts and to discuss progress since the adoption of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) to achive and maintain good environmental status of European Seas and ocean by 2020.

The outcome of the conference was issud as a declaration of HOPE

The issue of plastic debris in our oceans was highlighted at the conference through art, which included a 5 metre long 'deep-sea fish' named 'Plastic Mer-trans'

KESS - Annual Event 2013

KESS scholars from the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and South Wales battled it out to win the prestigious KESS award. Tracy Perkins represented Bangor University outlining her PhD project in a three minute presentation. For more information on the challenge please click on the links below:

Annual Event - Welsh

Annual Event - English

NERC Spring 2013

Shellfish could provide the UK with much more healthy, cheap food than they do at present, but concerns about pollution and its possible impact on people's health stand in the way, and environmental change could make the problem worse

Invitation to Brussels 06/06/13

Dr Shelagh Malham and the team from Bangor University presenting to the European Commission a comprehensive overview of the SUSFISH project, SEACAMS and Food Security.

SHELLPATH – Pathogenic Microbes in Shellfish Meeting 12/06/13

Stakeholders were invited to attend a meeting to discuss concerns regarding shellfish production and impacts of related issues and legislation. The day began with an overview of the research carried out at Bangor University and was followed by an excursion to view the shellfish beds in the Menai Strait. A discussion session finished the day.