A parliamentary motion has been tabled by Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick congratulating the University and the company on the establishment and delivery of the groundbreaking MPhil course in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry.

The programme, exclusively for GSK staff, is designed to allow employees to develop  research towards new treatments and, in so doing, further their careers in the pharmaceutical sector. The research is currently geared towards identifying and developing novel treatments for respiratory, inflammatory, neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Launched in 2009, the programme involves GSK chemists performing research projects in collaboration with academic supervisors from Strathclyde and is one of the first such job-based education initiatives in medicinal chemistry.

Mr FitzPatrick, co-convener of the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Life Sciences, tabled his motion on the day of a presentation by GSK at a Holyrood meeting of the Cross Party Group on Life Sciences, with a number of key players from Strathclyde in attendance. At the same meeting, the programme was commended by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon as being an extremely exciting partnership for Scotland which was worthy of celebration.

Although the motion is not intended to be the subject of a parliamentary debate, it gives MSPs an opportunity to show their support for the programme and to acknowledge the considerable benefits of Strathclyde's strong links with industry. It has so far been signed by 26 MSPs.

Professor David Gani, Strathclyde's Deputy Principal for external affairs and advancement, said:  "Strathclyde has a long and distinguished history of successful collaboration with industry. The MPhil course with GSK is an outstanding example of this and, perhaps even more importantly, is a genuine model for lifelong learning.

"Students and supervisors alike are given experience of new research strategies, broadening their expertise and the range of possibilities in treatment development. This demonstrates knowledge exchange at work- a dialogue of ideas with potential for considerable impact."

Professor Billy Kerr, of Strathclyde's Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the course's Programme Director at the University, said: "This course is not only groundbreaking in its structure but is also proving to be a huge success in practice. Research is being produced of a high international calibre, which reflects the value of our work with GSK, and with benefit to public health and to the economy.

"We welcome this endorsement of our collaboration, which is in keeping with our mission to create and maintain strong links with industry."

Mr FitzPatrick's motion reads:

That the Parliament congratulates the University of Strathclyde and world-leading pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on the first ever initiative in the United Kingdom to deliver a bespoke postgraduate MPhil chemistry degree programme; pays tribute to the expertise and professionalism of the university staff in achieving this outcome; recognises that this unique research programme will be geared towards identifying and developing novel treatments for a range of diseases, including respiratory, inflammatory, neurological and psychiatric diseases; acknowledges the potential that this will have to deliver considerable benefits for patients and public health; commends this innovative initiative as a tangible demonstration of the benefits of collaboration, in particular the knowledge exchange between academia and industry, and notes that the programme is designed to allow GSK employees to develop novel research approaches towards new treatments and, in so doing, aims to benefit society as a whole.