About NEUK
NEUK SynBio is a synthetic biology network for the North East of England. We have been running seminars out of Newcastle since 2019, and we are now building out across the region.
Why NEUK exists
Bristol has BrisSynBio. Edinburgh has the Centre for Engineering Biology. Manchester has SYNBIOCHEM. Each is a single-institution centre with a building and a director.
The North East has comparable science and no equivalent structure — and arguably does not need one. What it needs is a connective layer: something that makes five universities and a regional industry base behave like one community without anybody having to build an institute first.
That is what NEUK is.
Our four aims
- Bring together academics and industry across the region
- Foster collaborations
- Create a network for early-career researchers and PhD students
- Help with knowledge sharing and training
How a NEUK seminar works
The format has stayed deliberately simple, because it works.
Two talks, 4pm
Usually one established researcher and one early-career speaker, or one academic and one from industry. Around 25 minutes each, with questions.
Free, and open to all
No membership, no fee, no requirement to be at the host institution. Undergraduates are as welcome as professors.
Wine and pizza afterwards
Not a perk — the point. The talks bring people into the room; the hour afterwards is where collaborations actually start.
Organising committee
NEUK is run by a committee of researchers from across the region. Committee members serve a two-year term.
Governance and independence
NEUK is run by its academic committee. Sponsors support the programme financially and may propose speakers, but they have no control over what is programmed and no veto over content.
Sponsorship is acknowledged publicly on the relevant event listing and on our partners page. We do not accept support that comes with conditions on programme content.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We track the career-stage and gender balance of our speaker line-up each year and publish it alongside our figures. Our aim is that every seminar pairs an established researcher with an early-career one, and that the annual programme is balanced across gender and institution.
Venues are step-free and we will arrange accessibility adjustments on request — email info@neuksynbio.com.