Limerick university announces new industry partnership for science students
The four-year programme enables students to graduate with a master's degree and up to two years of paid industry experience, working with companies on real-world scientific challenges
NURITAS, a global leader in peptide intelligence, has announced its partnership with the University of Limerick (UL) as a Founding Industry Residency Partner of its new Immersive Bioscience and Biotherapeutics (iBio) programme.
Developed by UL’s Department of Biological Sciences with direct input from leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry, iBio is a new integrated BSc/MSc degree designed to transform the delivery of STEM education in Ireland and attract world-class scientific talent.
Building on the university's immersive approach to education, the four-year programme enables students to graduate with a master's degree and up to two years of paid industry experience, working with companies on real-world scientific challenges.
Through the partnership, Nuritas gains early access to iBio’s first cohort of students and works with educators to shape a programme that reflects the industry's evolving needs.
The collaboration brings together two organisations challenging conventional approaches in their respective fields: Nuritas is advancing human health through AI-driven peptide discovery, while iBio is rethinking how the next generation of scientists is educated.
Dr. Nora Khaldi, founder and CEO of Nuritas, said: “We recognised the same innovative and disruptive mindset at iBio that drives our work at Nuritas. With industry and academia working closely together, we have an opportunity to equip scientific talent across Ireland with the skills to translate scientific research into meaningful impact. We are delighted to partner with a programme that shares our commitment to innovation.”
Professor Stephen Kinsella, iBio course co-founder and co-founder of the university’s Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) programme, added: “We need to transform how we educate the next generation of scientists and prepare them to make an impact beyond university.
“Our hypothesis is that if we take exceptional students with a passion for science and teach them differently, we can create an exciting proposition for industry. iBio builds on the immersive education model developed at UL, bringing academic expertise and industry collaboration together to prepare students for the challenges of modern bioscience.”
Professor Jakki Cooney, iBio course co-founder at the University of Limerick, explained that iBio was developed to “reimagine how students learn the science of medicine making and discovery”.
Industry insight is central to that ambition. We want to empower students to understand the scientific challenges and commercial realities that shape the sector, making partnerships with innovative companies like Nuritas invaluable to the programme,” Professor Cooney continued.
The iBio programme builds on the immersive education model pioneered through UL's Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) programme.
Professor Stephen Kinsella, co-founder of both programmes, has been instrumental in developing this approach to education and rethinking how universities prepare future innovators.
Founded in Ireland, Nuritas uses AI and molecular biology to discover bioactive peptides hidden in nature and develop them into clinically validated ingredients for consumer products. The company has identified more than 8 million peptides and developed the largest library of peptides in the world.
The partnership reinforces Nuritas’s commitment to scientific innovation and to supporting Ireland’s future biotechnology talent, with aims to strengthen the relationship between scientific discovery, education and industry.