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Earlier this year, Connor M. Blair, PhD student in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences won the Innovator of the future award at the Scottish knowledge exchange awards. During lockdown, he was nominated for the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at the university’s knowledge exchange awards. We caught up with Connor to find out how he manages his PhD and industry work and what advice he has for other researchers…

What events/activities led up to winning the award, and what did it feel like to receive it?

I’m undertaking an industrial sponsored PhD with Portage Glasgow Ltd (PGL), co-funded by UofG and Portage Pharmaceuticals Ltd (USA). My PhD research is focused on the discovery and development of novel cell-penetrating peptide therapeutics directed at disrupting key disease-linked protein-protein interactions (PPIs). The primary aim of each drug discovery program is the commercialisation of assets through clear therapeutic validation of our compounds against a particular disease(s).

The nature of our drug discovery approach allows for us to develop compounds against a broad-spectrum of clinical indications including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease and even ageing. As such, I’ve been able to concurrently manage and drive several drug discovery projects, each focused on the development of novel therapeutics targeting a different disease area. Of these projects, two have already led to patents (on which I am an inventor) co-owned by PGL and UofG. Data generated from these projects has been published in peer reviewed journals and allowed me to (through senior advisory board meetings and international conferences) set up multiple collaborations with world leading laboratories in the USA, Japan, UK and Austria.

I pitched to investors, securing ~£100,000 in funding for new equipment essential to the developmental pipeline of our drug discovery programs. This resulted in me being promoted to ‘Principal Scientist’ at PGL and since then I’ve become the first point of contact with collaborators, intellectual property lawyers and industrial sponsors. Successfully completing a PhD in itself is a huge task and so, until my advisor approached me about the award, I was focused on nothing more than keeping my head down and progressing my research. I never expected in a million years that I would be considered for an award in anything during my PhD, particularly not for my ‘innovations’! To say I was taken aback when I was nominated as a finalist (never mind winning the award!) is an understatement. Innovation in Scotland is world leading, so to be considered as an innovator at this stage in my career is very humbling! I have the best job in the world, so to be awarded for essentially doing my job still feels quite surreal. Certainly a motivator!

What do you think it means to be 'innovative' and 'entrepreneurial'?

I think being innovative and entrepreneurial come hand-in-hand. The concept of developing and validating a new or already existing idea is something that a lot of us do on a regular basis without realising it. You take your idea(s), you challenge those ideas, you take the initiative to communicate your results/findings and you use this knowledge to spark new ideas. In doing so, you end up discovering something totally new. It doesn’t matter how small or large the innovation is, if its new – its innovative!

• How can PGRs be innovative in their own lives or with their own research? There is a very good chance they are already doing it! Personally, I read a lot of literature surrounding each of my project areas, constantly revisiting old studies and seeking out new research publications. This has helped me to fully understand the area in which I work and allowed me to continually adjust my research. Do your reading. Revisit your aims and hypotheses. Scrutinize your results. Be willing to constantly adapt your hypothesis as your research continues and become an expert in your field. Doing so will directly influence your ability to achieve innovative results.

What advice would you give PGRs, from your own experience, that you wish you would have known when you began your innovator journey?

Be as pro-active as you can. As my advisor puts it, ‘hustle’. I’m fortunate in that my advisor gives me a lot of independence in my work and so I have a lot of freedom in my research. As a result, I learned early on just how important it is to ask questions and reach out to other researchers. This includes your peers and world leading experts. Don’t be afraid to approach someone with an idea/question or to ask for help in fear that you’ll get shot down or mocked. At the end of the day being a PGR means you are still in training and so it’s crucial you learn as much as you can before beginning a post-doc (or whatever role you go onto after your PhD). Being pro-active has helped me better understand my own research approach, learn new techniques, improve my confidence in my work and set up collaborations with world leading experts (scientists and clinicians) in complementary fields. I have no doubt that this has played a huge part in the success of my projects to date and it is something that I do actively almost every day. Hustle!

Does one's area of research or college matter when approaching or thinking about innovation?

Not at all. All new discoveries are innovations!

What personal attributes do you think are necessary/useful for innovation?

Realistic Optimism. Very rarely do your initial aims and hypotheses come to fruition. I learned early on that research is often very challenging and that failure is a very important part of the experience. Accept it, embrace it and learn from it. I have always taken an optimistic approach to my work, even if it feels like all I’m doing that week is failing. It’s helped me stay patient and persevere with my research during challenging times and is a major reason why I still love my job today. I have no doubt that maintaining a realistically optimistic approach to my research has played a central role in all my ‘innovations’.