• Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), TU Dresden and The Dresden Trust have established the programme
• Bridging the Membrane will help accelerate discovery and create lasting research networks spanning chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering
• The universities involved fall under the remit of The Dresden Trust, which focuses on friendship between Dresden, Birmingham and Coventry

Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), TU Dresden and The Dresden Trust have announced the first four recipients of their new early career researcher exchange programme between the West Midlands and Dresden in Germany.

The Bridging the Membrane early career researcher exchange programme was launched at a scientific symposium at TU Dresden in July 2026, funded by the British Council Springboard programme. The annual programme supports networking and career development for membrane researchers at the start of their careers. It enables two-way international research secondments between Aston University, the University of Warwick, University of Birmingham, Coventry University and TU Dresden. It builds on a legacy of more than 20 years of lipid and membrane research in Birmingham and Dresden.

Membranes are vital to applications ranging from industrial molecular separation and water purification to pioneering healthcare technologies. By connecting talented early career researchers across institutions and borders, Bridging the Membrane will help accelerate discovery and create lasting research networks spanning chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering. Hosting a talented early career researcher also brings new perspectives into the lab, benefitting the host and host team. These relationships will build and result in new proposals, papers and ultimately, new technology.

The four early career researchers accepted for the first cohort submitted proposals that are scientifically exciting, multi-disciplinary and leverage techniques/methods not available in their home laboratories, facilitating knowledge-transfer and building for the secondee and home lab.

Harshil Umrawala, from AIME, will travel to Dresden in November 2026 to work with Dr Michal Grzybek at the Centre of Membrane Biochemistry and Lipid Research at TU Dresden. He is researching a technique to insert purified membrane proteins into lipid bilayer membranes to enable specific study of their functions. He and Dr Grzybek will use the technique to study purified epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a membrane enzyme important for cell growth and survival. Changes in function, for example due to mutations, are associated with cancer progression in humans.

Jessica Bowater, from AIME, will receive training in important software in the laboratory of Professor Maria Fedorova at TU Dresden. The software can identify lipids from data from mass spectrometry, an analytical technique which bombards a sample with ions to determine its composition. Knowledge of this software will allow her to determine the lipids in a new technology being developed at AIME to extract membrane proteins and associated lipids from membranes.

Paula Hutfless, from Dresden University of Technology, will travel to AIME in December 2026 to study a type of membrane enzyme called glycosyltransferases. Her research group in Dresden has found that the activity of these enzymes may be modified in a natural membrane setting compared to when fully isolated. She will work with AIME’s Dr Naomi Pollock to extract the enzymes with associated membrane proteins and lipids and test this theory.

Carina Schmitt, from TU Dresden, will work with Professor Falk Schneider at the Fluorescence and Membrane Dynamics Laboratory at the University of Warwick. She will work on a type of fluorescent chemical marker called fluorophores to make them suitable for imaging biological membranes.

The first cohort is generously supported by The Dresden Trust, TU Dresden and AIME, establishing a strong foundation for this ambitious annual programme. The universities involved in the programme all fall under the remit of The Dresden Trust, which was set up in the UK in 1993 to fund the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche, a church in Dresden, Germany, bombed in World War II. The Trust now focuses on friendship and reconciliation between Dresden and Birmingham and Coventry in the UK, which also suffered intense bombing in the War, through educational and cultural initiatives, memorials and visits. Scientifically, there is great alignment and lots of complimentary expertise between the universities.

Professor Roslyn Bill from AIME and Professor Ünal Coskun from TU Dresden said:

“Membrane science brings together chemistry, biology, physics and engineering, and some of the most exciting advances happen when these disciplines and different research cultures come together. Bridging the Membrane creates exactly those opportunities for researchers at the beginning of their careers, strengthening the longstanding connections between the West Midlands and Dresden through a shared commitment to scientific discovery.

“By giving researchers access to expertise, techniques and perspectives that they cannot access in their home laboratories, we are investing not only in their development but in the future of membrane research. We hope the relationships established through this programme will lead to new collaborations, new discoveries and technologies with real-world impact, while creating lasting links between our research communities.”

Daniel Schieferdecker, trustee and treasurer at the Dresden Trust said:

“The Dresden Trust is delighted to be partnering with TU Dresden and the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence on the Bridging the Membrane Early Career Exchange Programme. This partnership also marks a new chapter for the Dresden Trust as we are excited to participate in the higher education segment for the first time, building on our long-standing commitment to foster intercultural understanding and international collaboration between the UK and Germany.

“We are confident that the Bridging the Membrane programme will lead to valuable scientific outcomes, encourage new collaboration and innovative ideas, and create opportunities for longer-term academic and economic partnerships between the UK and Germany. Just as importantly, we hope the exchange will foster cultural connections and friendships, giving participants the opportunity to experience different perspectives and create lasting memories. The Dresden Trust is proud to support this programme and looks forward to seeing the scientific, professional, and personal connections that will develop through Bridging the Membrane.”