Monday, 03 June 2019
The University of Nottingham has moved a step closer to its goal of commercialising research into developing sustainable chemicals with the announcement of a new partnership with CPI, a founding member of the UK Governments High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
The Green Chemicals Beacon of Excellence at the University has signed a memorandum of understanding with CPI, one of only six universities to sign such an agreement in the UK.
CPI and the Green Chemicals Beacon are already working closely on projects such as the production of sustainable aviation fuel, and the partnership agreement will allow these initiatives to progress rapidly, as well as providing a collaborative environment for new ideas, research and innovation.
Multi-disciplinary research
A low carbon future is imperative to avoiding catastrophic climate change. Meeting this challenge head on, the Green Chemicals Beacon of Excellence is a multi-million pound research programme funded by the University of Nottingham, working to deliver sustainable processes for the production of chemicals and fuels without a reliance on fossil reserves. It integrates world-leading expertise in metabolic engineering, process development and sustainable chemistry to address UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Climate Action and Sustainable Industrialisation. As a leading independent technology innovation centre, CPI acts as a catalyst, bringing together academia, businesses, government and investors to translate bright ideas and research into the marketplace by connecting partners with the right experts, equipment, facilities, networks and funding.
“This partnership will strengthen the ability of the University of Nottingham and CPI to blur the boundaries between academic research and impactful industrialisation through joint funding applications, human resource exchange and other synergetic projects.”
State-of-the-art facilities
The agreement will also help identify opportunities for CPI and their partners to benefit from the use of state-of-the-art facilities, including the GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry and the sustainable processing laboratories opening in autumn 2019.
Abundant opportunities have been created in solidifying the relationship between the University of Nottingham and CPI, including skills development, knowledge exchange and the joint fostering of spin-out companies.
“CPI sees this partnership as a huge opportunity for us to collaborate in the evaluation, scale up and development of the world-leading research being performed at the University of Nottingham. Through this collaboration we hope to help accelerate the commercialisation of this research - helping create Impact rapidly for the UK economy. We also hope to work together to help shape new research programmes – focusing on high value projects which could be transformative for the industries in which we work.”
Story credits
More informationis available fromProfessor Alex Conradie,Green Chemicals Beacon of Excellence, University of Nottingham on alex.conradie@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…