Jan 24 2013
Finding alternative ways of supplying chemicals for fuels and industrial use is one of the key challenges facing the industrial biotechnology industry today. Dwindling supplies and growing demand for fossil based resources, plus geopolitical uncertainty and the threat of climate change provide a vivid backdrop.
Five new research projects that will focus on how to develop cost-effective production of chemicals and materials from sustainable and renewable raw materials (aka feedstocks), have today been awarded £11.8 million by two research councils - the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) £10.7 million and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) £1.1 million.
The programmes involve university consortia across the engineering, physical and biological sciences and will also look into how these new feedstocks can be brought into future manufacturing processes. The institutions involved are the University of Bath, UCL, Imperial College London and Durham University.
The grants were announced today at the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum (IBLF) showcase event http://iblf.lifepartnering.com/ held at Church House Conference Centre, Westminster, London.
Welcoming the news, Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts said: “Scientific research is crucial to the developing alternatives to fossil based resources. The need to develop new chemicals, that are both sustainable and viable in our manufacturing processes, is pressing. It also presents us with opportunities to use our world class research base to accelerate the pace of change and deliver scientific and economic impact.”
Professor David Delpy, EPSRC’s Chief Executive said: “This initiative also demonstrates the significant contribution that novel chemistry and engineering funded by EPSRC can make towards BBSRC’s strategic priority of Industrial Biotechnology.”
Source: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/