Faraday Partnerships
The Faraday Partnership initiative is aimed at promoting improved interactions between the UK science and technology base and industry. The establishment of Faraday Partnerships is intended to correct a critical weakness in the exploitation of science, engineering and technology in the UK - the lack of coherence between researchers and new product developers. Faraday Partnerships will be a business friendly, knowledge base industry partnerships recognized nationally and regionally as centers of expertise and collaboration in their sector or technology.
The CRYSTAL Faraday Partnership
CRYSTAL : how it works
The CRYSTAL Faraday Partnership is a virtual centre of excellence in green chemical technology accessing the considerable resources of its industrial and academic participants to promote lower-cost, sustainable manufacturing, for the chemical industry. The importance of green chemical technology to the UK chemical industry was emphasized by the Foresight programme. The chemical industry is facing increasing competition and pressure on costs from environmental legislation. CRYSTAL is helping industry to meet these challenges, and at the same time to build a research base of world-class quality in green technology.
CRYSTAL has six key objectives:
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Single point of contact for green chemical technology in the UK ;
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Transfer new, green technology and best practice into real application;
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Identify core research priorities matching industry's needs with innovation in universities;
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Stimulate new research or practical applications where they are needed;
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Increase awareness of best practice for sustainable products and processes;
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Train all those involved for the culture change required.
CRYSTAL 's mission is to become the lead organisation for the research, development, and implementation of green chemical technology and practices in the UK chemical and allied industries.
Three organisations form the nucleus of CRYSTAL . They are the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chemical Industries Association. Together these organisations have accumulated expertise which forms a powerful knowledge base for UK chemical research and manufacturing.
These three are joined by 10 existing CANTOs (Consortia And Network Technology Organisations) which are already working in specialist areas of green technology. Most significant UK chemical companies are already associated with one or more of the CANTOs; additionally several are giving CRYSTAL direct support. 18 universities are also collaborating with CRYSTAL All these organisations share the same objectives.
CRYSTAL operates through a programme director and a network of technology translators whose job is to tackle the technical challenges on the ground. With their help, the chemical industry can find green technology solutions, and universities practical outlets for their innovations. Amongst the benefits for industry will be identification of business opportunities and a shortening of the implementation time for green technology.
CRYSTAL may sound like an acronym, but it is not. Crystals have an interlocking network and are of great significance in the chemical industry. CRYSTAL wants to achieve a similar network and the same significance.
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