[28
JUN 00] UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK NEWS
University in £5m Plastic Research Deal
Warwick
University has linked up with a leading plastics company in a £5
million research programme.
The
Government is to fund a Faraday Plastics Centre, which will be run in
partnership between the Warwick Manufacturing Group and Rapra
Technology Ltd, a leading independent research and technology
organisation specialising in polymers - a form of plastic.
The
partnership will work on developing the next generation of plastics
and plastics handling.
£2.2
million of the funding will come from the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC).
Further
funding, from EU and other sources, will add a further £3 million to
this total.
Faraday
Centres are part of a new Government initiative to bring industry and
academia closer together to create a more competitive industrial base
for the UK.
The
new centre will focus on four main themes of collaborative plastics
research - design, processing, durability, and recycling of plastics.
At
the same time a programme of Faraday Associate student fellowships
will allow Small and Medium Enterprises to involve undergraduate and
postgraduate students in their research and development efforts.
The
centre will also provide a "help-desk" website allowing SMEs
to access the latest research and techniques.
Dr
Phil Extance, Rapra’s chief executive, said:
"This
reinforces the value of the plastics industry and its key role in
new product development in applications ranging from mobile phones
to biotechnology."
Professor
Kumar Bhattacharyya, Director of the Warwick Manufacturing Group said:
"We
are delighted to have forged this partnership with the plastics
industry in collaboration with Rapra.
"This
partnership will bring a new impetus to the plastics industry and
help to generate future success.
"We
look forward to taking the industry to new heights in an
increasingly global market place."
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