Affiliate schemes explained at Materials Congress

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 16, 2004

Faraday Plastics is to exhibit at the 2004 Materials Congress hosted by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining at Carlton House Terrace, London, from 30th March to 1st April.

Faraday Plastics is to exhibit at the 2004 Materials Congress hosted by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining at Carlton House Terrace, London, from 30th March to 1st April.

Faraday Plastics will be demonstrating the benefits of its academic and industrial affiliate schemes and will also be setting out its research and technology focus - including items on nanotechnology, energy-saving processing.

Although academic membership of Faraday Plastics involves a certain amount of time commitment, it is free of charge.

Faraday Plastics will use the platform of Materials Congress 2004 to attract this community into membership.

Two leading materials scientists recently joined the affiliate community - Dame Prof Julia Higgins, Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, also Chair of the EPSRC, and Prof Tom McLeish, Director of the Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) at Leeds - have recently become Faraday Plastics Affiliates.

Richard Simpson, Faraday Plastics Director, sees their membership as a clear recognition of the growing role of Faraday Plastics in bringing the academic knowledge base to the attention of the industrial community: "Both parties can only benefit from contact and interaction with each other.

The UK has world class resources in both research and exploitation and our role at Faraday Plastics is to enhance both activities by bringing them closer together".

Membership benefits include: collaboration with companies to form research teams; support in the preparation of research bids; help in identifying funding sources; and opportunities to exploit research outputs.

Benefits in the new nanotechnology-based polymers, low-energy processing techniques, and environmental polymers are now being shared through the Faraday Plastics network.

For industrial companies the affiliate scheme ensures that large and small plastics-based businesses are custom-served by Faraday Plastics with the information and market research that they need, as well as being introduced to the wealth of polymer ideas and research within the UK's university and academic infrastructure.

Linpac Automotive, Lucite International (owner of Perspex), Amcor Flexibles and Victrex are some of the sector's leading names already numbered among the Faraday Plastics affiliate members.

Richard Simpson, Faraday Plastics Director believes that for innovative plastics-based businesses, the affiliate scheme is the best single way to boost its R and D and to capitalise on this increase in Faraday Plastics activity.

"Our affiliate scheme is the basic point of entry for participating businesses.

For a very minimal outlay, companies can get connected to the best plastics-based research in their fields; save time and money in searching for solutions; and also get access to the best researchers, partners and technologies available".

The New Year saw the Faraday Plastics team of technology translators boosted to a total of eight individuals, many of whom will be in attendance at Materials Congress 2004.

These are the individuals who will help develop the UK's strengths and capabilities in plastics innovation.

Among other duties, the FP technology translation team will help to bridge the gap between the academic and business worlds of the UK plastics industry.

Simpson notes: "We are very pleased to be so far ahead in our recruitment tasks at Faraday Plastics and to have attracted such excellent candidates to the positions.

The technology translator job is a demanding and creative one.

It challenges our people to motivate the industry to create innovation for itself and in the marketplace.

I am very confident that our new Faraday Plastics team has the mettle to make this happen".

The approval of the new Faraday Plastics business plan - and funding for the next three years - gives companies renewed opportunity to attract plastics technology development funding.

Since Spring 2003 Faraday Plastics has produced several technology roadmaps for the plastics sector - on subjects such as low-energy processing, nanotechnology, plastics in healthcare, and others.

Faraday Plastics has also boosted its technology translator posts and is increasing its outreach work; matching companies to universities.

Faraday Plastics has also selected a number of priority areas for the next three years.

These are: energy; recycling and sustainability; nano and smart materials; healthcare and automotive applications.