Innovation UK > News > Innovation UK Vol4-1 > Leading positive change for global industry

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has played a central role in this growth, stimulating a more innovative, sustainable and competitive sector by reducing the risks associated with innovation, allowing businesses to take advantage of growing international demand.

Linked into industry and with the ability to select the best of academia, CPI uses its own facilities, comprising of development laboratories and pilotplants, to scale-up innovation right through to industrial application. Adopting a new model of market-led innovation; identifying industry requirements through collaborative rather than competitive partnerships with research and industry; CPI brings together market ?pull? from industry with technology ?push? from academia to translate scientific research into commercial reality.

This approach has already been highlighted by the government as a case study for best practice in its White Paper ?Innovation Nation?, published in March 2008 by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

The process industry can be best described as the manufacturing route in which chemical change has taken place and where material resources, natural and reused, are transformed into products that benefit society. CPI is in a strong position to become a national centre of international importance helping the process and manufacturing industry to continually innovate and evolve. It has proven to be a pre-eminent innovation partner for UK industry, collaborating with industry and internationally leading research universities to translate research and development expertise into new products and processes. Subsequently, CPI has become an international leader for innovation in four key technology areas that offer the most sustainable growth potential:

ADVANCED PROCESSES

CPI has unique capability in advanced processing, in both bio and chemo processing methods. Substantial investments in innovative process technologies has created a suite of ?plug and play? facilities offering both standard and novel solutions in chemical and physical processing. The National Industrial Biotechnology Facility (NIBF) delivers a full range of biotechnology manufacturing and marine biotechnology facilities, with mirrored development and pilot scale equipment enabling reliable scale-up trials.

PRINTABLE ELECTRONICS

Simultaneously, the centre manages and delivers PETEC, a national flagship centre which will open in October 2008. Playing a key role in driving the UK?s competitiveness in the field of printed electronics, the centre will de-risk industrial research and development within the printed electronics sector, and is the ideal facility for startups and larger manufacturing companies looking to get prototype production up and running.

LOW-CARBON ENERGY

To utilise the wide-ranging process industry expertise which exists within the region, CPI provides sustainable low-carbon energy solutions by exploiting the chemical energy contained in materials; developing new feed-stocks; providing improved conservation and resource efficiency; and delivering critical demonstrator projects and infrastructure.

FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

CPI?s work in this field brings together two national initiatives, NanoCentral® and Nano KTN, as well as incorporating a number of other projects, such as managing the Nanotechnologies Industries Association (NIA) and collaboration on the Atomic Layer Deposition with Newcastle University to support the growth of the industry.

The recent merger of CPI and the Centre of Excellence for Nano, Micro and Photonic Systems (Cenamps) earlier this year, reinforced the centre?s position as the lead driver for innovation in the UK. And with its extensive range of physical assets, a high calibre of scientists and an array of skilled expertise on its staff, CPI is in the best possible position to help industry continually innovate and keep up with the marketplace at a time of great change and opportunity.

For more information, contact:
CPI Head Office:
Wilton Centre
Wilton
Redcar TS10 4RF
Tel: +44 (0) 1642 455 340
E-mail:
Website: www.uk-cpi.com