CPI explains successes in first year

The Centre for Process Innovation has explained to the chemical and process industries this week how it surmounted product development obstacles to achieve successes in its first year of operation

A national Centre of Excellence, the Centre for Process Innovation, has been invited to explain to world leaders in chemical and process industries this week how it has surmounted product development obstacles to achieve multi-million pound successes in its first year of operation.

Nigel Perry, chief executive of the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), based at Tees Valley, spoke to the Seventh World Congress of Chemical Engineering at Glasgow, held between 12-14 July.

The Congress has attracted 2000 delegates from all corners of the world, including a Nobel Prize winner and high profile scientists, academics and business leaders.

The CPI unique public/private/university collaborative model, which centres on managing risk encouraging new product development in emerging technologies is the focus of Nigel Perry's presentation to the World Congress.

The Centre is involved in multi-million projects in each of its three platforms - functional materials, advanced processing and fuel cells - all initiated within its first year of operations.

Its risk sharing approach in which companies are encouraged to work alongside the appropriate university science base, with CPI contributing resource, skills and capability, has overcome some of the hurdles to product development faced by UK businesses and universities.

The CPI approach has already been commended by a team from HM Treasury led by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, days before he was appointed Cabinet Secretary.

The team commented that the CPI approach to risk-sharing, collaborative work across companies, public sector and universities was, to its knowledge, the only one of its kind in the country.

The World Congress, Europe's largest ever meeting of the process industry, has as its theme 'innovation and achievement'.

The central focus mirrors CPI's two main aims.

Nigel Perry said: "As sponsor and speaker at this key Congress, CPI is underlining the importance of the exchange of ideas at the highest level to bring about change and progress in the process industries.

Our way of working alongside all sectors is engaging industry and winning results for them and for us.

Universities are vital in providing research in science and technology, but they need an intermediary that can deliver in the process industry, and CPI successfully bridges that innovation gap.

CPI has grown more quickly than we envisaged when we set out 15 months ago, and its confidence and pace has developed significant momentum.

We have created an interlinking pyramid of platforms which work independently and jointly to deliver our vision of being the first choice for the process industry worldwide as innovation resource and partner in our chosen areas.".

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