Formulation Special Interest Group

21 Sept 2012

Successful exploitation of the science and technology of product formulation is an essential driver of commercial success for companies in industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, detergents, agrochemicals, lubricants, coatings and adhesives.

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The recently launched Formulation Special Interest Group (SIG) represents a major opportunity for companies to enhance their prospects for success in R&D and innovation responding to increasing sustainability challenges and getting better formulated products to market faster. The Formulation SIG has been established by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, in recognition of the strategic importance of formulation across the country’s chemistry-using industries as formulation is seen as an area with significant potential for growth in high value manufacturing sectors.

The Formulation SIG has been tasked to work with companies in all relevant industries in the UK supply chain for formulation. The SIG will establish the opportunities, challenges and needs of those companies and recommend measures so that companies investing in R&D and innovation in formulation can benefit from public co-investment from the Technology Strategy Board. This will be used to catalyse and enhance the investment made by private sector companies. •The key SIG objectives for 2012/2013 are: •To accelerate the delivery of a national Centre for access by the formulation community, led by industry and tasked with promoting and supporting innovation. •To provide support to enable the creation and delivery of collaborative commercial R&D projects in the area of formulation •This will have a particular emphasis on cross-sector, supply chain and SME engagement

•To capture and communicate broader industry needs and recommendations including: •Needs and gaps in science, technology and engineering – focused on resources and facilities plus a potential TSB Collaborative R&D call •Skills and training in formulation

•To establish a critical mass of key stakeholders, particularly an industry leadership group, which endorses, guides and owns an overarching national Action Plan for UK Formulation’.

To join the Formulation SIG and gain access to the slide pack with much more detail as well as notice of activities please visit the website.

The SIG needs input and guidance, particularly from industrialists involved in formulation and we would be very grateful if you would contribute your ideas to the work. Initially please fill out the questionnaire below and send to hilda.​coulsey@​ciktn.​co.​uk by end of September. Subsequently there will be various workshops to detail the concepts into a set of activities, projects and a business plan and we would like you to be involved.

Please note that this is likely to be the main chance in the near future to help steer UK investment in formulation.

Questionnaire

To maximize the economic performance of businesses involved in innovative formulated product development, process manufacture and use:

  1. Where are the gaps and opportunities? Address some or all of the areas of science and technology challenges, facilities and equipment, skills and training, major pre-competitive projects, supply chain collaborations or others. Think of a time horizon of up to 15 years.

  2. What do we have in UK that could be built upon or made more accessible?

  3. What would make radical, game changing breakthroughs?

  4. Give your top 3 topics for a centre to tackle
CPI is your innovation partner to make your ideas a reality.