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Green Chemistry at York is Centre of Excellence

Posted on 3 July 2006

The Green Chemistry Group at the University of York is being re-branded a 'Centre of Excellence' in recognition of its ground-breaking work in developing new cleaner chemical processes to replace environmentally unacceptable methods.

The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, part of the University's Department of Chemistry, will continue its collaboration with the University of Leeds and the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton, to build on their well-established reputation for working with industry to help to promote and implement clean and sustainable chemical solutions.

The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence facilitates the development of efficient and environmentally sound supply chains for important chemical and related products

Professor James Clark

The Green Chemistry Group, which was established in 1998, has a proven record of intellectual property (IP) generation and knowledge transfer. Since 2003, it has worked with the commercial sector through regional development agency Yorkshire Forward's Centres of Industrial Collaboration programme, resulting in over £2.5m of income. This includes projects with more than 30 companies.

Yorkshire Forward and the Green Chemistry Centre will continue to work together to promote the cause of innovation in the region.

Professor James Clark, who heads the Green Chemistry Group, added: "The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence facilitates the development of efficient and environmentally sound supply chains for important chemical and related products. We shall continue to co-operate with business partners in all key chemical user sectors to further develop this important work."

Sectors that could benefit include personal care and household products, materials, pharmaceuticals and biofuels as well as new technology providers; suppliers of renewable feedstocks; chemicals, materials and energy producers; retailers and waste companies.

Notes to editors:

  • The Department of Chemistry at the University of York has an excellent reputation for teaching and research. In the last Research Assessment Exercise the department was awarded a 5 rating. It is led by Royal Society of Chemistry prize-winners in all three branches of physical, organic and inorganic chemistry. It has 46 members of academic staff, more than 380 undergraduate students, 150 graduates and 90 research fellows.
  • The Yorkshire Forward Centres of Industrial Collaboration are a network of business-facing centres located in universities across the Yorkshire and Humber region. Each CIC aims to provide regional industry with professional, business-friendly access to leading-edge expertise and state-of-the-art facilities. The CICs receive funding from Yorkshire Forward for their first three years of operation, but, after that initial period, they aim to become self-sustaining through the generation of profitable income through commercial contracts. The CIC programme continues, and to date the CICs have worked on more than 1200 projects with business, grossed more than £32m of income and created or safeguarded 450 jobs in its third year of operation.

Contact details

David Garner
Senior Press Officer

Tel: +44 (0)1904 322153