Research
- Funding Sources
- Current Projects at the Institute of Food Research
- University & Other Sustainability Projects
- Research Councils
- Completed Projects
Funding Sources
WRAP Capital Grants
http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/funding/capital_grants/index.html
Defra Rural Development Programme
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe/index.htm
Defra - Current Research Competitions
http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/funding/competitions.htm
Department of Energy & Climate Change Bioenergy Capital Grant Scheme
http://www.bioenergycapitalgrants.org.uk
Carbon Trust Applied Research (currently closed - next call opens 22 June 2009)
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/technology/appliedresearch/
Carbon Trust - TTP Incubator
TTP [The Technology Partnership] plc runs one of the Carbon Trust’s incubators, dedicated to helping companies develop and build business on low carbon innovations. The Carbon Trust, a government funded organisation, aims to “make business sense of climate change” and has made funding available via TTP to support SMEs whose business plans and concepts pass the evaluation by TTP and CT. TTP is always open for SMEs who might be eligible for inclusion in the incubator programme and Bioscience for Business KTN would like to encourage those with low carbon business ideas based on biological processes.
For more information, please contact Meredith Lloyd-Evans of Bioscience for Business meredith.lloydevans@biosciencektn.com or Chris Hole of TTP chris.hole@ttp.com and visit http://www.ttpgroup.com/carbontrust/index.htm
Technology Strategy Board - Collaborative research & development
Grants for R&D
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/
FP7 calls
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm
Current Projects at the Institute of Food Research
Sustainability of the Food Chain - Platform Leader: Keith Waldron -
The following website provides information relating to the science platform "Sustainability in the food chain" which Keith Waldron heads, information available at: http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/science/exploitation/sustainability.htm
The purpose of the Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform is to initiate and exploit research relevant to environmental and economic sustainability of the food chain. This will focus on improving the effective exploitation of food-chain residues and co-products by developing a greater understanding of how to disassemble plant structures. http://www.ifr.ac.uk/SFC/
The Institute of Food Research (IFR) website also provides details on the current areas of research being undertaken at IFR: http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/science/index.htm
REPRO is an EU funded project coordinated by IFR which is investigating methods to enable the transformation of food-processing-derived plant-based organic waste into high and medium added value food, feed and pharmaceutical products”. About Repro -
REPRO: Food processors and producers are under increasing pressure to reduce their disposal of surplus co-products. Such residues are biologically complex, and if discarded as waste can often be environmentally unfriendly, and often microbiologically unstable.
Around 3.4 million tonnes of spent grain from the brewing industry and over 1 million tonnes of vegetable trimmings from the vegetable processing industry (Eurostat) are produced in the EU every year. Their improved exploitation will:
- Reduce the environmental impact of food waste (reducing landfill, lessening noxious residues and odours)
- Enhance the sustainable management of organic matter from food production and processing;
- Contribute to integrated resource and waste management
- Promote environmentally-friendly processing methods
- Increase industrial competitiveness
- Provide natural ingredients for the food and feed industries
- Contribute to food quality and safety
More inforamtion is available on the REPRO website: http://www.ifr.ac.uk/SFC/research/REPRO.html
IFR Selected Publications: IFR Science Publications web page: http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/search/publications.asp
University & Other Sustainability Projects/info:
Science and Development Network – The Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net) aims to provide reliable and authoritative information about science and technology for the developing world http://www.scidev.net/
eco-i net- Eco-i net, aims to support the creation, research, development and commercialisation of existing and new eco-innovative products, services and technologies working across the full innovation cycle. eco-i net will bring together inventors, researchers, entrepreneurs, designers, investors and companies through a series of events and an on-line community. eco-i net includes a unique back-office - Green Think!Lab - that provides a range of eco-innovation services with a particular focus on building technologies and low carbon solutions. eco-i net aims to work in partnership with regional, national and international organisations interested in eco-innovation. http://www.cfsd.org.uk/eco-i-net/
The Centre for Sustainable Design
- facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development. This is achieved through training, workshops, conferences, research, consultancy, publications, and the Internet. The Centre also acts as an information clearing house and a focus for innovative thinking on sustainable products and services. The Centre is an internationally recognised centre of excellence http://www.cfsd.org.uk/
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment
- a large collaborative effort representing the most extensive study
of the state of the world's ecosystems, analyzing the capacity of ecosystems
to provide goods and services important for human development
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.aspx
World Watch Institute
- dedicated to fostering the evolution of an environmentally sustainable society--one in which human needs are met in ways that do not threaten the health of the natural environment or the prospects of future generations http://www.worldwatch.org/
United Nations Environment Programme - Maps & Grids
- presents outputs from publications, projects and web-products that has been produced by the United Nations Environment Programme throughout the years including the popular Vital Graphics series of publications and GLOBIO human impact maps. http://maps.grida.no/
RESEARCH COUNCILS:
Engineering and Physical Research Council, more information relating to current research being undertaken can be found on the website at: - http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/default.htm
EPSRC Press Releases:
All-in-one cooker, generator & refrigerator that’s environmentally friendly" more information available at: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/AllInOneCookerGeneratorRefrigerator.htm
Why Maths Matters -Cutting Carbon Dioxide Emissions” - more information available at:: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/WhyMathsCuttingCarbonDioxide.htm
UKs top science stories (Newsline Update Issue 37) -features a special report on green technologies, more inforamtion available at: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/UKsTopScienceStoriesNewsline37.htm
Natural Environment Research Council
NERC funds world-class science in universities and own research centres that increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world. Tackling the 21st century's major environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards. Lead in providing independent research and training in the environmental sciences, more information available at:http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- the website provides more information on the science being funded by BBRSC. More information is available at: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/
Medical Research Council
- the website provides information on current medical research being undertaken, more information is available at:http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index.htm
Sustainable Development Research Network
More information is available at: http://www.sd-research.org.uk/
Engineering & Sustainable Development
Running for the three year duration of the third phase of SDRN, the Engineering and Sustainable Development workstream will consider how engineers and natural and social scientists can work together to put sustainable development into practice. http://www.sd-research.org.uk/post.php?p=23
The Spatial Planning and Development workstream aims to integrate the experience of planning practitioners with the sustainable development research community, to explore the means by which research and practical experience can influence one another and in turn contribute to the more meaningful formulation and implementation of policy. http://www.sd-research.org.uk/post.php?p=24
Business Resource Efficiency
Improving business resource efficiency is a vital element of the UK's sustainable development strategy. This workstream, which will begin in 2008, is designed to strengthen and develop SDRN's outreach and influence, in particular the networks engagement with implementing organisations. The work will contribute to a better understanding of the practical barriers to improving the whole life cycle environmental performance of goods, services and materials, including impacts outside the UK. http://www.sd-research.org.uk/post.php?p=13
SDRC Publications - http://www.sd-research.org.uk/publications.php
Engineering Department ASD - Energy Research Unit (ERU)
New and Renewable Energy Research at RAL:
The Energy Research Unit (ERU) specialises in performing and enabling innovative research on new and renewable energy technologies. The Unit, which was established over 20 years ago, has an international reputation in wind energy research covering a broad range of topics. More information is available on the website at: http://www.eng.rl.ac.uk/asd/eru/index.html
Completed Projects
"GRUB'S UP" - Recycling and upgrading wastes from food production for use within the food chain. The Coordination Action (CA) GRUB'S UP has gathered 23 partners from 11 countries including Israel to direct research into processes and technologies to recycle organic waste for value-added uses in the food chain, and encourage use of these processes and sustainable resource management in industry.
Abstract from the BioMat Net Website, relating to the "Grub's up" Project - Europe's fruit and vegetable industries generate about 30 million tonnes of waste a year. At present the main fate of this waste is to be landfilled, or used as a low quality compost or animal feed without segregation or significant treatment, wasting valuable nutrients and biomass. Fruit and vegetable waste have especially strong potential for being recycled and upgraded for use within the food chain, in products such as high value added food additives, composts and animal feeds. There has been a great deal of research into these applications, involving a wide variety of disciplines. However, partly because of this multidisciplinarity, the research has been poorly coordinated and too often projects have not led to commercialised products.
