Sustainable energy and materials, such as coatings and catalysts, are one step closer now that the collaborating parties in the Advanced Research Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium (ARC CBBC) will continue their collaboration to make the chemical industry more sustainable over the next five years. AkzoNobel, BASF and Shell, together with the universities of Eindhoven, Groningen and Utrecht, invest in developing a large international ecosystem in the field of research and development of green chemistry. From the start, after its start in 2016, the consortium has been supported by NWO and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. As an open ecosystem, more cooperation is sought with other parties at home and abroad.
ARC CBBC connects the top of chemical science in our country directly with the researchers of the affiliated companies and vice versa. Not only the research facilities of the universities are used, but those of the companies involved are also available for this purpose. ARC CBBC thus proves itself to be a partnership with enormous potential in the field of sustainability.
Breakthroughs
Over the past five years, the research has already led to breakthroughs in the field of energy, materials and raw materials transition. Examples of this are smart processes for CO2 conversion and the use of biomass to make existing and new materials, such as coatings.
In the past period, joint investments have been made in a unique research infrastructure in the Netherlands that also stands out internationally. More than 59 top researchers are now working on greening chemistry within this program, with room for another 21 research positions. This has already resulted in several patent applications and numerous publications in leading scientific journals.
Collaborate in an open ecosystem
Nobel Prize winner Ben Feringa, Spinoza Prize winner Bert Weckhuysen and top scientists such as Hans Kuipers were at the foundation of the consortium. From the business community, Shell, AkzoNobel and BASF have committed themselves to this important initiative with a shared ambition from the start. According to the companies, long-term cooperation is of decisive importance for a solution that really contributes to the Dutch and European sustainability goals. ARC CBBC is looking for partners who want to strengthen the research program in order to increase its impact nationally and internationally.
Scientific director Bert Weckhuysen: “We are proud of the results achieved so far and happy that the partners have committed to another five years. Only together will we make a difference. We are already noticing this. We are focusing energetically on the next five years, in which we want to invest further to become the best-in-class science infrastructure in Europe with an important pioneering role in the field of greening and circularity. As an open partnership, we seek even more cooperation with other parties.”
Evaluation
This year the consortium was evaluated by an independent committee established by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This has once again underlined the potential of ARC CBBC and its great importance in a report. According to the committee, “the unique lab infrastructure, the intensive collaboration between scientists and industry, the top scientists, the talent program for young researchers and the design of the multilateral research programs are core elements for innovation in the field of green chemistry.”
Source: arc-cbbc.nl
Photo: ARC CBBC
