Overview

How can we better connect academic research with industrial application and commercialisation?

How can we forge closer relationships to unlock the full potential of collaborative innovation?

A commonly cited challenge in chemical engineering research and innovation is the “disconnect” between academic research and industrial application. But is this really the case? And if so, what can we do about it?

Join the newly formed Research and Innovation Special Interest Group for a dynamic webinar exploring these questions and exploring the challenges, opportunities, and success stories of collaboration between academia and industry. This session will feature three expert speakers offering insights from academia, an independent technology innovation centre, and industry. The presentations will be followed by a live panel discussion, giving you the chance to pose questions and contribute to the conversation.

What to Expect:

• Perspectives from leading academics and industry innovators.
• What’s worked - and what hasn’t’.
• Real-world examples of successful partnerships.
• Discussion on funding, knowledge exchange, and technology transfer.
• Live Q&A with the panel.

Whether you're an academic, industrial practitioner, or simply have an interest in the subject matter, this session offers valuable perspectives and practical takeaways to help bridge the gap and unlock the full potential of collaborative innovation.

Speakers

Michael Kofoed, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

Michael is an associate professor and research group leader at the department of biological and chemical engineering, Aarhus University. He holds a PhD in microbiology and has worked throughout his career on the development and testing of new technologies, ranging from lab-scale to large-scale applications.

Michael has also worked as a consultant and project manager, collaborating with a wide range of companies in industrial microbiology, biotechnology, and engineering. As leader of the Microbial Conversion Technologies research group, he currently works with industrial partners across microbiology, chemistry, and engineering, with a particular focus on Power-to-X and CO₂ capture and utilisation.

Peter Vale, Carbon and Circular Economy Architect, Severn Trent

Pete is the carbon and circular economy architect in Severn Trent’s Innovation Team. He has a degree in environmental science from the University of Sheffield and a master’s degree in water and wastewater engineering from Cranfield University.

Pete has worked in R&D and innovation in the water industry for 25 years and has played a key role in developing and implementing Severn Trent’s wastewater treatment strategy. He regularly works with a wide range of academic partners to translate low TRL concepts into high TRL industrial reality. Over the past decade he has worked on nutrient removal and recovery processes, removal of emerging contaminants and low energy processes some of which have now been implemented at full scale.

His current area of focus is on technologies that will deliver low carbon, low energy, resource recovery treatment processes that will help Severn Trent deliver on its commitment to be net zero carbon emitters by 2030. He was the architect of Severn Trent’s ‘Net Zero Hub’ a ground breaking project utilising novel technologies to monitor and mitigate process emissions from a large urban wastewater treatment plant (The Chemical Engineer: Wastewater Breakthrough).

Kris Wadrop, Managing Director - Materials, Centre for Process Innovation 

As managing director of Materials, Kris provides leadership to the materials business within CPI. Materials is a very broad market topic, from CPI’s perspective Materials means anything and everything from sustainable chemicals and formulations to battery components, biopesticides and biostimulants, polymers for packaging and the alternative proteins and novel foods that could be packed in them. All these market applications support the UK’s target of NetZero by 2050 and will be the primary component of the products we use daily in the coming decade.

Kris has executive accountability for two of CPI’s operating sites, at Wilton, Redcar and the Coxon Building, NetPark, Sedgefield. Working closely with Alex Smith and Tony Jackson, who lead the teams at these sites. Kris drives the development and execution of the company strategy in the material market segments. CPI also has close working relationships with the regional authorities in the Tees Valley, Liverpool and Manchester where the Materials team are delivering elements of the national industrial strategy.

Kris joined CPI in 2015 as Technical Programme Director developing the Biotechnology strategy for CPI and securing long term partnerships with customers; Kris became the Director of Biotechnology in 2016 from which time he has helped shape the National Strategy to a sustainable and prosperous future for UK manufacturing. Kris joined the CPI Executive Leadership Team in 2020 helping steer the company through the COVID pandemic.

Kris started his career as a graduate Chemical Engineer in ICI at the Wilton Site. Over his 12 years with ICI Kris’ focus was on engineering design and operation of esterification and alkoxylation batch plants for the Surfactants and Chemicals business that later became Uniqema and was sold to Croda in 2006. Kris was fortunate enough to support ICI’s operating base throughout Europe and South East Asia and spent 2 years as Plant Manager at the Atlas Point Site in the USA.

Between ICI and joining CPI Kris spent almost a decade working in SME’s, learning how to develop business plans, raise finance and deliver extraordinary results on a shoe-string budget. It was during this time that Kris pivoted from petrochemicals to biotechnology. With the publication of the UK Modern Industrial Strategy Kris is working closely with several organisations to deliver a future for chemical manufacturing in the UK leveraging the best of the chemistry and biology toolkits we have available.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Research and Innovation Special Interest Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

11:30–13:00 BST.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. We recommend downloading the app from the Microsoft website, rather than using the web portal