Huddersfield, England: 25 January 2010 – a collaborative network that aims to put the Yorkshire and Humber region at the forefront of the development of product formulations to improve everyday products is being launched in Leeds.
Formulations are the basis for countless products used by consumers and industries. Formulated products include creams, lotions, tablets and substances used across a range of sectors including: personal care and cosmetics, household products, pharmaceuticals, food, crop protection, textile manufacture, paint and adhesives.
In effect, the formulation is a recipe; combining ingredients in a specific way and processing them to produce the desired end product.
The Formulation Innovation Network plans to involve formulating companies, universities, ingredient manufacturers, suppliers and different industry sectors in the development of a centre of excellence for product formulations. The aim is to accelerate formulation development and enable manufacturers who are bringing new products to market to do so more quickly.
Innovative new formulations and formulating technologies could also improve process time, saving both money and energy, or could enable one chemical to carry out a role that previously required two, reducing the overall chemical burden on products downstream.
Jim Bullock, CEO of Intelligent Formulation Ltd, and Director of the Formulation Innovation Network, says: “Formulations are vital to everything we do and nearly every product we use, but because Formulation is not recognised as a discipline it itself, each industry has built up its own expertise. Our role is to facilitate research and knowledge transfer to accelerate innovation across industry sectors and to address future opportunities”.
“Companies are also telling us that there is a gap between some aspects of academic training and industry practice. We want to address this and turn formulation into a coherent discipline.”
The Formulation Innovation Network is supported with funding from Yorkshire Forward and the European Union through the 2007-2013 Yorkshire and Humber European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme which is investing over £500 million in the region to create jobs and increase competitiveness. The Network has a specific remit to assist SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises).
Jim Farmery, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward, said: “The Formulations market plays such a key role in the development of so many everyday products and it is vital that the region is in a position to capitalise on one of strongest industries”.
“Providing a forum for Formulations-related knowledge transfer and innovative product and process development will drive the sector forward and place Yorkshire and Humber at the forefront of the Formulations industry.”
The Formulation Innovation Network is hosted by Intelligent Formulation Ltd, a new not-for-profit company formed with the backing of Yorkshire Chemical Focus in Huddersfield, the Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation in Bradford and ParticlesCIC in Leeds.
It is anticipated that the Network will hold six open events a year with more regular meetings for small, focussed groups addressing specific issues. There will also be an education and training programme.
The Formulation Innovation Network launch is on Tuesday, 2 February 2010 at the University of Leeds. Anyone wishing to attend should call Lisa Buck on 01484 554104 or email lisa@ycf.org.uk
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Intelligent Formulation Ltd is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee which has been set up by Yorkshire Chemical Focus Ltd, the Institute for Pharmaceutical Innovation and ParticlesCIC with the primary initial objective of delivering the new Formulation Innovation Network. For further information on Intelligent Formulation Ltd please contact Jim Bullock by e-mail jim.bullock@intelligentformulation.org or on 07885 704402.
Yorkshire and The Humber ERDF Programme 2007-2013
The regional ERDF Programme, approved in December 2007 was launched in February 2008.
The programme is managed by Yorkshire Forward on behalf of a regional partnership including the National Government, European Commission and Regional bodies.
The programme provides €583 million from the European Regional Development Fund to invest in the region by 2013 with €271m for South Yorkshire and €312m for the rest of the region. South Yorkshire has extra resources to help with its transition from its earlier Objective 1 status.
The European Regional Development Fund is one of the European Union’s major financial instruments for supporting regional economic development across Europe. It is provided to support the European Union’s cohesion policy that seeks to redress imbalances in development between regions. It is used to support projects that can help local economies address the challenges of globalisation and contribute to delivering Europe’s Lisbon Strategy of growth and jobs.
Further information about the ERDF Programme in Yorkshire and The Humber is available at www.yorkshire-forward.com/erdf
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) was set up in 1975 to stimulate economic development in less prosperous regions of the European Union (EU) and to act as a significant instrument with which the EU can support its Cohesion Policy.
As EU membership has grown, ERDF has developed into a major instrument for helping to redress regional imbalances. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) manages ERDF in England.
Between 2007 and 2013, England benefits from an investment of €3.2 billion (approx £2.5 bn) of ERDF. It is delivered by regional programmes in each English region, managed by the Regional Development Agency. England also receives €177 million ERDF for two national cross-border co-operation programmes with France, Flanders and the Netherlands and another €193.8 million is available to the United Kingdom for participating in three trans-national co-operation programmes across the North West Europe, North Sea and Atlantic areas.
ERDF is directed at projects offering substantial benefits which meet the needs of an area and would not take place without a grant. It is used to provide help towards the project costs with grants set at a minimum level required to allow the project to go ahead. As a general rule, however, the EU contributes no more than 50% of the eligible cost with the rest of the funding, known as ‘match funding’ coming from other public sources.
Information about the European Union’s support for regions policy is available at www.ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm
For ERDF Press enquiries please contact:
Richard Holmes
ERDF Communications Manager
Yorkshire Forward
01709 766485
07870 525950
