📋 Tender Overview
Funded Value6240938Funded PeriodApr 19 - Sep 27FunderEPSRCProject StatusActiveProject CategoryTraining GrantProject ReferenceEPS0238281The OxICFM CDT centred in Oxford Universitys Department of Chemistry and involving eight key industrial stakeholders two STFC national facilities and faculty from Oxford Materials Physics and Engineering seeks to address a UK-wide need for the training of doctoral scientists in the synthesis of inorganic materials relevant to the future prosperity of the manufacturing sector. Chemical synthesis is a key enabling scientific discipline that allows humanity to maintain and improve its quality of life. Within the UK the EPSRCs own data show that the chemicalchemistry-using sectors contributed a total of 258B in value-added in 2007 21 of UK GDP and supported over 6 million UK jobs. Manufacturing processes and future materials are highlighted as key technologies in the recent UK Industrial Strategy green paper and the long-term skills demand for scientists to develop new materials and nanotechnology was highlighted in the UK Governments 2013 Foresight report. The EPSRCs prioritisation in the area is highlighted by among other things the recent Future Manufacturing Hubs call. Future advances in societally critical areas such as petrochemical utilisation battery technologies semiconductors smart materials catalysts for chemical manufacturing carbon capture solar conversion and water supplyagro-chemicals are all underpinned by the ability to design and make chemical compounds and materials - to order - with custom designed properties. As an example many technological developments in the last 30 years would not have been possible without Goodenoughs fundamental work carried out in Oxford leading to the development of cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries - and ultimately to a 30B global industry currently growing at 10 per annum. We will exploit the uniquely broad range of excellence innovation and multi-disciplinarity offered at Oxford by a critical mass of world-class researchers in this area 40 faculty to deliver a rigrous challenging and relevant CDT programme in what is an under-represented area of graduate training. We believe that such a programme is not only timely and complementary to existing EPSRC CDT provision but will address the national need for resilience growth and innovation in key manufacturing sectors.The art and craft of inorganic synthesis as applied to manufacturing is necessarily extremely diverse. OxICFM will exploit a cohort model allied to training incorporating faculty- industry- and peer-led components to deliver scientists i with a broad spectrum training across the interface between inorganic synthesis and manufacturing and ii with in-depth expertise in one specific stream molecular nano-scale or extended materials. This model is driven by a strong end-user pull including a desire expressed on
