Chitosan is a polymer that is currently made from crab and shrimp shells. It has interesting properties as a structurant for food and personal care products, but obtaining large quantities of pure material in a sustainable way is difficult. The aim of this collaboration is to genetically-engineer a bacteria to produce large quantities of relatively pure chitosan in fermenters. Not only would this provide the polymer from a non-animal source, it would also be free of the contaminants that can currently cause an allergic reaction unless removed, and would provide material from a sustainable source. Producing various types of chitosan via industrial fermentation using simple feedstocks would overcome the problems of sustainable and ethical production from crustaceans.

This user-need CDT will equip graduates with the skills needed by the UK formulation industry to manufacture the next generation of formulated products at net zero, addressing the decarbonisation needs for the sector and aligning with this EPSRC priority. Formulated products, including foods, battery electrodes, pharmaceuticals, paints, catalysts, structured ceramics, thin films and coatings, cosmetics, detergents and agrochemicals, are central to UK prosperity (sector size > £95bn GVA in 2021) and Formulation Engineering is concerned with the design and manufacture of these products whose effectiveness is determined by the microstructure of the material. Containing complex soft materials: structured solids, soft solids or structured liquids, whose nano- to micro-scale physical and chemical structures are highly process dependent and critical to product function, their manufacture poses common challenges across different industry sectors. Moving towards Net Zero manufacture thus needs systems thinking underpinned by interdisciplinary understanding of chemistry, processing and materials science pioneered by the CDT for Formulation Engineering at the University of Birmingham over the past twenty years, with a proven delivery of industrial impact evidenced by our partner's letters of support and three Impact Case Studies ranked at 4* in the recent Research Excellence Framework in 2021. A new CDT strategy has been co-created with our industry partners, where we address new user-led research challenges through our theme of Formulation for Net Zero ('FFN0), articulated in two research areas: 'Manufacturing Net Zero (MN0)', and 'Towards 4.0rmulation'. Formulation engineering is not taught in first degree courses, so training is needed to develop the future leaders in this area. This was the industry need that led to the creation of the CDT in Formulation Engineering, based within the School of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham. The CDT leads the field: we won for the University one of the 2011 Diamond Jubilee Queen's Anniversary Prizes, demonstrating the highest national excellence. The UK is a world-leader in Formulation; many multinational formulation companies base research and manufacture in the UK, and the supply of trained graduates, and open innovation research partnerships facilitated by the CDT are critical to their success. The CDT receives significant industry funding (>£650k pa), supported by 31 industry partners including multinationals: P&G, Colgate, Unilever, Diageo, Devro, Fonterra, Samworth Bros., Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Nestle, Pepsico, Mondelez, GSK, AZ, Lonza, Novartis, BMS, BASF, Celanese, Croda, Innospec, Linde/BOC, Origen, Imerys, Johnson Matthey, Rolls-Royce/HTRC, JLR Lucideon and SMEs: Aquapak, CALGAVIN and ITS/StreamSensing. Intra and cross cohort training is central to our strategy, through our taught programme and twice-yearly internal conferences, industry partner-led regional research meetings, student-led technical and soft skills workshops and social events and inter CDT meetings. We have embedded diversity and inclusion into all of our projects and processes, including blind CV recruitment. Since 2018 our cohorts have been > 50% female and >35% BAME. We will co-create training and research partnerships with other CDTs, Catapult Centres, and industry, and train at least 50 EngD and PhD graduates with the skills needed to enhance the UK's leading international position in this critical area. The taught programme delivers a common foundation in formulation engineering, specialist technical training, modules on business, entrepreneurship and soft skills including a course in Responsible Research in Formulation. We have obtained promises of significant industry and University funding, with 67 offers of projects already. EPSRC costs will be 44% of the cash total for the CDT, and ca. £27% of the whole cost when industry in-kind funding is included.

Process planning and scheduling problems are becoming increasingly complex due to the expanding production and customer base around the globe. A decision maker is continuously faced with the challenge to optimise the production plans and reduce costs under uncertainty. The uncertainty can be attributed to factors including volatile customer demands, variations in the process performance, fluctuations in socio-economics around the locations of the production plants, etc. Another complicating issue is the time-scale at which the decisions have to be taken and implemented. Not being able to effectively take these issues into account can lead to increased costs, customer dissatisfaction, loss of competitive edge and eventually shutting down of the manufacturing bases. This project aims to develop planning and scheduling tools for optimal decision-making under uncertainty while taking into account the multiple time-scales. Each process planning and scheduling problem is unique and hence one modelling and model solution tool cannot address the peculiarities of each problem. A framework where uncertainties are classified into specific categories is the key to providing cutting-edge optimal solutions. So, a problem will have a number of uncertainties which will be classified based upon our proposed framework and then for each classification the appropriate solution methodology will be invoked. A hybrid uncertainty modelling and optimisation tool that exploits the synergies of the solution techniques for various classes of uncertainty will also be developed. The novel planning and scheduling tools developed in this project will be tested on real-life case studies from process industries from a wide variety of sectors including energy systems, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, oil & gas, and industrial gases. Optimal planning and scheduling solutions based upon personalised uncertainty will be obtained.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at www.rcuk.ac.uk/StudentshipTerminology. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

Historically, animal testing has been used to support risk assessment related to cosmetic ingredients. However, in recent years, there has been a continuous drive to reduce the level of animal testing undertaken to support risk assessments for new cosmetic products, and a move towards a mechanistic understanding of human toxicology (incorporating exposure-based risk assessment). Consequently, the development of non-animal models for predicting the safety of new chemicals is necessary to generate data leading to increased confidence in predictions of in vivo scenarios. The model used by Unilever to assess dermal bioavailability utilises skin (from elective cosmetic surgery procedures) in diffusion cells, and the permeation of a test item through the skin is monitored over time. While this has proved to be an adequate model, little is known regarding chemical clearance via dermal capillaries. The proposed capillary bed bioreactor (CBB) better replicates the in vivo environment of the skin and its blood supply by providing a bed of pseudovascularisation in the form of hollow fibre membranes.