Biomass-based energy processes are frequently cited as a great opportunity but also a risk because of their competition for productive arable land used for food production. Virgin crop biomass is much easier to use for energy production and for this reason is the basis of first generation biofuel production. Waste and mixed biomass sources are more difficult to process into usable fuel products, and the key research challenges therefore lie in developing technologies to provide second generation biofuels from these waste sources. The vision for the proposed research is to develop a synergy between biological (AD) and thermal (intermediate and fast pyrolysis) conversion processes in which the overall net energy yield from waste biomass can be improved, producing energy carriers that are both storable and transportable. These gains can be achieved as the thermal process allows access to lignin-bound components within the biomass which are otherwise unavailable for anaerobic biological conversion. In return, biological system can process the lower carbon chain molecules in pyrolysis oils and in the aqueous fraction to produce a fuel gas, thus improving the value of the liquid fuel fraction. The solid char also has potential for use as an energy carrier as well as other value-added uses. The vision includes proving that this hybrid approach can provide a sustainable and societally acceptable means of recovering value from the non-source segregated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW). This waste fraction currently poses the greatest challenge to the UK Government in terms of the requirement for diversion of organic materials generated by society, industry and commerce from landfill: whilst it also offers the potential to contribute significantly to renewable energy targets and to the offset of carbon emissions. This is proposal is therefore closely aligned to the aims of the SUPERGEN call 'Challenges in Bioenergy Technologies' and also to several areas within the RCUK research portfolio on energy, bioenergy and living with environmental change. At the heart of the project is a new thermal processing technology, intermediate pyrolysis, which can use feedstocks with higher water content than fast pyrolysis thus, increasing the potential for direct process integration with commercial AD plants. This technology is currently available for use in the project at a large pilot scale (up to 100 kg hour-1), ensuring that adequate quantities of material will be available for in-house use in AD trials at a scale allowing realistic estimation of energy balances. Plans are already in place for up-scaling of the pyrolysis side of the process through the construction of five demonstration plants around Europe within the next three years. Increasing the energy yield obtained from the initial feed stock (MSW) is vital, as future energy generation technologies will need to become more efficient compared to current technologies. Having localised energy generation systems (for example combined pyrolysis and AD) will reduce the transmission distance for electricity which will in turn reduce energy losses and reduce the UK reliance on foreign fuel supply. Focusing this project upon the utilisation of MSW will provide a possible use for the organic fraction of MSW and increase the UK's generation of sustainable energy. The proposed research is therefore ideally timed to develop bespoke AD solutions for the digestion of the different fractions produced from pyrolysis (oil phase, water phase, vapours and gaseous fractions), in order to optimise the energy yield obtained from a critically important waste feedstock. In addition the project will also address the range of social and regulatory factors that need to be better understood if this vision is to gain acceptance and deliver its perceived benefits.

The 'Action Programme on REsponsible Sourcing' (APRES) network will be a new community 'centre' for knowledge-sharing and dissemination of responsible sourcing practices in UK construction, forging new research ideas and relationships and providing guidance to the industry. Responsible sourcing (RS) is about taking a systematic approach to sustainability, i.e. by addressing a range of environmental, economic and social considerations. RS can be demonstrated by an organisation's procurement policy, via its purchasing decisions and practices, but to prove that such an 'ethical approach' is being taken, detailed information on the provenance of materials, products and services throughout the supply chain is needed. Integrating this within a broader framework of corporate sustainability has a direct and major effect on procurement, supply chain management, product manufacture and specification practices, but can also lead to innovation through new, low impact products or services. In the UK, the construction industry needs to reduce the sustainability impacts associated with the development of the built environment such as carbon emissions, water consumption and waste and in 2008, the government and industry set a series of targets, to help the UK become a world leader in sustainable construction. One of these is that, by 2012, 25% of products used in construction shall be from schemes recognised for 'responsible sourcing' (about 10bn, or 5% of the UK's manufacturing output per annum). However, few suitable products or standards exist, and the industry's level of understanding of responsible sourcing is currently low. For this reason, a coordinated, business and research response on responsible sourcing is needed urgently so that more companies are able to participate in this emerging market and a new base of knowledge and research is formed. APRES is an academic-industry collaboration to develop an action programme for responsible sourcing in UK construction. It will provide an open forum to explore in depth the challenges, map the industry's skills and knowledge needs, define academic research and development directions, and identify and disseminate outcomes and best practice widely. The APRES network will use a series of activities to increase the productive interaction between members, both academic and industrial; anyone with an interest in responsible sourcing will be able to join. Regular quarterly meetings with core members will direct the project programme while open events will be attended by a broader audience. An online industry survey will be followed by one-day workshops; presentations, audience voting sessions and facilitated activities will address key context, markets, and technology challenges. Discussion and validation of the findings will result in an authoritative visioning report on the future of responsible sourcing. A range of dissemination routes will be used throughout to promote the work of the network and recruit new members, including a dedicated website and regular presence at academic and industry events. The construction industry and its supply chain, related government and advisory bodies will benefit most from the activities, discussions and outputs from APRES, but wider benefits would also be evident in improved environmental and working conditions in the UK and abroad. In the long term, through the use of more responsible sourcing practices, the industry will also witness lower environmental impacts, gain better credibility for its operations and achieve greater competitiveness in the emergent market for 'green' or sustainable construction, up to and beyind 2012.

This proposal from Loughborough University outlines the case to renew the funding for the Industrial Doctorate Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering (CICE) as part of the Industrial Doctorate Centres call aginst the Towards Better Exploitation element of the EPSRC Delivery Plan. In partnership with an established industry base, CICE is delivering a high quality research and training programme that: meets the core technical and business needs of the construction industry; enhances its knowledge base; and produces high calibre doctoral graduates that can drive innovation. The Centre addresses a wide range of research issues that concern the UK construction industry including: Innovative Construction Technologies; Construction Business Processes; Advanced Information and Communication Technologies; Sustainable Design and Construction; and Transport and Infrastructure. Many of these areas have been highlighted in various reviews of the industry including the Latham Report, the Technology Foresight Report, the Egan Task Force Report, and more recently the National Technology Platform's research priorities. It also contributes to the EPSRC Delivery Plan as part of the knowledge transfer research and training activities. The research areas of the Centre align with the Engineering and Science for Sustainability research theme, as outlined in the EPSRC's Research Priorities and Opportunities, and fall under the 'Construction and the Built Environment' and 'Transport' sub-themes. Within the Construction and Built Environment, the Centre builds on existing strengths in the Department of Civil and Building Engineering established as part of the Engineering Doctorate Centre and other related industry based research to address some of the EPSRC research priorities to improve efficiency across the supply chain, including: encouraging the uptake of ICT to promote efficiency; improving building performance to minimise impacts on the environment ; and the analysis and design of civil engineering structures . Within the Transport area Sustainability and Innovation are key themes of the research that centres on transport operation and management, transport telematics, and minimising energy use and environmental impact . The Engineering Doctorate Centre (CICE) was established in 1999 and has subsequently recruited a total of 94 research engineers sponsored by a total of 63 large, medium and small companies. Loughborough University is a research intensive institution, which integrates its research and teaching activity at every opportunity to provide a top quality research led learning experience for all its students. The Department of Civil and Building Engineering has consistently achieved high research rating in the RAE assessments and the last RAE results were 5* in Built Environment. The Engineering Doctorate is part of Loughborough University's excellent doctoral research training programme, which in addition to supporting the pursuit of a particular project aims to provide a basic professional training to support the research and offer personal development opportunities. The training programme integrates taught and research elements tailored to suit the needs of the research engineer, project, and the sponsoring company while maintaining the expected quality of the academic standards required for a doctoral study. The Centre is managed by the Director, Prof. Dino Bouchlaghem supported by a Deputy Director, a Centre Manager and an Administrator. A Centre Management Board consisting of the Director, Deputy Director, and Industrial Representatives meets twice a year and is chaired by a senior industrialist from one of the sponsoring companies, oversees the work of the Centre and provides direction and guidance on strategic matters. This proposal has the full support of the University and has been subject to an internal review process to ensure synergy with the University's Research Strategy.

Modernising the UK's health and social care system is a priority for government and for the country as a whole. To do this, wide ranging organisational and funding reforms are being put in place. An unprecedented investment to renew the built and technical infrastructure for delivering care is also underway: new hospitals and primary care centres are being built, information and communication technology is being upgraded and new technologies for diagnosing and treating disease are being introduced. If world-class infrastructure is to be delivered, this investment must achieve its full potential. The aim of HaCIRIC is to establish a new research centre to help accomplish this. HaCIRIC's focus is on the built and technical infrastructure for health and social care, and the interaction between infrastructure specification and the way patients are treated. Improving the way this is planned, delivered and managed is at the core of HaCIRIC's activity. What are the challenges? The health and social care system is one of the most complex and rapidly changing organisational and technical environments in any sector of the economy. Many stakeholders are involved in delivering care, funding mechanisms are convoluted, and patterns of demand and use are changing, as are government health policies. All this places new pressures on the underlying infrastructure. These are compounded by two problems. First, there is an historic legacy of out-dated buildings and cultures within the care system. Second, the life cycles of the various elements of the infrastructure / buildings, medical and information technology / are mismatched. Each involves complex supply chains, multiple users with their own needs and differing institutional and funding arrangements. All these have to be reconciled. For example, the current PFI programme for new hospitals involves supply contracts for thirty years or more, but incorporates technologies which have five year life cycles to help deliver diagnostics and therapies which are undergoing rapid evolutionary change. Modernising the health and social care infrastructure will therefore require innovative approaches. HaCIRIC will help develop the tools and processes which will embed 'innovation as normal business' amongst those responsible for delivering the investment in infrastructure. Its research programme has been developed in partnership with all the key stakeholders from the care system, including the Department of Health, the NHS, the Department of Trade and Industry and the supply industries. Seven research themes have been identified:- Managing innovation in a context of technological change- Procurement for innovation- Innovative design and construction- Care delivery practices- Delivering improved performance through operations management- Knowledge management in complex systems - Design and evaluation of integrated systems HaCIRIC is a collaboration between existing research centres at Imperial College London and the Universities of Loughborough, Reading and Salford. Additional partners from other universities, industry and the care system will be involved in specific research projects. Together this represents a resource valued at more than 11m, of which 7.0m consists of EPSRC support, 2.9m is from the four existing research centres, 500,000 is from the Department of Trade and Industry and 720,000 is from industrial partners. HaCIRIC will therefore represent a substantial resource and a unique capability in skills and knowledge to find solutions to the key healthcare infrastructure problems of the 21st century.

The Cranfield IMRC vision is to grow the existing world class research activity through the development and interaction between:Manufacturing Technologies and Product/Service Systems that move UK manufacturing up the value chain to provide high added value manufacturing business opportunities.This research vision builds on the existing strengths and expertise at Cranfield and is complementary to the activities at other IMRCs. It represents a unique combination of manufacturing research skills and resource that will address key aspects of the UK's future manufacturing needs. The research is multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral and is designed to promote knowledge transfer between sectors. To realise this vision the Cranfield IMRC has two interdependent strategic aims which will be pursued simultaneously:1.To produce world/beating process and product technologies in the areas of precision engineering and materials processing.2.To enable the creation and exploitation of these technologies within the context of service/based competitive strategies.