Chemicals High Level Group stresses innovation

The European Commission's High Level Group on the Competitiveness of the European Chemicals Industry met last week to review progress after several years of industry/Commission meetings and reports. Innovation is still high on the agenda, as reported by Nigel Davis of ICIS in his latest analysis of the HLG process. 
The latest meeting also received coverage from fellow bloggers at SusChem, the joint Commission/industry platform for sustainable chemistry.
Georgio Squinzi (left), Cefic president, spoke at the meeting, noting that: "The High Level Group report provided us in 2009 with a strategic agenda and Cefic has drawn up a roadmap for implementation, involving its entire membership. A significant number of actions have already been taken on the recommendations falling within our responsibility.
The recommendations from the High Level Group were drawn up two years ago and whilst they remain valid, we need to step up a gear. Time is working against us!

EU cuts FP7 red tape

The European Commission has adopted measures to make participation in the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) easier and more attactive, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Which is to be applauded.

The chemical industry has long grappled with extracting funding from this huge but bureaucratic public initiative, but until the creation of the SusChem, the EU's Technology Platform or Sustainable Chemistry, did not have much luck.

Announcing the cuts in red tape, research, innovation and science commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn said the move was only the first step. There will, she said, be more radical simplifications in the successor programme to FP7.  You can read more on the SusChem blog. And the full details are here on the European Commission website

SusChem head reveals aims

SusChem, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry, continues to evolve as a force to stimulate innovation in chemicals and biotechnology in Europe. It was good to see its new chairman Paul-Joel Derian from French speciality chemical company Rhodia championing its efforts in an interview published by International Innovation.



Paul-Joel Derian now heads up
SusChem - Photo: Research Media

Derian, who succeeded Professor Rodney Townsend of the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry in the SusChem chair last year, outlined his ambitions for SusChem, a joint initiative of Cefic and EuropaBio with backing from European Commission.
Says Derian: "SusChem’s number one motivation is to trigger mindset change as well as demonstrate the value of chemistry through concrete projects. If we consider the need to speed up innovation in response to societal challenges such as global warming, water and energy consumption, then the chemical industry clearly stands out – not just as a big part of the sustainability challenge but definitely at its roots, since it provides key innovations for so many sectors."