The University of Birmingham’s world-leading Centre for Formulation Engineering has gained further recognition after being selected for a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. The Prizes form part of the national honours system and are the most prestigious honour that can be awarded to UK universities or colleges. The Prizes are given to institutions that make an outstanding contribution to the intellectual, economic, cultural, and social life of the nation.
The University of Birmingham has been selected for this major prize in recognition of its pioneering research in micro-structured materials and outstanding track record in collaborative research and training with UK and multinational companies involved in process engineering. Key industrial partners in this work include Cadbury/Kraft, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Johnson Matthey.
Formulation engineering involves the development and manufacture of products with a complex microscopic structure such as paints, detergents, pharmaceuticals and foods, including chocolate. The microstructure is critical in controlling product function - such as taste and flavour in foods, the activity of catalysts, or the delivery of cleaning chemicals in washing machines. The University’s researchers work with industrial sponsors to assess all aspects of the product life-cycle from look and feel and how stable it is in different environments, through to disposal and recycling.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Professor David Eastwood, said: "We are tremendously proud to have been recognised in the Queen's Anniversary Prize for the work we do to connect our internationally- acclaimed academic research with business and industry. The quality, breadth, and scale of our research has allowed us to achieve significant industrial impact across a broad range of sectors and kept us at the forefront of formulation engineering over the last decade, a position which we will maintain and strengthen into the future.”
Professor Peter Fryer, Head of the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, added: “Many of the products we work with fall into the category of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs), where product innovation is especially rapid and consumer-focused. Some products, such as chocolate, have long been manufactured using established technologies whose science has been poorly understood; by understanding the science and engineering of a process or product, the formulation engineer can identify how to improve either the manufacturing or the product itself. For instance, knowing what makes butter attractive in the mouth can then inform the development of lower-fat but tasty alternatives.”
This is the second time that the University has been awarded the Prize.