The University of Bradford’s Centre for Pharmaceutical Engineering Science (CPES) has secured funding from the Yorkshire Innovation Fund (YIF) for a new two-year strategic intervention programme in green processing technologies.

The YIF funding allows SMEs in the Yorkshire and Humber region to benefit from free access to the time, know-how and resources of the CPES, in order to reduce their carbon footprint and product cost, improve product quality and generate strong intellectual protection.

Companies in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care and agro-chemical sectors will be invited to attend a workshop to explore what barriers they face in implementing green processing technologies; CPES innovations will be showcased, including solvent free and continuous manufacturing.

Dr Riddhi Shukla, business development manager at the CPES, believes the funding will make a real difference to local companies, she said: “The Yorkshire Innovation Fund serves as a valuable resource for the region, creating opportunities for businesses to access the expertise, facilities and knowledge of the region’s universities. The programme available from our centre will allow SMEs within the region to reduce the environmental impact of their business.”

Businesses will be able to propose projects which could benefit from the help of the CPES to reduce waste, streamline processes and identify uses for their waste products. The YIF funding means that the expertise and resources of the CPES would then be provided free of charge to the company running the project.

The first workshop will run in the week starting January 20 next year at the University’s Centre for Pharmaceutical Engineering Science. Further workshops will be held during 2014.

Companies interested in benefitting from the scheme should contact Dr Riddhi Shukla on r.y.shukla@bradford.ac.uk or on 07540 769961.