About

Advanced formulated chemical products are worth more than £200 billion a year to the UK economy. Our centre works across the whole supply chain, whether that’s discovering new materials, getting these things on the manufacturing line or delivering them to consumers.

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Complex Particulates Products and Processes (CP3) exists to train the research leaders of the future in the design, manufacture and commercialisation of complex particulate products. With integral links to industry, we have a role to drive forward innovation and knowledge within the UK’s manufacturing sector, helping to underpin national competitive advantage and further improvements in particulate technology.

With £7 million funding from government (EPSRC), industry and university sources, CP3 represents a genuine opportunity for multi-disciplinary research that will further knowledge and product development within the chemical and complex particle sector. Research leaders anticipate that both researchers and industry partners stand to benefit from an enhanced mutual understanding of the research and development processes.

CP3 is special in that it represents a truly interdisciplinary research approach. With doctoral researchers drawn from a range of study areas including chemical engineering, chemistry, design, food science, computing, mechanical engineering and business, our students work in teams, similar in style and construct to industry project teams. The aim is to create a more holistic approach to product design and development, bringing practical and production constraints to the fore and giving CP3 research enhanced ‘real world’ relevance.

The student experience is at the heart of CP3’s function and operation. We develop the research and industry leaders of tomorrow. Each of our researchers spends a minimum of three months working either in an industry placement or an international laboratory, giving them a more rounded experience of scientific life and equipping them with the skills they need to build a career. Each student receives academic, personal and professional development opportunities to ensure that he or she achieves their potential.

The Centre is supported by an open and transparent governance structure, including a Management Board, an Advisory Board and an Industrial Board. Effective and regular information sharing is critical to the Centre’s aim of open collaboration and partnership. We therefore invite our partners to involve themselves in the supervision and monitoring of the Centre’s affairs and we are happy to open our decision-making processes up to scrutiny.