NPRONET are supporting the official opening of the Algal Innovation Centre
(AIC) at the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden on the 9 May 2016 from 2pm to 6pm.
The afternoon will begin with an open viewing of the AIC, followed by a welcome and short talks by academic and industrial partners within the algal biotechnology and physiology arena. The formal opening and ribbon cutting will then take place in the AIC, where we plan on having a variety of information boards, algal bioreactors and bioenergy equipment on display, followed by a drinks reception and networking.
The free event is open to all members with an academic or commercial interest in algal growth, biochemistry and biotechnology. If you would like to present a poster or showcase any relevant technology on the day in the AIC please let Matt Davey (mpd39@cam.ac.uk) know before the 3rd May.
We very much hope you will be able to join us for all or part of the occasion. To help with catering, please RSVP by 3 May by clicking (or copy and pasting into a web browser) this link:
Best wishes
Matt Davey and Alison Smith
Agenda
Venue – Lecture Theatre/Foyer – Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University.
14:00 – 15:00 – Registration and Tea/Coffee in SLCU foyer. Open viewing in AIC.
15:00 – 15:10 – Welcome and introduction by Prof Alison Smith
15:10 – 15:30 – Innovation Directors
15:30 – 16:30 – Industry and academic flash talks on algae (growth/biotech/harvesting/end users). The short talks will provide an excellent opportunity for academics and commercial partners to introduce themselves formally before the networking event at the AIC.
16:30 – move to AIC
16:35 – 16:45 – Welcome (Matt Davey) – overview of AIC
16:45 – 16:50 – AIC Ribbon cutting / photos
16:50 – 18:00 – Networking/posters/show and tell of kit
17:00 – 18:00 – Drinks reception
The Algal Innovation Centre (AIC) at the University of Cambridge is now open for academic and industrial research collaborations. This unique UK facility will address the requirement for scale-up and pilot facilities to enable translation of fundamental research and showcase technologies. It will connect the entire pipeline of algal research from strain selection and improvement, through harvesting and processing, to development of underpinning technology/engineering solutions. The AIC will also meet a wider UK need; as a result of a national consultation, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has identified a need for an algal Centre of Excellence with test and scale-up facilities. The AIC is a secure GM grade research glasshouse on a sealed foundation with a gross floor area of 164m².
We have laboratory grade benching, RO water supply, environmental data collection, access to autoclaving, centrifugation, 10L and 150L algae reactors. There are opportunities for collaborations for reactor and harvesting testing, strain and trait selection and resilience at pilot scale. The AIC was made possible by funding from the School of Biological Sciences, and the European Regional Development Fund project, EnAlgae, for which we are very grateful.
This event is supported by the BBSRC NIBBs PHYCONET www.phyconet.org.uk, HVCfP https://hvcfp.net NPRONET http://npronet.com and CBMNet www.cbmnetnibb.net
