Chemistry: realising our potential

The University's potential in catalysis and chemistry is proving timely with the importance of chemistry and catalysis, in particular, being recognised as priorities by the Foresight Exercise. The current expansion of the Leverhulme Centre for Innovative Catalysis in Liverpool is also well timed, with funding for the national Institute of Applied Catalysis (IAC) recently being approved. It should promote the Leverhulme Centre as a major player in the IAC.

The University has recently invested substantially in refurbishment and expansion of facilities in the Leverhulme Centre for Innovative Catalysis and the Department of Chemistry following the recent appointments of Professor E G Derouane (Director of the Leverhulme Centre) and of Professor S M Roberts (Heath Harrison Professor of Organic Chemistry). Professor Eric Derouane was appointed in May 1995 to the Directorship of the Leverhulme Centre which was involved in heterogeneous catalytic/surface science research but has now been broadened to include homogeneous catalysis, biocatalysis and modelling studies, and soon catalytic reaction engineering, with a significant expansion in the number of industrial affiliates (the Centre offers an affiliation programme which is currently quite unique world-wide), staff and students within the last year. Today, the Leverhulme Centre represents a staff of around 75 aiming at performing research - basic and applied - in catalysis. Professor Stan Roberts was appointed to the Heath Harrison Chair in Organic Chemistry following Ian Sutherland's retirement (in December 1995). The expansion of interests in the Leverhulme Centre helped to attract Professor Roberts to Liverpool and because of his interests in biocatalysis, he is also associate director of the Leverhulme Centre.

That these investments are paying dividends is evident not only by the success of the Liverpool chemists in the ROPA scheme but also by the award of several substantial new grants via more traditional routes, such as a successful bid by Professors Derouane, B T Heaton, and G J Hutchings for a state of the art solid state NMR spectrometer, costing around £400K, which will be devoted to the in situ study of catalysts, catalytic reactions, and organometallic clusters. Two other NMR spectrometers in the Chemistry Department were also acquired last year supported by grants of the research councils, one at the initiative of Professor Heaton and Dr J A Iggo, the other by Professor Roberts.

Members of staff in the Chemistry Department and the Leverhulme Centre for Innovative Catalysis (Professors Bethell, Derouane, Hutchings, and Roberts, and Drs Carnell, Page, Rieley, and Whyman) have, between them, gained a total of eight 'Realising Our Potential Awards' (ROPAs) totalling £474K. This is the highest aggregate award in chemistry and chemical engineering anywhere in the country. Cambridge University has the second highest aggregate award. The success of chemistry in attracting ROPAs at The University of Liverpool promotes the latter in the top 10 list of the ROPA awardees.

ROPAs are a direct result of the 1992 White Paper on Science and Technology, 'Realising Our Potential'. The philosophy of the ROPA scheme is to reward researchers who have proven close ties with UK industry and commerce, through the award of grants with which they can carry curiosity-driven research of their own choosing. In order to be eligible to apply, evidence was required of at least £25K of industrial support from UK industry or commerce for basic or strategic (not contract) research. This year, more emphasis was put on projects of 'blue sky' nature. ROPAs are aimed at providing a mechanism for 'pump priming' highly speculative ideas which, should they achieve 'proof of concept', will be in a strong position for further funding from the research councils.

All the awards to the Leverhulme Centre for Innovative Catalysis and the Department of Chemistry are of one or two years duration and will allow employment of a postdoctoral research assistant in each case. They will contribute to promote further long term basic research which is relevant to industry.