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New £20million fund available for innovation in circular plastics production

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New funding worth £20million has been announced for research and innovation in changing the way the UK manufactures and consumes plastics.

Science Minister, Sam Gyimah, said the new ‘Plastics and Research Innovation Fund’ (PRIF) will engage Britain’s best scientists and innovators to help move the country towards more circular economic and sustainable approaches to plastics.

It will be managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and delivered via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

“There’s been incredible progress in making people aware of the danger that plastic can do to our environment and our oceans,” said Gyimah.

“We are announcing a £20 million fund for our best scientists and researchers through UKRI to come up with new technology and new plastics that do not harm the environment so much. This means moving from our current model of make, use and dispose to a new model where you use, you reuse and you recycle.”

The fund will have three parts which will involve the following:

UKRI says it will work together with WRAP to network and connect this fund with initiatives across business, government and the research and innovation community, to encourage knowledge exchange, and to identify future research and innovation priorities to enable the move to a circular plastics economy.

“It is imperative we change our use and misuse of plastic,” commented UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport. “Although plastics have transformed the way we live and play an important role in many aspects of modern life, we are increasingly aware of the devastating damage plastic waste can inflict on the environment and people’s health. This fund will help to create the range of new approaches and alternatives needed to rapidly reverse the impact that our use of plastics is having on the planet.”

UKRI says the fund will seek to deliver strategic networking and research that will coordinate existing knowledge across the UK; catalysing new ideas and rapid solutions across the research and innovation landscape. It will support the polymer, packaging, retail and waste sectors as well as local government responsible for waste collection.

Further information on how to apply for a share of the funding can be found by clicking here. 

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