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General Information Host Institutions Objectives & Achievements FCT Relatório Científico 2011 Print: 27-03-2012 14:38:52 [Centro de Investigação em Engenharia dos Processos Químicos e dos Produtos da Floresta] General Information (EQB-Centro-102) Name of Research Unit: Centro de Investigação em Engenharia dos Processos Químicos e dos Produtos da Floresta Coordinator: Maria da Graça Bontempo Vaz Rasteiro Main Scientific Domain: Engenharia Química e Biotecnologia Other Subdomains: n/a Host Institutions Leading Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia - Universidade de CoimbraUniversidade de Coimbra Other Institutions Involved: Objectives & Achievements Unit Description As described in former reports the Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products Research Centre (CIEPQPF) was established in 1994 to create a structured framework for the research activities in the Chemical Engineering Dep. (DEQ) of FCT-UC currently integrating 5 research groups The research activities have been coordinated by an executive board and by a scientific committee composed by all the research members with a PhD degree plus a representative of the non-PhD researchers. In 2011 new statutes were approved which altered the composition of the Scientific Committee. This committee is now composed of 11 members, 5 are the coordinators of the research groups and the others are indicated by the groups depending on their dimension. During 2011 the executive board of CIEPQPF was composed by Margarida Figueiredo (President), António Portugal and Nuno Oliveira. In December 2011 the Scientific Committee elected for director of the Center, Graça Rasteiro. The executive board comprises now the director and two vice-directors, Rosa Quinta Ferreira (coordinator of the research group on Reaction, Separation and Environment Eng.) and Marco Reis (coordinator of the research group on Process Systems Eng.) all Professors from DEQ/UC. In CIEPQPF’s organization it is also foreseen an Advisory Committee which includes both national (4) and foreign (3) experts. The composition of the Advisory Board can be found in CIEPQPF web page (www.uc.pt/fctuc/deq/ciepqpf). In 2011 CIEPQPF counted 43 integrated researchers holding a PhD degree (24 Professors from UC, 5 Professors from other schools, 5 auxiliary researchers and 9 Post Docs). These members supervise approximately 60 grant holders (PhD students and researchers hired by projects) which corresponds to an increase of 30% in relation to 2010. Presently 49 PhD students are developing their thesis work in CIEPQPF which corresponds to an increase of 26% relatively to 2010. Additionally 28 members from other institutions collaborate in the scientific activities of CIEPQPF. CIEPQPF was evaluated as Excellent in December 2008. As a result of this evaluation, the yearly budget of the Unit is now 183 838 € for the period 2011/2012 according to the contract signed with FCT (CIEPQPF Strategic Project). Additional resources were provided from individual granted projects. In 2011 the total amount of on-going I&D contracts was 4 869 565 €. FCT funded a total of 21 projects amounting to 1 739 695 €, while research contracts established with national and international companies (either in the QREN framework or directly funded by industry) amounted to 1 543 100 €. Regarding internationally funded projects including European projects (4), the total amount contracted in 2011 was 1 576 070 €. This corresponds to an increase of 18% of the total contracted research and to an increase of 30% on the internationally contracted research. The yearly budget is partly allocated to expenses associated to common needs and divided by the 5 research groups based on their dimension and scientific productivity. General Objectives As stated in previous reports, the general objectives of CIEPQPF, can be summarized as follows: • Consolidation of the accumulated know-how in a number of critical areas by increasing the research quality carried out in the centre namely in the area of forest products. This goal can be accomplished by taking advantage of all the available analytical equipment and prototypes, by intensifying the synergies between the research group activities around common objectives and by promoting interdisciplinary problem solving approaches. • Contribution to the development of integrated approaches for materials, for product and chemical plant design and development, bridging fundamental science and technological applications. New fields are being considered lately by CIEPQPF researchers, which include molecular modeling, nanomaterials production, biomaterials for special applications including health, nanotoxicology, development of new methodologies for process monitoring and control, among others. • Reduction of the environmental impact of chemical processes and contribution for the development of greener ways of production, namely in new fuels and wastes recovery, as well as on the development of advanced effluent treatment technologies. • Reinforcement of multilateral cooperation between CIEPQPF and other national and international research centers and industries. Participation in international networks. Scientific cooperation with European and worldwide R&D centers has been intensified aiming at a higher degree of internationalization. • Provision for sound technological support to industrial partners by strengthening the efforts of applied development with industry, namely through participation in consortium projects including with spin-off companies based on research developed in the research center. • Preparation of specialized training courses, organization of open days for the community, namely directed to secondary school teachers and students, as well as organization of workshops directed to the industrial sector in order to disclose information about CIEPQPF activities, are also important parts of the mission of CIEPQPF. Main Achievements during the year of 2011 In comparison to last year, the rate of publication was again quite improved with 2 books published, 9 book chapters and 103 papers in international peer reviewed journals, many in high impact journals (46% increase relative to 2010) as well as 52 communications in international congresses published in their proceedings. Objectives & Achievements A significant number of projects (19) was initiated in 2011, corresponding to a total of 1 413 620 €. The overall amount of on-going contracts was 4 869 565 €. An increase of 18% relatively to 2010. The number of European projects doubled (4 EU projects now going on) corresponding to a total amount contracted of 1 576 070 € (30% more than in 2010). Two new EU projects (Aersus – FP7/SPACE and ESA-AAM-MN-01) were approved to be started in 2012. The number of contracts signed with involvement of industry is now 5 corresponding to a total amount of 1 543 100 €. Several candidatures for research projects (7) were approved in 2011 which will start only in 2012. Two Doctoral Programmes, one in Chemical Eng. and the other in Refining, Petrochemical and Chemical Eng. (with 3 other universities) are going on. A collaboration exists as well on the Doctoral Program “Energy for Sustainability”. 12PhD students were admitted in 2011 for the former program. The total number of PhD students developing their work in CIEPQPF is now 49 (increase of 26% relative to 2010). The number of PhD theses finished positively during 2011 was 9. Ten candidatures for PhD grants were approved in 2011 including a BDE. Some of them will only start on January 2012. 3 new post-doc grants were initiated in 2011. CIEPQPF hosted in 2011 2 IAESTE trainees from Brazil and Turkey. The unit hosted in 2011 7 visiting professors and 7 visiting researchers from the following universities: Univ. Santiago Compostela; Univ. Federal São João Del-Rei and UNICAMP in Brazil; Univ. Buenos Aires and Univ. Nacional del Sur, Argentina; National Univ. of Colombia; Univ. Granada. The new Web Page of the unit was put on-line in 2011. A new collaborator was hired to work in the analytical sector of the center. The objective is to increase the amount of services rendered to outside entities namely to industry. CIEPQPF’s Advisory Committee was created in 2011 including 4 national and 3 foreign experts. The experimental program of the PILLS FP7 project “Process Intensification methodologies applied to Liquid-Liquid Systems in structured equipment” started in 2011. The midterm dissemination event of the project took place in CIEPQPF. A new facility to measure the speed of sound in liquids was built to measure this property for ionic liquids and mixtures. Organization of ENBIS-11th Annual conf., Coimbra Sept. 2011; co-organization of CMNE 2011, Coimbra June 2011; co-organization of Symp. “Repensar o Ensino da Engª” in CLME 2011, Maputo, Sept. 2011. The coordinator of the Process Systems Engineering group is currently vice-president of the European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics. The research center goes on being actively involved in international networks: RIMADEL, RIADICYP, RIARREC, BIOTECHUNTE and ERCOFTAC. In 2011 the unit got involved in a new COST Action: FP 1005 - Fiber suspension flow modeling – a key for innovation and competitiveness in the pulp & paper industry, coordination of the Working Group “Rheology Modelling” Activities Integrative/multidisciplinary activities during the year of 2011 Researchers of the various groups continued, in 2011, their collaboration in multidisciplinary projects that also included members of other institutions, either other universities or industrial partners. Intense activity was developed
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