With many calling this a time of chemical revolution, you might be forgiven for thinking that the whole world was leading the charge, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Given the central role that chemical synthesis has always played in our research progress, and will continue to play in the decades ahead, the UK is not only participating in this new world, it’s leading it. Why forefront right now? And what does it mean for global science in the future?
A Rich Legacy of Chemical Innovation
The legacy of chemical synthesis in the UK is impressive and long. From the first recorded synthetic dye in the mid-19th century to the world’s first penicillin factory for antibiotics during the Second World War, the UK has a storied tradition of chemical innovation that paved the way for today’s world. Today, UK scientists at the cutting edge of chemical science are redefining the molecules of the future.
Leading Through Research
All this innovation is taking place in UK universities and research institutes, such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. These institutions are not simply places of learning, they are innovation incubators, generating new synthetic methodologies that are more efficient, less wasteful and more environmentally friendly than ever.
Catalysis and Green Chemistry
Another is the UK’s work on catalysis, where chemical reactions can be sped up, using less energy and producing fewer unwanted by-products. Science in the UK is already at the forefront of creating catalysts that run at lower temperatures and with greater specificity – qualities that could help the pharma industry deliver on its promises of greener production.
Collaboration and Commercialisation
In the field of chemical synthesis, the UK not only boasts world-leading research, but has also excelled in transforming academic discoveries into industrial reality. This distinctive ecosystem of collaboration and commercialisation has not happened by chance; it is a conscious element of the UK’s strategy for chemical innovation.
Strategic Partnerships Between Academia and Industry
Crucial to this success has been the close relationships between universities and the chemical industry. UK’s top universities routinely work closely with big global pharma companies from the earliest stages of research. GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and other big UK pharmaceutical companies have long-standing relationships with UK research institutions, funding PhDs and facilities, and helping to drive new ideas from lab benches to production lines.
Case Study: The CPI Collaboration
One example is the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), a technology innovation centre in the UK, which, as part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, works with universities and businesses to take ideas through to commercial reality. CPI works on projects from new approaches to drug delivery to taking new catalysts for chemical reactions from the lab to production scale. In this way, it bridges the translational gap between discovery and real-world application, demonstrating how institutional support can facilitate the impacts of chemical research.
Spin-Offs and Startups: From Lab to Market
One of the more interesting features of the UK chemical research sector is the growth of spin-offs and startups from universities. These companies tend to be based around a new technology or process that has the potential to create market value. In the UK, such ventures are encouraged through incubators and science parks that provide the infrastructure and experience to navigate the commercial world.
Success Story: Oxford Catalysts
For example, Oxford Catalysts (now Velocys) is a university spin-off from the University of Oxford that uses advanced catalysis to make synthetic fuels. The original research, developed at the university, converts non-recyclable waste into clean fuels. The company showcases not just the commercial opportunities of academic research, but also the contribution that such innovations can make to society as a whole, in this case, waste management.
Government and Private Sector Funding
The UK government also plays a central role in fostering this ecosystem through support with funding and policy initiatives. The Innovate UK grants and the Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme encourage both fundamental research and its commercialisation. Private sector funding, often in the form of venture capital, is available to promising chemical research projects. It provides the financial support necessary to bring innovations to market.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
In the end, the UK chemical sector’s ability to innovate is underpinned by a culture that encourages cooperation. This is an ecosystem where knowledge can flow seamlessly between academia and industry; where regulation supports fast commercialisation; and where funding is channelled to those projects that are both scientifically excellent and commercially viable.
From Theory to Practice
For example, photoredox catalysis, a method to use light to catalyse chemical reactions, is among those that our colleagues in UK institutions have not only developed, but also co-developed with chemical companies to scale up. This matches discoveries directly to application, and ensures that new results are not only accessed directly by industry, but also swiftly reach out of the lab and into the real world.
Global Influence and Future Prospects
Although the British were not the first to invent chemical synthesis, their dominance of the field had wide-reaching effects. The research that British scientists published in international journals and submitted for international patents circulated around the globe, and their appearances at international conferences spread chemical synthesis to other countries. The British environment for innovation – including intellectual property rights and research grants to help fund new innovations – also served as a model for other nations.
The Road Ahead
The future of chemical synthesis in the UK looks bright, however. As long as investment in research continues, with a commitment to greener, ‘cleaner’ chemistry, we can expect the next wave of chemical synthesis technologies to be even more transformative – if they can achieve the formidable goal of improving both yield and cost, with minimal environmental impact and improved safety.
To sum up, the role that the UK played in the development of chemical synthesis is a powerful demonstration of the strength of that country’s scientific infrastructure and its determination to drive forward its research and development agendas. No doubt the innovations being hatched in UK labs today will continue to revolutionise the world of chemistry tomorrow, and for anyone with an interest in where the boundaries of chemical science are being redrawn, I sincerely hope that they will take a long, hard look at what is happening in the UK.