Interaction with Industry
For all further information contact the KCPC Development Manager Dr Brian Hawkett (b.hawkett@chem.usyd.edu.au).
Modes of Interaction with Industry
The Centre is managed with the assistance of an Advisory Board which includes members from primary and secondary industry: Mr John Hirst (Nuplex), Mr John Lyons (Dulux), Dr Chris Hudson (food industry consultant), Ms Helen Scott-Orr (NSW Department of Agriculture), Dr Albert Mau (CSIRO Molecular Science), plus Professors Gilbert, Copeland and Warr, and Professor B Hesketh (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Sciences and Technology, Sydney University)
Short Courses and Symposia
The Short Courses and Symposia are a major form of industry interaction with the KCPC and of technology transfer. They are open to industry on a full fee-paying basis.
Industry Use of KCPC Facilities
The KCPC has a large range of equipment and facilities for production and analysis of polymer colloids.
These facilities are often not otherwise be available to much Australian industry, and some of the facilities (such as multi-dimensional copolymer characterization and gamma radiolysis relaxation polymerization) are unique in the world. Companies may send samples for analysis, and have polymer colloids made on KCPC pilot-scale reactors. This service also provides expert advice and data interpretation by KCPC personnel on a fee-for-service basis. It also enables industry to test measurement devices and pilot reactors, to see if the company would benefit from their purchase. This provides companies with the means to improve effectiveness and will bootstrap technology transfer.
Contract Research
When industry has a problem that needs solving in a hurry, the KCPC can bring skilled personnel and sophisticated equipment to bear on understanding the problem. Projects can be weeks, months or years. Projects are set up with time-framed milestones over which the industry client has the highest control, and may be costed on a fixed-price basis, a time-and-materials basis, or a combination of the two.
Consulting
The KCPC staff comprise a powerful consulting group, able to assist in solving problems in a wide range of areas, including polymer colloid production and formulation, polymer rheology, surfactant technology, pigment dispersion and stabilisation and agricultural chemistry.
START and Linkage Grants
These are grants funded by the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. They provide generous means of complementing R&D funds from industry for company projects. KCPC staff have extensive experience in obtaining and participating in these grants.
Intellectual Property
The KCPC has a well-developed protocol for protection of intellectual property, ensuring that the interests of the industry partner, and of the researchers, are all safe-guarded to the satisfaction of all parties.
