Scientists from the UK and India have set up multi-disciplinary virtual platform for international collaboration on global sustainability challenges, such as carbon reduction and environmental remediation.
Logo for the India-UK ISCC
The Innovation and Sustainability Chemistry Consortium (ISCC), which launched in February 2021, aims to support new research collaborations between the UK and India that employ innovative chemistry to tackle global sustainability challenges.
So far 13 leading UK and Indian universities, including Queen Mary, have joined the consortium, which is delivered by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Its launch was funded by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Professor Tom Welton, President, Royal Society of Chemistry, said: "Chemistry is at the heart of solutions to the world's biggest sustainability challenges. We're proud to help the chemical science community make the world a better place, by bringing world-class institutions from India and the UK together to collaborate on those solutions."
Dr Stellios Arseniyadis, Reader in Organic Chemistry at Queen Mary and UK coordinator for ISCC, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to bring together scientists from our two countries to work on exciting new scientific challenges.”
The ISCC will focus on four flagship areas - Carbon Reduction & Environmental Remediation, Catalysis & Bio-catalysis, Future Technologies, and Sustainable Materials & Technologies. It aims to facilitate greater interactions between academic and industrial partners and develop innovative programs in research and education including the mentorship and training of early-career scientists.
In support of their ambitions around sustainability, the ISCC will also seek to develop a new low carbon approach to outreach and education initiatives. The Consortium plans to make use of technologies such virtual reality (VR) and machine learning to “digitally transport” students to the cutting-edge laboratories and Universities involved in the consortium, opening up these opportunities to students all over the world.