Partnership to provide cutting-edge research to retailers and brand owners
Retailers and brand owners are set to benefit from a new University partnership researching the challenges of companies dependent on product packaging and presentation.
The University of Sheffield’s Polymer Centre and the Faraday Centre for Retail Excellence based at Leeds Metropolitan University have announced a partnership bringing cutting edge materials science research to the retail and consumer goods industries.
The partnership will connect companies with the University of Sheffield’s Polymer Centre, the UK’s largest single-institution network of academic polymer experts, and the University´s contract polymer R&D spin-out, FaraPack Polymers Ltd. At the same time, Faraday will create and manage collaborative projects, applying new technologies and consumer insights to develop their clients’ branding propositions.
Professor Steve Armes, director of the Polymer Centre and FaraPack Polymers, said: “We aim to undertake research of the highest scientific excellence with genuine, large-scale economic and societal impact. Faraday´s reach into some of the world´s leading brand owners will help us to achieve that vision in the retail sector.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!As part of this agreement, the Polymer Centre and FaraPack will offer free, expert technical assessments to Faraday clients and will be looking for other ways to assist them with new product development, their existing manufacturing processes and other technology and training opportunities. A number of pilot interactions are already bearing fruit, the organisation said.
Professor Cathy Barnes, director of the Faraday Centre, said: “We are extremely pleased to have established strong links to the world-class polymer science and engineering expertise at the University of Sheffield. The University´s Polymer Centre and FaraPack Polymers both offer client-focused access to the expertise at Sheffield.
“Our predecessor organisation, Faraday Knowledge, was a co-founder of FaraPack Polymers and we have always maintained personal links between the teams”, she added. “Now that we have moved to Leeds Metropolitan University, our increased focus on brands and consumers makes a formal partnership with a technology group of the Polymer Centre’s profile a mutually beneficial proposition, helping us to serve the complete range of our clients’ needs with the highest quality and opening up a new client base for Sheffield.”
