The Bigger Bang! Show and An Elemental Spectacle: A Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table are two established chemistry evangelism events aimed at the public. The Bigger Bang! Show is normally carried out in a large theatre and involves a series of high end exhibition chemistry demonstrations carried out in a humourous but educational manner and is aimed primarily at families and schools. The event is presented by Dr Hal Sosabowski and co-presenter, the Doc, from ITV's Ministry of Mayhem. The Bigger Bang! Show involves a high level of audience participation and interaction and offers a unique blend of high-end, spectacular exhibition science and entertainment, underpinned with long-halflife, takeaway science knowledge and educational discourse (with a small element of Laurel-and Hardy-esque buffoonery). An Elemental Spectacle: A Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table is an in-depth focused chemistry show delivered by the PA and Dr Max Whitby of RGB Research Ltd. This event is aimed at the science community and public; featuring each of the elements of the periodic table from 1-90 in an elegant experiment of its own. The show alternates between elements 1-30, 31-60 and 61-90, so there are three variants, with the host venue choosing which of the variants it wants presented. This application is for a ten date (twenty-show; two per date) tour of The Bigger Bang! Show and in parallel, a ten-show tour of An Elemental Spectacle: A Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table, both tours being over a period of two years. For each show (of both tours), there will be an interactive periodic table foyer display. The Bigger Bang! Shows will be held at theatres across the South East with seating capacities of up to 2,000 (similar to the Brighton Dome), and there will be two shows per venue on the same day, a matine aimed primarily at schools and an evening show aimed at families/the public. The Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table shows will be held at Universities and given to audiences of up to 500, with a target audience of families. There will be one show per venue. Both these tours will be of the South of England and the cities and venues have been identified and costed indicatively as; for the The Bigger Bang! Show tour: Brighton (Brighton Dome), Poole (Poole Lighthouse Theatre), London, Redhill (Redhill Harlequin), Maidstone, Taunton, Oxford, Cambridge, Swindon, Andover. For the Elemental Spectacle: A. A Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table tour the indicative venues are: the University of Brighton, Imperial College University of London, University of Southampton, Cardiff University, University of Kent, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Surrey, University College Hastings and University of Essex. Before and after each show there will be an interactive periodic table displaying the foyer of each of the venues, provided by one of the project sub-Contractors RGB Research Ltd. RGB will create the traveling exhibition featuring a number of its spectacular periodic table displays featuring real element samples that can be set up at the venues of all twenty lectures to entertain and engage the audience both before and after the live shows. These displays have a proven record of drawing a high level of interest and attracting audience engagement. These exhibits will include several interactive stations where members of the audience can explore the periodic table and investigate particular elements. This component will provide a means to extend the educational impact of the shows, particularly for those among the audience motivated by the live performance.

The Departments of Chemistry (Chem) and Chemical Engineering (Chem Eng) at the University of Bath propose a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in Sustainable Chemical Technologies. The 6.9m requested from the EPSRC will be supplemented by 6.0m from the University and a 3.0m industrial contribution to fund a DTC operating at the interface of Chem and Chem Eng. The DTC will place fundamental concepts of sustainability at the core of a broad spectrum of research and training in applied chemical sciences. A dynamic, multidisciplinary research and training environment (the combined current EPSRC portfolio for the two departments is 19.9m) will underpin transformative research and training in Sustainable Chemical Technologies. This will respond to a national and global need for highly skilled and talented scientists and engineers in the area. All students will receive foundation training to supplement their undergraduate knowledge, as well as training in Sustainable Chemical Technologies and transferable skills. They will all conduct high quality and challenging research within the Sustainable Chemical Technologies theme directed by joint Chem and Chem Eng supervisors. The broad research themes encompass the areas of; Renewable Resources, Clean Energy, Clean Processes, Pharmaceuticals and Wellbeing, and Life Cycle Impact Reduction. Participation from key industry partners will address stakeholder needs, and partner institutions in the USA and Germany will provide world-leading international input, along with exciting opportunities for student placements. Detailed management plans have been developed in order to facilitate the smooth running of the centre and to enable excellence in the training and research aspects of the proposal. The Doctoral Training Centre will be supported by the creation of physical and virtual laboratories for the students.This 16m initiative has attracted strong and influential support: I strongly support the objectives you describe...the center is the right idea at the right time. Good luck! (Prof. George Whitesides, Harvard); The proposed initiative...should enable significant impacts to be made in this vital area. (joint letter signed by six Chief Executives of key stakeholders, including David Brown, IChemE and Richard Pike, RSC).

The UK government recognises that 'our economy is driven by high levels of skills and creativity' and has prioritised investment in skills as a means to recovery rapidly from the current economic downturn (HM Government: New Industry, New Jobs, 2009). Bioprocessing skills underpin the controlled culture of cells and microorganisms and the design of safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective bio-manufacturing processes. Such skills are generic and are increasingly being applied in the chemical, pharmaceutical and regenerative medicine sectors. Recent reports, however, highlight specific skills shortages that constrain the UK's capacity to capitalise on opportunities for wealth and job creation in these areas. They emphasise the need for bioprocessing skills related to the application of 'mathematical skills... to biological sciences', in core bioprocess operations such as 'fermentation' and 'downstream processing' and, for many engineering graduates 'inadequate practical experience'. UK companies have reported specific problems in 'finding creative people to work in fermentation and downstream processing' (ABPI: Sustaining the Skills Pipeline, 2005 & 2008) and in finding individuals capable of addressing 'challenges that arise with scaling-up production using biological materials' (Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Team report: Maximising UK Opportunities from Industrial Biotechnology, 2009). Bioprocessing skills are also scarce internationally. Many UK companies have noted 'the difficulties experienced in recruiting post-graduates and graduates conversant with bioprocessing skills is widespread and is further exaggerated by the pull from overseas (Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team report: Bioscience 2015, 2003 & 2009 update). The EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre (IDC) in Bioprocess Engineering Leadership has a successful track record of equipping graduate scientists and engineers with the bioprocessing skills needed by UK industry. It will deliver a 'whole bioprocess' training theme based around fermentation and downstream processing skills which will benefit from access to a superbly equipped £25M bioprocess pilot plant. The programme is designed to accelerate graduates into doctoral research and to build a multidisciplinary research cohort. Many of the advanced bioprocessing modules will be delivered via our MBI Training Programme which benefits from input by some 70 industry experts annually (www.ucl.ac.uk/biochemeng/industry/mbi). Research projects will be carried out in collaboration with many of the leading UK chemical and pharmaceutical companies. The IDC will also play an important role supporting research activities within biotechnology-based small to medium size enterprises (SMEs). The need for the IDC is evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of EngD graduates progress to relevant bioindustry careers upon graduation. This proposal will enable the IDC to train the next generation of bioindustry leaders capable of exploiting rapid progress in the underpinning biological sciences. Advances in Synthetic Biology in particular now enable the rational design of biological systems to utilise sustainable sources of raw materials and for improved manufacturing efficiency. These will lead to benefits in the production of chemicals and biofuels, in the synthesis of chemical and biological pharmaceuticals and in the culture of cells for therapy. The next generation of IDC graduates will also possess a better understand of the global context in which UK companies must now operate. This will be achieved by providing each EngD researcher with international placement opportunities and new training pathways either in bioprocess enterprise and innovation or in manufacturing excellence. In this way we will provide the best UK science and engineering graduates with internationally leading research and training opportunities and so contribute to the future success of the UK bioprocess industries.