The Glass Futures consortium brings together industry and academia, with the aims of increasing productivity and sustainability in the sector, and dramatically reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions. The University of Cambridge has joined Glass Futures whose current partners include Pilkington UK, the University of Leeds, Guardian Industries, Encirc 360, Sheffield Hallam University, Siemens, Swarovski and the world’s largest glass bottle manufacturer Owens Illinois. Richard Katz, the founder of Glass Futures, a not for profit company, said: “The addition of the University of Cambridge will bring additional strength to our future plans, complementing the research expertise of our existing academic partners in Leeds and Sheffield. By harnessing the best of industry and academia and investing in research and development we really can help the industry grow and bring major benefits to the UK economy.” Glass manufacturing is said to contribute around £3bn to the economy currently. The aim of Glass Futures is to create two centres of excellence in research and development, one at Pilkington Glass in St Helens and the other at the University of Leeds, at a total cost of £50m. Half the money is expected to come from industry, with matched funding sought from Government. The University of Cambridge brings significant expertise, particularly in the development of high-performance glass for use in buildings. Dr Mauro Overend, leader of the University’s Glass and Facade Technology Research Group, which is within the University’s Department of Engineering, will be joining Glass Future’s advisory board.
