AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - The UK’s Technology Strategy Board has awarded £0.5 million in funding to a consortium that will participate in a two-year collaborative research project to develop new, sustainable high-performance marine fouling-control coatings. The award was given as part of the Technology Strategy Board’s “Materials Innovation for a Sustainable Economy” competition, aimed at encouraging the development and application of sustainable materials, products and processes through collaborative research programs.

The project will be run through a collaboration between AkzoNobel’s International Paint, the University of Liverpool, Revolymer plc and Newcastle University. AkzoNobel will lead the group, and each partner will bring a unique area of expertise to the project. AkzoNobel’s Marine Coatings business, with its International^® brand, is a leading supplier of coatings to the marine industry. The University of Liverpool will offer its advanced surface fabrication/functionalization facilities as well as state-of-the-art surface characterization and imaging facilities to the project. Revolymer plc specializes in the development of novel polymers designed to improve the performance of existing technologies, and The School of Marine Science and Technology at Newcastle University provides extensive knowledge in the field of marine fouling including specialist assay testing facilities.

David Williams, RD&I Director, AkzoNobel Marine & Protective Coatings, commented, “This project provides us with the opportunity to use our collective expertise to help us develop innovative and sustainable fouling-control technology delivering reduced fuel costs and emissions over even longer service periods”

The Technology Strategy Board was established to be the UK's innovation agency. Its role is to stimulate innovation, working with business and other partners, in order to accelerate economic growth.