Zlín becomes a national centre of competence for polymer research. The scientists will address the issue of polymers and their impact on the environment.

Zlín 24 January 2023 – A significant success has been achieved by the staff of the Centre of Polymer Systems (CPS) at the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín. The local scientists succeeded in a challenging public competition call of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TACR) within the National Centres of Competence programme which focuses on enhancing cooperation between research organisations and entities in the field.

Entitled National Centre of Competence in Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century, this very special activity is one of the 18 projects that have been successful in the international evaluation of project proposals – submitted by Czech universities and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences – and the only one focusing on polymers and their environmental impact throughout the National Centres of Competence programme. Out of those collaborating on this project, CPS will be the coordinating site.

“It is a great honour and a challenge at the same time. Polymer research has had a long tradition in Zlín and the awarded grant shows that the Centre has earned a significant standing in its field over the 12 years of its existence, at both the national and international levels. I very much appreciate the concept of the National Centres of Competence scheme, which aims to link research with institutions in the field. We look forward to cooperation with colleagues from other major and renowned research institutes and also from companies with high innovation potential,” says prof. Vladimír Sedlařík, Director of the Centre of Polymer Systems and the principal investigator of the project.

This large-scale, six-year project, the total cost of which is almost 380 million Czech korunas – a quarter of which will be covered by the corporate sector – may even continue to enlarge as an application is pending that seeks additional funding (over 140 million CZK) from the National Recovery Plan. There are 24 project participants involving universities, industry partners and non-profit organisations active in the area of polymer technologies and their environmental impact.

The project activities encompass a wide range of research tasks, the results of which are expected to be applied in the field very soon. “Specifically, there are aims to increase the efficiency and automation of the plastic sorting process during recycling or find new ways to efficiently extract economically valuable substances from plastic waste,” outlines prof. Sedlařík. Scientists will also work on developing materials that will serve their purpose for longer. This means that they will be more durable and long-lasting, so there will be no need to waste energy and raw materials.  They will also develop polymer materials that are safer for end users in terms of e.g. flammability, the release of harmful substances or resistance to the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses. 

The project will also address the recycling of tires, the use of renewable resources and waste for the production of polymers, and, last but not least, the detection and capture of the much-discussed microplastics.

“The backbone of all the sub-projects is responsible management of materials and energy as well as environmentally friendly and safe approaches; the legislative and economic sensibility of the emerging solutions will also be taken into account,” emphasizes prof. Vladimír Sedlařík.

National Centre of Competence in Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century

Project ID: TN02000051

Grant authority: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic

Project period: 2023–2028

Chief researcher: Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Members of the research consortium:

Plastikářský klastr z.s. (Plastics Cluster)

Centrum organické chemie s.r.o.

VSB – Technical University of Ostrava

I N O T E X spol. s r.o.

ORLEN UniCRE a.s.

Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem

NANOPROGRESS, z.s.

Palacký University in Olomouc

Czech University of Technology in Prague.

Moravskoslezský automobilový klastr, z.s. (Moravian-Silesian Automotive Cluster)

TERAMED, s.r.o.

ZODPA s.r.o.

ASIO TECH, spol. s r.o.

SYNPO, a.s.

Ethanol Energy a.s.

Continental Automotive Czech Republic s.r.o.

University of Pardubice

University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague

Simple Engineering s. r. o.

Zlínský kreativní klastr, z.s. (Zlín Creative Cluster)

HELLA AUTOTECHNIK NOVA, s.r.o.

Svaz chemického průmyslu České republiky, z.s. (Czech Chemical Industry Union)

Fortemix produkce s.r.o.