What is VIRAN and what does it do?

Mission

VIRAN (Association of Industrial Advisory Council Members of the Dutch Institute for Catalysis Research) is an association formed to promote the interests of industrial companies involved in catalysis, both as producers and users. It does this particularly by:

• coordination of the industrial influence on and encouragement of relevant education and research in the field of catalysis;
• urging the interests of catalyst-producing and catalyst-using industry towards Government and funding bodies  (NWO, ACTS), acting as the Dutch catalysis industry platform.

History

VIRAN was established in 1996 when members of the industrial advisory council of the catalysis research school NIOK realized the need for a separate forum for the exchange of information and ideas within the catalysis industry and for the coordination of industrial influence on catalytic education and university research.

Venues

In addition to providing members with valuable networking possibilities and close contacts with the forefront of Dutch catalysis research, VIRAN holds an annual plenary meeting, to coincide with the Netherlands Catalysis and Chemistry Congress, and a summer meeting. The VIRAN Board meets several times each year.

Newsletter

A regular newsletter will be published, together with NIOK and other catalysis organizations.

VIRAN Achievements

Technology Roadmap Catalysis

VIRAN is now recognized, also through its leading role in the Technology Roadmap Catalysis, “The Key to Sustainability” (2001) as the representative body for industrial catalysis in the Netherlands. With the membership of leading companies with catalytic interests, it has been functioning as the ideal vehicle to  emphasize to Government the crucial role of catalysis to the Dutch economy, the importance of adequate funding for university programs, and for working together with the Government to explore new systems of funding and optimize the use of existing subsidy instruments.

ACTS

A factor in the leading world position and quality of Dutch catalysis has been the unique cooperation between industrial and academic research and development. In February 2002, the organization ACTS (Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability) was set up by the Ministry of Economic Affairs as a new vehicle for funding pre-competitive  catalysis and sustainability-related research at  Dutch universities. ACTS and its  programmes are  financed by contributions from government, industry and the universities.  VIRAN is strongly represented in the Executive Board of ACTS. ACTS funds research in all branches of catalysis (e.g. heterogeneous, homogeneous and biocatalysis) and in all major application areas, represented by the three Technology Roadmap clusters: Refining, Energy & Transport; Bulk Chemicals & Polymers; and Fine Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Food & Feed.  Present research programmes are Sustainable Hydrogen, Integration of Bio- & Organic Synthesis (IBOS), and Advanced Sustainable Process Engaging Catalytic Technologies (ASPECT). The responsibility of industry for co-funding the research, in contrast to previous block-grant schemes, makes it now more than ever necessary that VIRAN should represent the broadest possible cross-section of the industry in acting as critical sounding board and industry platform.

Present Activities

Now that with the founding of ACTS there is a sound basis for the funding of catalysis research in the Netherlands, VIRAN has  adopted  two other items:

• Emphasizing and taking the lead for the execution of a European Technology Roadmap Catalysis exercise;
• Contributing, in cooperation with NIOK, to a sound and attractive national master education track in catalysis, with the aim to maintain a constant level of top-quality university graduates.