Spinouts of Chemistry Related Businesses

The British Government has become concerned about the long-term health of a number of key industries, ranging from those which have been strong contributors to the UK balance of trade and major employers, such as the chemicals and automotive industries, to the still-emerging such as biotechnology. To ensure that there is a "strategy for healthy growth/rejuvenation" for these industries, the Department of Trade and Industry under Lord Sainsbury established a number of industry task forces in 2002. The Chemicals Industry Task Force reported with, among its recommendations, that a Chemistry Leadership Council be established, charged with the formulation of a detailed blueprint for the rejuvenation of the UK chemicals segment. The CLC, as it has become known, drew on not only the chemicals producers for its membership but also the chemicals-using industries, such as food, as well as other stakeholders such as guardians of the environment and of employment in the industry. The CLC, newly formed in January 2003, established three key sub-groups: Innovation; Skills; Futures (aka Sustainable Development).