IPROCOM: The development of in silico process models for roll compaction
Start date
01 January 2013End date
31 December 2016Overview
The project consortium brings together experts from engineering, pharmaceutical science, materials science and computer science disciplines from 10 full partners and four associate partners specialising in pharmaceutical development, machine manufacturing, multimedia and science communications.
Structured research training in IPROCOM consists of three complementary work packages:
- Process understanding through systematic experimental investigation
- Multiscale modeling with discrete element methods (DEM) and finite element methods (FEM)
- Intelligent modeling with artificial neural networks, evolutionary computation and other heuristic techniques.
Aims and objectives
The goal of IPROCOM is to address scientific and technology challenges in the manufacturing of particulate products (pharmaceuticals, catalyst pellets, detergent tablets, fertilizer, biomass and metal components) through a coordinated and structured research training programme.
In particular, it aims to develop robust in silico process models that can be used to predict the properties of intermediate (ribbons/granules) and final products (tablets/pellets/components) based on the properties of individual particles and to provide structured training for the next generation of researchers who will comprehend such models, associated knowledge and techniques and apply them to a number of particulate products manufacturing industries.
Funding amount
€3.8 million
Funders
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No. 316555.
Team
Project coordinator
Members
Professor Ajith Abraham
Supervisor: Machine Intelligence Research (MIR) Labs, Czech
Dr Crina Grosan
EU Research Charter Champion: Department of Computer Science, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania
Professor Peter Kleinebudde
Director of Research and WP1 Lead: Institute of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany
Dr Torsten Kraft
Training committee WP2 Lead: Fraunhofer Institute, Germany
Dr Olivier Lecoq
Supervisor: Mines Albi, France
Dr Michele Marigo
Director of Training: Research and Development, Johnson Matthey, UK
Dr Aleksander Mendyk
WP3 Lead: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Dr Abder Michrafy
Training committee WP1 Lead: Powders and Processes Group, Mines Albi, France
Dr Charles Radeke
Outreach Champion: RCPE, Austria
Dr Gavin Reynolds
Research and Development: AstraZeneca, UK
Professor Vaclav Snasel
Supervisor: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vysoka Skola Banska, Czech
Professor Hugh Stitt
Director of Training: Catalyst Manufacture and Reaction Engineering Research, Johnson Matthey, UK
International Advisory Board
Professor Wei Ge
Professor in Chemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Professor Karen Hapgood
Head of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Australia
Professor Antonios Zavaliangos
A. W. Grosvenor Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, USA
Outputs
Courses and conferences
IPROCOM aims to develop a cohort of 15 young scientists with the necessary depth and breadth of experience combined with the research and transferable skills required to communicate and work effectively across disciplinary and sectoral boundaries in the field of particulate product manufacturing and process engineering.
IPROCOM will provide training on both the task-specific research skills and the generic and transferable skills through a combination of local, e-learning, network-wide and external training activities.