Green Chemistry congratulates board member Professor Steve Howdle, who has been awarded the 2006 DECHEMA Award in recognition for his work on new materials and their application in pharmaceuticals.

Judges remarked that Professor Howdle's work on supercritical fluids, polymers and bioactive materials has been "outstanding".  Through this work, Professor Howdle has demonstrates that biodegradable polymers can be 'plasticised' - or liquefied - very easily.  A major breakthrough was the realisation that this could be exploited to develop novel drug delivery devices.  The development has now been commercialised through the formation of a company at the University of Nottingham, Critical Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Professor Howdle says on the award "This is a great honour for me and my colleagues at the School of Chemistry at Nottingham, but also for those with whom  we are working in other disciplines.  Increasingly, we collaborate with colleagues in other schools in the Faculties of Science and Medicine, and our inter-disciplinary work is delivering great benefits".

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Nottingham, Professor Donald Grierson, says "this outstanding work is an example of out world-changing research, and demonstrates how leading research universities can make an important contribution to economic growth, as well as furthering knowledge and understanding."

The award will be conferred at a ceremony in Frankfurt, Germany, on 1st December 2006.

The DECHEMA Award recognises outstanding research in the fields of Applied Chemistry, Process Engineering, Biotechnology and Chemistry, particularly the work of younger scientists combining theory with practical applications.

DECHEMA, the Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology based in Frankfurt, Germany, is a non-profit organisation which aims to promote research and technical advances in the areas of chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental protection.