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Within Wageningen University and Research Centre, quite a number of groups and individuals have accumulated knowledge on carbohydrates over the course of decades of research. It was in 1998 that one of us, Prof. Alphons Voragen, pointed out that all this knowledge could bear much more fruit if it would be brought together in a center of expertise. He took the initiative to form a group of researchers and to build partnerships with industries. The idea of the "Carbohydrate Research Centre Wageningen" was conceived, but the actual creation of did not occur until four years later when a promising network of partnerships and a healthy financial base had been established. CRC-Wageningen's official take-off took place on April 24, 2003. |
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CRC-Wageningen sees as its mission: " to become a globally acknowledged centre of excellence in the broad field of Carbohydrate Research by performing integrated high-level fundamental, strategic research, as well as related application oriented research, within the scope of Wageningen University and Research Centre ". In order to achieve this ambitious goal, it is seen as essential that participating research groups join their efforts, sharing expertise and facilities, and looking for synergy whenever possible. Few research institutes in the world will be a match for CRC-Wageningen with all the available expertise in chemistry, biology, physics and material science, if we work together as a cohesive team.
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Carbohydrates constitute the most important source of renewable materials on earth. The global annual production of biomass is estimated at 146 billion tons, of which 75% is carbohydrate. Only some 7% of this gross production is utilized in native or processed form for such things as food and fodder, textile, paper, numerous specialty products as well as small scale energy sources. Carbohydrates are extracted on a large scale from plants and marine algae. An important fraction of the chemical and agro-industry thrives on carbohydrates and their derivatives, both for food and non-food applications. Carbohydrates fulfill essential functions during the entire life cycle of plants and animals. They play crucial roles in the physiology of micro-organisms and, as a consequence, are important factors in microbial identification, control, and technological exploitation. It is fair to say that carbohydrate research is a vital element in the life sciences. Fundamental knowledge of the composition and functional properties of carbohydrates is needed to understand life's processes, and to design and improve processes and products for the agro-food and agro-non-food industries.
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CRC-Wageningen cannot exist without its industrial partners. Interested industries can participate in CRC-Wageningen for a fixed annual fee. This gives them access to ongoing projects, facilities and know-how. They can appoint members in project steering committees, participate in a User Platform, pick up the latest news during exclusive seminars and meet the right person to discuss bilateral forms of collaboration. The collected fees give CRC-Wageningen the means to create conditions and facilities for fundamental research.
For further information do not hesitate to contact us.
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