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The paper and board industry (PBI) faces a series of challenges, ranging from shifts in the availability and quality of raw materials to the generation of large amounts of sidestreams whose disposal entails significant costs. The concept of the “Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) Paper Mill” is proposed here as an option for addressing these issues by introducing, on the one hand, flexibility regarding the types of fibre sources that can be used as raw materials and, on the other, a full utilisation of all fractions of the raw materials, including those that were so far considered to be sidestreams of papermaking. With regard to raw material flexibility, researchers have implemented various pretreatment and pulping methods on potential alternative, non-wood, fibre sources for the PBI, which can be found primarily in agro-industrial residues and plants specially cultivated for this purpose. Research on the conversion of various types of papermaking sidestreams into energy and material products has also been extensive, with the new products aimed at (re)use within both the PBI itself and other sectors. Given that technical aspects have gained the most attention so far, more focus should now be placed also on the economic and organisational sides of the concept. It is also crucial to start evaluating integrated MIMO cases, taking into account the interconnected effects that new raw materials have on the papermaking process and its sidestreams, instead of looking into isolated MI and MO examples.

This paper analyses how UK academics can make money from their expertise, other than through earning their salary. Using statistics from the success rate and likely remuneration from recent examples, four options are discussed: licensing their intellectual property through their institution's technology transfer office, owning shares in a 'spin-out' company, personal consulting and writing books. The case of the 'average' academic who does not actively pursue any of these goals, the 'active' academic who pursues any one of them, and the top tier academic who is in the top 10 per cent of their profession worldwide are examined. In all cases, consulting is the most economically rewarding option. For the 'average' academic, being involved in a venture-funded start-up is the worst.

One of the biggest challenges in the biotech industry is to secure sufficient funding to support product or technology development. Partnering with companies that have cash and expertise – which, for the most part are larger biotech or pharmaceutical industries – may for many small biotech companies be more appealing than dealing with the financial community – venture capitalists and the like. The risk to the small biotech, however, is enormous because the partner may decide to return the rights to the product. This event usually leaves the product in limbo and the technology used to develop it tainted because of uncertainty regarding the real reasons for the return and the assumption in the world at large that there is something wrong with the product/technology. Thus, the licensor is left in the dark and is faced with 'what's next?' Here our company's strategy to overcome the terminated licence disaster or alternatively to take advantage of the terminated licence opportunity is described.

Future limitations on the availability of selected resources stress the need for increased material efficiency. In addition, in a climate-constrained world the impact of resource use on greenhouse gas emissions should be minimized. Waste management is key to achieve sustainable resource management. Ways to use resources more efficiently include prevention of waste, reuse of products and materials, and recycling of materials, while incineration and anaerobic digestion may recover part of the embodied energy of materials. This study used iWaste, a simulation model, to investigate the extent to which savings in energy consumption and CO2emissions can be achieved in the Netherlands through recycling of waste streams versus waste incineration, and to assess the extent to which this potential is reflected in the LAP2 (currently initiated policy). Three waste streams (i.e. household waste, bulky household waste, and construction and demolition waste) and three scenarios compare current policy to scenarios that focus on high-quality recycling (Recycling+) or incineration with increased efficiency (Incineration+). The results show that aiming for more and high-quality recycling can result in emission reductions of 2.3 MtCO2annually in the Netherlands compared to the reference situation in 2008. The main contributors to this reduction potential are found in optimizing the recycling of plastics (PET, PE and PP), textiles, paper, and organic waste. A scenario assuming a higher energy conversion efficiency of the incinerator treating the residual waste stream, achieves an emission reduction equivalent to only one third (0.7 MtCO2/year) of the reduction achieved in the Recycling+ scenario. Furthermore, the results of the study show that currently initiated policy only partially realizes the full potential identified. A focus on highest quality use of recovered materials is essential to realize the full potential energy and CO2emission reduction identified for the Netherlands. Detailed economic and technical analyses of high quality recycling are recommended to further evaluate viable integrated waste management policies. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.