“Education and training in macromolecular chemistry”

The project “Education and training in macromolecular chemistry”, was launched in 2000 in a collaboration between UNESCO and the Government of Libya. It initially aimed at the establishment, in Tripoli (Libya), of the Center for Macromolecular Chemistry and Technology (CMCT- also known as the Center for Polymer Research).

The Center’s mission is:

1. to carry out quality control of plastic products for the government and industries and
2. to perform scientific research in polymer chemistry, including in the fields of polymer composites, biodegradable polymers, polymer blends and drug delivery polymers.

The first phase of the project has been successfully completed and focused essentially on the upgrade of the facilities for training and research in polymer chemistry and the acquisition of required equipment to support this development. International scientific collaboration has remained an underlying priority and, for example, in a collaboration with the Stellenbosch University in Cape Town (South Africa) several students completed their PhD’s and have since returned to work at the Center for Macromolecular Chemistry and Technology. The current Director of the Center was himself a beneficiary of this PhD training programme on the African continent.

Recent events have permitted a re-evaluation of the needs of the Centre which is now located under the umbrella of the national body, the Libyan Authority for Research in Science and Technology (LARST). The project has now entered a new phase, which will focus essentially on training and building research capacity. This includes development of a new training initiatives for the Center’s staff, in partnership with several institutions and universities in the Arab world and internationally.