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Project objectives, hypotheses and approaches for accomplishment of project objectives
Project objectives and hypotheses
The analysis of the unresolved issues in the two directions and great experience that the members of the research team have in the field of fundamental researches give us the confidence to offer for a financial support this research project aimed at:
Cluster 1. Strategic design of sustainable supply chains.
Research goal. Conducting fundamental research for development of scientific methods for strategic design and management of supply chains for production and distribution of biodiesel (BSCs) using first and second generations bio-resources, ensuring sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and social criteria taking into account the needs of the regions for transport fuels under uncertain data.
Hypothesis. Non-optimal decisions regarding to the location of production facilities, their size, their supplying with bio-resources, as well as distribution of biodiesel to the end users may undermine the benefits of its use. The problem of optimal synthesis of the biodiesel supply chain for its production and distribution of biodiesel and utilization of the wastes produced during bio-resources and biodiesel production is significantly complicated by the uncertainty in the information for deliveries, prices, demand, etc.
Case studies are BSCs using first and second generations bio-resources.
Cluster 2. Tactical design and management of sustainable supply chains.
Research goal. Conducting fundamental research for development of scientific methods for tactical design and management of sustainable supply chain for dairy products production taking into account environmental, economic and social impacts in the context of certain and uncertain data.
Hypothesis. To provide the best trade-off between the environmental, economic and social goals in solving the problem of optimal tactical design of sustainable SCs for dairy production in the presence of uncertainties regarding consumer demand and the prices of the products produced in the short term.
Case studies are supply chains for dairy products production using different technologies.
Approaches for accomplishment of the research goals including interdisciplinarity of the project
Approaches to accomplish the research goals in the project proposal are determined by the common groups of problems that will be solved in both clusters (Strategic and Tactical Supply Chains) as follows:
● Approaches to obtain reliable information about the Strategic and Tactical Supply Chains;
● Approaches to create adequate mathematical models for design and management of the Strategic and Tactical Supply Chains;
● Approaches to obtain quantitative assessments of sustainability, effectiveness, environmental, economic and social impacts of the Strategic and Tactical Supply Chains;
● Approaches for verification of the research by quantifying the optimal values of the respective assessments of real Strategic and Tactical Supply Chains.
At the end, their application should lead to development of orderly methodologies for:
1). Analysis, design and management of BSCs, ensuring finding of the regions of trade-off solutions in terms of the concept of sustainable development using models including uncertainties.
2). Analysis, design and management of SCs for dairy products production, ensuring finding of the regions of trade-off solutions in terms of the concept of sustainable development using models including uncertainties.
Obviously, in order to be achieved the research goals, it should be applied knowledge in the field of:
● Chemical engineering (the study of processes, technologies, etc.)
● Process systems engineering (development of structures, super-structures and networks);
● Mathematics (statistics, mathematical modeling, optimization);
● Ecology (environmental impact assessment, Life Cycle Analysis);
● Economy (economic efficiency, economic evaluations, etc.).
All this makes the project proposal interdisciplinary and the expertise and the experience in the above areas of the proposed project team is clearly apparent from the attached CVs.