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Royce announces £5.6 million for Collaborative Advanced Materials Sustainability Projects

The UK advanced materials community will receive £5.6 million for collaborative, business-led RD&I projects aimed at supporting the development of new products and services or innovating around the use of those which currently exist, to accelerate industry progress towards a sustainable future.

The support from the Henry Royce Institute (Royce) is being allocated across 62 successful projects aimed at developing sustainable net-zero innovation in UK businesses, addressing sector barriers to change and stimulating ambitious materials research projects.

The Review Panels recommended 25 applications for Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) funding totalling £3.06 million and 37 applications for Materials Challenge Accelerator Programme MCAP) funding totalling £2.58 million.

ICP is matching businesses of all sizes and research organisations that have research, development and innovation (RD&I) activities with Royce capabilities, and the programme will see projects ranging from development of advances in materials for the hydrogen economy, advanced nuclear reactors and the foundation industries through to tracking recycled content in plastics, establishing Artificial Intelligence in Additive Manufacturing and 2D materials for pharmaceuticals.

MCAP funding is more focussed on support for higher education institutions, research technology organisations, and SMEs in the UK, and is aimed at accelerating priority areas for innovation identified in the Royce National Materials Challenge roadmap and landscape documents. Projects here range from corrosion control for Offshore Wind Turbines, developments in advanced metals and materials for nuclear fusion through to next-generation photovoltaics, circularising ceramics processing and 3D printing materials development.

Professor David Knowles, Royce CEO said:

“We’re delighted to be supporting over 60 fantastic collaborations that will bring together companies, Higher Education Institutes, Research Technology Organisations and Royce Partners to undertake joint RD&I activities, leveraging access to Royce’s national capabilities in materials research, including its fantastic range of Technology Platforms.

“This funding will stimulate important materials-related research and technology developments which have real potential to deliver substantial impact in UK science and in society and we look forward to sharing the impact.”

Applications were reviewed by expert panels with research and industry representation and included members of the Royce Strategic Advisory Board. The panels were asked to rank applications against key criteria including the alignment of the proposed innovation to advances in materials, the potential for significant impact and UK benefit, as well as value for money and additionally – where the collaboration is adding value to an existing development.

Royce previously ran a successful Industrial Collaboration Programme and the Case Studies can be found here.

Royce ICP and MCAP programmes are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) part of UK Research & Innovation

For further information contact luke.richards@manchester.ac.uk