This summer has been a bustling season for the Henry Royce Institute, with a series of high-profile events, exhibitions, and our flagship National Conference – bringing together academics, industry leaders and policymakers.
July saw us at the Advanced Materials Show at the Birmingham NEC, where colleagues from our Research and Business Engagement (RBE) and Communications teams hosted an exhibition stand. The event provided a fantastic platform to update the community on the National Materials Innovation Strategy and highlight how the community’s effort has landed in the 2025 Industrial Strategy. Other highlights from the agenda also included insightful panel contributions from our CEO, Prof David Knowles and our new Vice Chair, Annalisa Gigante who spoke on the translational challenges in materials innovation and the importance of unlocking growth across the sector.
The Royce exhibition stand at the Advanced Materials Show in Birmingham
Early September brought a flurry of activity, with three events in the same week!
Firstly, the Hydrogen Knowledge Forum, organised by our colleagues at the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, aimed to strengthen UK-wide collaboration in hydrogen research. The event hosted researchers and academics working in any part of the hydrogen supply chain. Those in attendance gained valuable insights from industry figures shaping the hydrogen economy and gave ample opportunity to network with colleagues and discuss current projects, as well as explore potential collaboration opportunities.
Attendees at the Hydrogen Knowledge Forum networking with colleagues
The second event of the week was the largest in our calendar for the year – the flagship Royce National Conference 2025. From the moment delegates arrived at the Nancy Rothwell Building on the first day, there was real energy in the room. Researchers, industry leaders and policymakers came together with one focus: how advanced materials can help shape a more resilient, sustainable UK.
Prof David Knowles opened the day with a look at Royce and the National Materials Innovation Strategy – setting out where we are now, and where we’re heading. It was a great pleasure to then welcome Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, who spoke about the region’s deep-rooted innovation culture and why it still matters today.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, on Day One of the Royce National Conference
The day’s talks covered a wide spectrum of challenges and opportunities across materials science and innovation:
- Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Business and Trade shared how science and engineering are informing national policy.
- Lou Cordwell OBE, Unit M, explored innovation-led growth at a regional scale.
- Dr David Cole, Sizewell C, highlighted the role of advanced infrastructure in the net zero and nuclear journey.
- Dr Andrew Shooter, The Lubrizol Corporation, Andy Bell, Dstl and Prof. Rylie Green, Imperial College London brought insights spanning polymer chemistry, defence innovation, and bioelectronics.
- Dr Alan Partridge, Director of DMEx introduced us to the transformative world of Materials 4.0.
- Rachael Rothman, The University of Sheffield shed light on the circular economy and sustainable design.
- We closed with Prof Amy Gandy, UK Atomic Energy Authority on the exciting opportunities and challenges of materials for fusion.
Our exhibition hall brought together projects, platforms and people from across the Royce network, providing a productive space for discussion, collaboration and next steps.
We kicked off Day 2 with a welcome from Prof Ian Kinloch, Royce’s Chief Scientific Officer, setting the tone for a day dedicated to exploring how materials science is shaping our world. Ian welcomed Professor Paul Monks, Royce Chair and former Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to discuss the role of science in shaping policy and delivering net zero, and then Carl H. Naylor, Intel Corporation, introduced exciting advances in 2D materials, focusing on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs).
The remainder of the day was dedicated to over 50 leading subject matter experts, who joined us to share cutting-edge research and insights across our National Materials Innovation Themes:
- Energy Solutions: Rising to the net-zero challenges.
- Future Healthcare: Advancing active medical solutions.
- Structural Innovations: Strengthening infrastructure & transport.
- Advanced Surface Technologies: Enhancing performance & longevity.
- Next-Generation Electronics & Sensors: Enabling high-performance connectivity.
- Consumer Products & Polymers: Innovating greener, sustainable packaging.
We also dived into pressing cross-sector themes:
- Materials 4.0 and the digital acceleration of innovation.
- Sustainability and designing materials with resilience and circularity at their heart.
- Imaging & Characterisation Techniques to unlock deeper understanding of materials.
A big thanks to all the Royce partners, speakers and all attendees for a brilliant conference!
The exhibition space at the Royce National Conference brought together projects, platforms and people from across the Royce network
The third event of the week was NTPMI’s Technicians in Materials Innovation Conference to celebrate the expertise of Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) from across more than 25 institutions. The sessions highlighted the critical role of RTPs in driving materials innovation. This inaugural conference explored technical careers, opportunities for laboratory secondments, and best practice workshops to help build networks among RTPs working in materials innovation.
The inaugural NTPMI Conference highlighted the critical role of RTPs in driving materials innovation
Later in September, members of Royce’s RBE Team exhibited at the Greater Manchester Germany Innovation Summit in the Royal Exchange in Manchester. The event celebrated Greater Manchester’s strategic partnership with the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and focused on exploring opportunities for partnership, knowledge exchange, and joint innovation. Royce’s presence was a key example of how Research institutions work with industry and SMEs to foster innovation and promote economic growth.
Royce team members at our stand at the Greater Manchester Germany Innovation Summit
Find out more about Royce events here.
