A new partnership between Tata Steel, the UK Government and the Royal Academy of Engineering will strengthen UK–India collaboration on sustainable and circular materials supporting up to 15 research and innovation projects from 2027.
The initiative builds on growing cooperation between the two countries around advanced materials and critical minerals.
Earlier this year, Professor David Knowles CBE, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Chaired a UK–India bilateral exchange focused on critical minerals, recycling, circularity and resilient supply chains.
That programme brought together the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Indian National Academy of Engineering and Industrial partners including Tata Steel and Johnson Matthey.
David Knowles, who will continue to support the developing collaboration, said:
“This is an exciting next step in the growing relationship between the UK and India around advanced materials. Our discussions have highlighted enormous opportunities to work together on circularity, resource efficiency and resilient materials supply chains.
“It is fantastic to see that momentum translating into a significant programme of practical collaboration bringing together academic and industrial expertise from both countries, with support from the Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund. I’m delighted to continue to be involved as the partnership develops and broadens.”
Delivered through the Academy’s already successful Transforming Systems through Partnership (TSP) programme, the partnership will support grant holders in both countries from April 2027 for three years. For more than a decade, TSP has enabled over 300 collaborative projects that connect universities and industry across the world, building a network of more than 800 awardees.
