Royce was delighted to welcome team members from the Department for Business, Industry and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Infrastructure and Materials Directorate to the Royce Hub Building this week.
Following presentations and discussions with Royce CEO Professor David Knowles and business engagement colleagues, the Advanced Materials Team visitors took a tour of the SMI Hub, Advanced Metals Processing facilities on the ground floor and the MS4DE autoclave testing facilities on the 1st floor of the building.
Research Area Leads Dr Brian Connolly and Dr Ed Pickering, and Professor Mike Shaver along with Technology Platform Lead Dr Ross Nolan, set out Royce’s capabilities, with examples of how the research being undertaken aims to provide solutions to the evolving challenges of the plastics/packaging circular economy, the transition to net-zero in energy production, transport and manufacturing. They also highlighted the challenges of reducing waste, circularity in materials design and understanding materials degradation/ageing.
The meeting comes as BEIS seeks to look at ways advanced materials will underpin the UK’s industrial base, with a Call for Evidence to gather insight and shape the UK’s approach to advanced materials.
Industry Minister Lee Rowley said:
“Advanced materials can survive the harshest conditions, enable enhanced durability and manufacturing opportunities, and even ‘heal’ themselves.
“That is why we have launched a call for evidence – to gather insight and inform our approach to these extraordinary materials that could have a transformative impact on our daily lives and economic opportunities.”
The Government has already identified advanced materials and their manufacturing as one of the 7 ‘technology families’ of the Innovation Strategy – the Government’s plan to ensure the UK’s world-leading science and R&D sector help create a robust and agile economy that works for the whole of the UK.
Royce will co-ordinate consultation input from across its Research Area Steering Groups to ensure it captures the full breadth of opportunity the deployment of advanced materials can offer and what is required further move the dial on exciting developments underway.
Government welcomes responses on a wide range of topics, for example, commercialisation, regulation, skills, research and innovation, promoting exports and dual-use technologies. This call for evidence is open to all, but it is expected to be of particular interest to:
- industry
- specialist trade organisations
- academia
- translational research centres
- regulation bodies
- the innovation ecosystem
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-advanced-materials-call-for-evidence
Dr Brian Connolly and Prof. David Knowles show the BEIS Advanced Materials Team the MS4DE facilities
