Earlier this month Royce CEO Professor David Knowles represented the Institute, alongside a diverse group of investors and innovative leaders from the SME community, at the Advanced Materials Industry Roundtable convened by George Freeman MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The Minister affirmed that Government is clear that materials innovation – materials advancements – is key to decarbonising, and making sustainable, the industries of today, such as energy, foundation industries and transport and is underpinning many of the industries of tomorrow including, semiconductors, next generation telecommunications, Quantum and Engineering Biology – and that the UK is leading the way.
The newly developing National Materials Innovation Strategy, which is being facilitated by Royce, is aligned with the ambitions in DSIT’s Science and Technology Framework, which sets out the key actions needed to secure strategic advantage through science and technology, pursuing the technologies that are most critical to achieving UK policy objectives.
David Knowles, said:
“It is recognised that we now need to focus and accelerate key materials innovation in the UK as never before, if we’re going to deliver against the needs of major challenges such as net zero, health improvements, sustainable use of resources – we look forward to continued discussions with Government on the policy and regulatory imperatives we need to make this happen.”
The important meeting also included representatives from 10 Downing Street, Aquapak Polymers Ltd, AEH Innovative Hydrogel Ltd, Levidian, Vector Homes, GP-CEM, Metasonixx Ltd, Gen2, Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd, Parkwalk Advisors, Telegraph Materials, Frontier IP Group plc, UK Research and Innovation, UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Innovate UK and Norwich Research Park.
