In January, Cohort 1 of Royce Catalyst came together at Alliance Manchester Business School to launch a bold new chapter in UK materials innovation.
Royce Catalyst is a partnership between the Henry Royce Institute and Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS). The programme has been created with a clear purpose: to equip materials scientists with the entrepreneurial mindset, skills and confidence to translate world-leading research into real-world impact.
Royce Catalyst brings together three complementary perspectives. Within each team, students and early-career researchers bring their technical expertise, depth and curiosity. Inventors provide breakthrough materials technologies. Lastly, project supervisors bring on board academic leadership and context.
This team-based model ensures participants are not working on hypothetical case studies, but instead focus on exploring the real commercial potential of advanced materials technologies, grounded in rigorous science and shaped by market insight. Royce Catalyst is delivered through a 12-week entrepreneurial education programme focused specifically on advanced materials. It combines an intensive lecture series with hands-on workshops and project development.
Following the well-attended launch night, participating teams attended a multi-day Lecture Intensive hosted at Alliance Manchester Business School. Across four packed days, participants heard from founders, venture builders, investors, patent attorneys, sustainability leaders and communications experts.
Across the Lecture Intensive, participants were exposed to expertise spanning venture building, communication, intellectual property, sustainability and investment. Venture builder Simon Hombersley set the tone by grounding discussions in the realities of building materials-focused ventures, while Andrew Hatcher challenged researchers to move beyond assumptions and engage in genuine customer discovery and market validation.
Communication emerged as a critical theme, with Simon Hall pushing participants to translate complex science into clear commercial intent. The programme also tackled the structural pillars of venture creation. Founder perspectives, including Sophie Zienkiewicz of Carbon Neutral Fuels and experienced deep-tech entrepreneur Jason Mellad, brought lived experience into the room, underscoring the clarity and adaptability required to turn complex research into investable, impact-driven companies.
Dr Rebecca Myers, Royce Enterprise Manager who devised the Royce Catalyst said:
“The UK is home to world-class materials research, however translation from breakthrough to business and from paper to product remains one of the most complex challenges in innovation.”
“Royce Catalyst seeks to address that gap directly. It recognises that scientific excellence alone is not enough. The next generation of materials scientists must look beyond technical excellence. They need to understand customer needs, protect and position their intellectual property, communicate complex ideas clearly, and grasp how ventures are built, funded and shaped by sustainability and investor priorities.”
By embedding these skills early in researchers’ careers, Royce Catalyst strengthens the UK’s materials innovation pipeline, and it ensures that promising discoveries are not left on the shelf, but are supported to move toward societal and economic impact.
As a national institute connecting academia, industry and government, Royce is uniquely positioned to convene this ecosystem. Royce Catalyst Cohort 1 is now progressing through the 12-week programme, culminating in a pitch event later this year. Applications for Cohort 2 are now open, inviting the next wave of materials researchers, inventors and supervisors to step forward.
