Royce partners at the University of Oxford and The University of Manchester collaborated this year to host the second Royce Hydrogen Conference, held at The Core Technology Facility at The University of Manchester.
The event brought together experts from industry and academia who have been involved in projects addressing materials challenges for end-to-end hydrogen that are supported by the Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) and further investments in experimental capabilities.
The sessions kicked off with a keynote speech from Louise Gale of Rolls-Royce, followed by a series of sessions outlining research that sought to address these key materials challenges. The Royce Research Areas Electrochemical Systems and Materials Systems for Demanding Environments underpinned the sessions,
Rachel Rothman of UK-HyRES also provided an update on the project, outlining the scope of their priorities for the future and updating on the progress made since the last Royce Hydrogen Conference in November 2023.
Across 15 short presentations and an open poster session, the conference showcased a range of fantastic achievements against materials challenges aligned with hydrogen storage and use.
Highlighting key industrial collaborations, presenters articulated the progress that had been enabled through the Royce-supported sprint projects.
The presentations also demonstrated the immediate impact of new capabilities, follow-on funding and new partnerships. Participants also heard more about the progress in establishing the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator which is bridging the gap in the existing innovation landscape between lab-based materials research and proven technologies executed at scale.
Dave Knowles, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute said:
“This year’s Royce Hydrogen Conference organised by the Manchester team saw a truly fantastic day of talks addressing the relevant materials challenges and technologies for supporting end-to end hydrogen.
“The impact from the Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme is a testament to the extensive variety of expertise across the UK. We now need to ensure all the relevant research communities remain connected – and innovative! Events such as this are invaluable and depend on the energy and contribution from everyone who attends to make them such a success.”
Robert Sorrell, Royce Hydrogen Challenge Lead, CEO Royce Hydrogen Accelerator said:
“It was a brilliant event that yielded productive engagement from attendees, and feedback regarding the event has been overwhelmingly positive. This networking opportunity provided a fertile ground for the forging of new working relationships, and so many valuable connections were made.”
