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Objectives of this Report
This report has been prepared by the MATcelerate ZERO team for the Industry Partners that have supported the programme in 2024. The aim is to acknowledge and recognise their vital in-kind support, i.e. the time, experience and insights provided, during funding application reviews, Investment Committee (IC) meetings and follow-up activities with university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and researchers. Industry Partner support is essential and differentiates MATcelerate ZERO from other proof-of-concept (POC) funding sources, helping ensure the POC projects de-risk the technology aligned with industry insights and expectations.
The report details the types of projects that have applied for funding and those that have been granted awards by the Henry Royce Institute. It also provides an opportunity for Industry Partners to feed back on the pilot programme, for example by sharing details of benefits they have gained, suggest areas of improvement, offer views on scale of investments or additional ways to contribute in 2025, such as providing written endorsements for public funding bids.
It contains plans for 2025 including the IC schedule and details of the fundraising needed to scale-up the programme nationally, potential through Research England funding and corporate philanthropy.
MATcelerate ZERO
Inspired by the Henry Royce Institute, the MATcelerate ZERO pilot operates via a network of TTOs at the UK’s leading materials intensive research universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL, Manchester and Bristol. In 2023, these University Partners had a combined research grants and contracts budget exceeding £2.7bn. Additionally, four of the six universities are founding partners of the Henry Royce Institute that was established through a national investment of over £250m focussed specifically on infrastructure to support advanced materials technology translation.
MATcelerate ZERO is an industry-driven ‘accelerator’ for university-developed materials innovation that tackles the challenges of net zero. Its goal is to speed up the commercialisation of breakthrough materials technologies by bridging the funding and market knowledge gaps necessary for de-risking (in relation to industry integration) and translational work.
It facilitates faster and more effective de-risking, accelerating the application of new materials technologies critical for achieving net zero, and making them more investible by university spinout funds, private investors and industry.
For industry partners it offers a powerful and efficient way to view the cutting edge of research and get a glimpse of the technologies in the pipeline from leading institutions. Additionally, it enables them to ‘scout’ technologies proven in the lab that are on the path to commercialisation. The programme is highly focused on the de-risking needs of key materials technologies, rather than serving as a general spinout ‘pitching’ or broad ‘networking’ event for individual university-industry partnerships.
Achievements in 2024
- Established the MATcelerate ZERO platform with processes, assets and governance to manage an initial portfolio of ~90 university-patented technologies
- Convened a group of >12 Industry Partners and 27 unique participants to form the IC, including Johnson Matthey, Coca Cola EuroPartners, Rolls Royce, Air Products, Evonik, Saint Gobain, Cambridge Display Technologies – a Sumitomo Chemical Company, PA Consulting, EGAT, Materials Processing Institute (MPI), Centre for Process Improvement (CPI), Orsted and Marshall Group
- Through three ICs a total of 25 proposals were received from the six partner universities and six projects were provided with a total of >£400k of POC funding from the Henry Royce Institute
- Industry partners have helped refine and focus these ‘short-sprint’ technology de-risking projects and are supporting their delivery to remain close to these opportunities
- Industry partners have shared critical feedback on projects which could not be funded, improving their case for investment in future rounds or from other sources
- Engaged with key government agencies to identify sources of funding to scale-up the programme nationally and attract private investment in 2025
IC Applications & Industry Partner Funding Prioritisation
Project proposals to the ICs have spanned various materials applications including plastic and battery waste recycling, carbon capture building materials and energy storage, novel computer memory materials, electrodes, catalysts and membranes for hydrogen and zero-emission fuel production, sustainable concrete, composite materials for liquid hydrogen storage and additive manufacturing of composite electrochemical reactors. Throughout the proposal selection, prioritisation and pitching process, Industry Partners’ rankings determined which POCs received funding. Funded projects and key Industry Partner inputs are described here:
- Chemoenzymatic photo-reforming – MATcelerate ZERO funding enabled the researchers to start work scaling up the enzymatic degradation part of the process, focusing on enzyme selection and process optimisation. Guidance from Industry Partners helped validate a project goal focussed on a key de-risking step to make the technology more commercially attractive. The award also helped secure additional translational POC funding to scale up the process to 1kg of plastic waste per day over the next year.
- Battery recycling – MATcelerate ZERO funding enabled essential discussions with industry to be undertaken, confirming that the primary de-risking step required was process validation using real ‘black mass’. These discussions also enabled the sourcing of black mass from existing battery recyclers and the identification of consultants, with contracts established for the technical validation and market research aspects of the project.
- Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysis – MATcelerate ZERO funding has been awarded to scale up a promising OER catalyst. Industry engagement through the Industry Partners will be critical to ensure industry-relevant evaluation protocols are followed and the catalyst is tested in industrial settings.
- Catalysts for the syngas supply chain – MATcelerate ZERO funding has been awarded to trial a solid waste material from the steel industry as a higher efficacy, lower cost catalyst in chemical looping systems that can supply syngas feedstock with low associated greenhouse gas emissions to foundation industries. The IC’s input has been crucial to ensure that the project’s objectives align with what prospective licensees need to see validated before adopting the technology.
- 2D Proton conducting gas barrier – MATcelerate ZERO has allowed the team to engage with a scale-up partner to coat the patented nanomaterial on to fuel cell membranes and assess other routes for coating to create higher performance fuel cells and allow manufacturers to utilise the new technology at scale. Through the MATcelerate ZERO process the team received positive feedback and key guidance which has led to one of the Industry Partners being actively engaged to take produced materials for internal testing.
- Electrodes for hydrogen production – MATcelerate ZERO funding has allowed the technology to be developed alongside a key industry partner, accelerating development of a defined anode from TRL 3 to 5. It will demonstrate and derisk the scalability of this anode for alkaline electrolysers including alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) for green hydrogen, alkaline CO2 utilization and ammonia production, and procure industrial partners for upscaling to >200cm2 anodes.
Key Outcomes and Benefits to TTOs and Researchers
- Provides researchers with highly valuable insights on technologies and industry perspectives regarding key de-risking requirements
- Includes Industry Partner input and advice on IC pitches for funding
- Directs researchers to other funding sources such as the Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP), and provides Letters of Support from new Industry Partners
- Complements TTO translational funds, where available, and increases the likelihood of securing additional funding through Industry Partners involvement
Learnings
- Industry Partners fully and consistently supported funding application reviews, day-long IC meetings/events and follow-up activities with TTOs and researchers
- Input from Industry Partners at the earliest stages of commercialisation projects is highly valued by TTOs and researchers
- The programme effectively aggregates multiple Industry Partner insights
- The programme offers an efficient mechanism for Industry Partners to engage with multiple materials research-intensive university partners
- Additional dedicated resources are required to effectively promote the programme, manage operational processes and oversee funded projects, as TTOs typically lack the skills and resources required. For example,
- A single point of contact for MATcelerate ZERO is needed to facilitate communication with Industry Partners regardless of the University Partner hosting the IC
- More time should be allocated to fully engage Industry Partners between initial application scoring and invitation to pitch to the IC, and more support should be provided to aid researchers with their pitches
- Successful applications and project plans often require revisions following funding approval and feedback from Industry Partners
- Awards for POCs can be better integrated with the evolving national, university and Royce funding environment, to maximise impact i.e.
- DSIT pledge for £40m of POC funding over 5 years following the 2023 Treasury Spinout Review
- HEIF, IAA and TTO Translational Funds available at some universities
- Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP)
Quotes
“MATcelerate has set up valuable industrial contacts and financial support for us to scale our plastic-to-hydrogen technology with a clear purpose to address pressing market demands.”
– Jack Chengzhi Guo, University of Cambridge, Chemistry Department
“The vision of MATcelerate ZERO aligns perfectly with our ambitions to develop technologies into this really important area”
– Andy Smith, Open Innovation Technology Manager, Johnson Matthey
Plans for 2025
Continued funding has been confirmed by the Henry Royce Institute and three additional ICs will be convened in 2025: 25 March (UCL), 2 July (Manchester) and 12 November (Cambridge).
Further support is now being sought to transition this initiative from a pilot stage to a fully backed programme involving all the Materials Active university TTOs and industry to deliver the materials innovations at the scale and pace required to impact climate resilience. Target funders include Research England and corporate philanthropy, such as banks, family offices, and insurers.
Initial modelling of UK university IP portfolios and the in-kind support from participating companies indicate the need for a £10m shared-risk project, 100% geared by a £5m Research England CCF grant.
A 5-year set of targets would include:
- Securing £40-50m of additional external RD&I investment in accelerated projects
- 50 commercial licenses awarded to MATcelerate ZERO Industry Partners, spinouts or industry delivering growing gross value added (GVA)
- Transitioning to a financially self-sustainable operating model
With a clear plan for growth and sustainability, the programme aims to increase the return on investment in early-stage research in UK universities tackling our highest priority national issues and enhancing the translation of materials into impactful applications.
Next steps
Industry Partner involvement is crucial and the MATcelerate ZERO team will reach out in the new year with more details of the public fundraising activities and requests to formalise support. In the meantime, we ask Industry Partners to provide feedback (via chloe.white@bristol.ac.uk) on:
- Performance of the programme to date
- Key materials themes that are most important to addressing the climate emergency
- Suggestions of additional ways they can support MATcelerate ZERO in 2025