UKERC EDC: Home

24/04/2026

36 new projects added

SAFEGRID: Strategic Assessment for Flood Events across the Grid

GRN: NPG_NIA_059

Period: 01/12/2025 to 30/06/2027

Funding Source: Ofgem

Within a ferromagnet (FM), each atom has a magnetic moment that behaves like a bar magnet with a north and south pole, and all atomic moments align in parallel to produce a macroscopic magnetic moment. In 1932, Louis Néel proposed the existence of antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials in which each atomic moment is instead aligned antiparallel to its immediate neighbours. The magnetic fields from individual atoms then cancel out at the atomic scale, causing Néel to remark that AFMs would be useless for all practical purposes. However, recent breakthroughs have shown how electric currents, electric fields, or laser light can modify the orientation of magnetic moments within AFMs, and that the direction of the moments may be read out with polarised light or using electrical contacts. AFMs may conduct and even amplify a current of electronic angular momentum, while magnetic moments within AFMs may be rotated more than 100 times faster than within FMs. In fact, it is possible to change the alignment of magnetic moments within both FMs and AFMs on timescales of about 1 picosecond (1 trillionth of a second), by controlling the transfer of angular momentum within the material following ultrafast laser excitation. Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have enabled the dawn of the digital age, but at the cost of spiralling energy consumption. Worst case projections are for production and operation of ICT systems to consume 21% of global electricity supply by 2030. Rather than building more data centres, the solution is to develop devices that process and store more data while using less energy. Devices based on magnetic materials are extremely attractive for their non-volatility (information is retained when powered off), while use of AFMs favours greater device density, since the absence of stray magnetic fields avoids cross-talk, and increased speed. For example, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) based on FMs is being developed for computer cache, but increased storage capacity could be realized by instead using an AFM and rotating its magnetic moments through 90° to represent a binary 0 or 1. AFMs could be used to construct ultra-compact magnetic field sensors that enable increased data densities within hard disk drives (HDDs), while ultrafast all-optical switching (AOS) of magnetic order could remove the need for pulsed magnetic fields within a HDD, greatly reducing the complexity of the recording head and the energy required for both its manufacture and operation. AOS could also be exploited in non-volatile all-optical devices for energy efficient telecommunications, or for gating magnetic elements that generate magnetic fields for use in quantum computation. The potential benefits of AFMs extend beyond data storage to brain-like computation, nanoscale sources and detectors of THz frequency radiation, and angular momentum amplifiers to deliver fan-out in spintronic systems. AFM coupled nanostructures are attractive for use in magnetic hyperthermia as a cancer therapy to avoid agglomeration within biological tissue, while AFM minerals may contain information about the earth and solar system in the distant past. The aim of AFMNET is to build an interdisciplinary community to deliver UK leadership in the science of AFMs and ultrafast magnetic processes so that the UK can reap the benefits that they provide

SHARED: Smart Hydrogen and Resilient Energy Decarbonisation

GRN: ENA_10158623

Period: 01/05/2025 to 01/08/2025

Funding Source: Ofgem

The National Materials Innovation Strategy has highlighted developing a digital thread through materials discovery, manufacturing, in-service performance and (re)use – aka Materials 4.0 - as the highest priority to realise accelerated scientific and economic benefit across the UK materials supply chain. This short proposal will produce three case studies to underpin future programmes and investment for delivering Materials 4.0, empowered by AI, to ensure innovative global leadership for the UK in this vital area. AI is key tool in delivering Material 4.0. The widespread adoption of emergent detailed data capture and control capability, alongside AI tools and techniques, will revolutionise the pace and impact of materials’ discovery, optimisation and automation across many industries from national infrastructure to defence. To achieve this, the AI needs include relevant data access (historic and future), applying materials-informed machine-learning and language models, to forecast emerging materials innovation. This is underpinned by automated data capture, storage and analytics that include the AI-driven characterisation of materials and properties, and identify structure-property relationships that can be exploited. A UK transition to Materials 4.0, extracting the transformational power of AI, must be cohesive for maximum impact, facilitating the integration of digital tools and data development across diverse industries and sectors. The Henry Royce Institute (Royce), the EPSRC’s national materials institute, aims to work with the materials community to establish the framework for delivering the necessary skills, best practices and infrastructure. This includes consideration of a national capability (e.g. a UK Materials Informatic Centre) to drive cross-sector change and draws on inspiration from other sciences (e.g. European Bioinformatics Institute) and countries. Our initial focus will be on automating materials data capture, storage and analytics and integrating this into an exemplar ‘design-to-device’ supply-chain for data-driven materials discovery and performance. This includes the exploitation of open-source materials datasets and materials-domain-specific language models that Royce has collated for the materials community via its new Digital Materials Foundry (launched 16 May 2025: https://www.royce.ac.uk/programmes/digital-materials-foundry/). This aligns with §1.2 of the UK government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. We will exploit materials-informed machine-learning and big-data analytics for materials and property prediction. This will be done through incorporating AI enabled surrogate model approaches to bridge numerical and analytical models that cover multiple length scales up to component/device level; this includes their interface into manufacturing needs where our centre will ultimately connect into wider programmes and challenge-led activities such as Made Smarter. Royce has commissioned work to develop a framework and implementation strategy for a national, connected framework that will accelerate the widespread adoption and integration of Materials 4.0 across the UK’s materials innovation ecosystem and industrial supply chain. This proposal will provide three underpinning case studies to understand the architecture needed for Materials 4.0. These cases will focus on (1) AI driven automation of data collection and analysis for facilities, (2) development of FAIR data infrastructure for autonomous energy materials discovery, and (3) optimising a factory production line’s efficiency using AI analysis of historical data

Smart ReStart

GRN: NIA_ENWL_041

Period: 01/08/2025 to 31/03/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

We propose the creation of AIRTUK, a national centre of excellence dedicated to pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for the analysis, prediction, and control of turbulent flows. This hub will unite the UK's foremost experts in turbulence, fluid dynamics, high-performance computing, and machine learning to address one of the most complex and enduring challenges in physics, with far-reaching implications for aerospace, energy & environmental sciences. It will be created in close partnership with the Alan Turing institute. AIRTUK will position the UK at the global forefront of AI-enhanced turbulence research, creating a sustainable ecosystem that drives innovation across disciplines while addressing critical industrial challenges and environmental concerns. The objectives of the hub are (1) Research Excellence: Deliver groundbreaking research that fundamentally transforms how turbulent flows are studied, modelled, and understood by integrating cutting-edge AI methodologies with classical fluid dynamics approaches, (2) Data Infrastructure: Develop and maintain a comprehensive national infrastructure for curating large-scale datasets (in collaboration with the National Wind Tunnel Facility), creating an invaluable resource accessible to the entire UK research community, (3) AI Innovation: Drive forward UK's AI capabilities by developing novel techniques, algorithms, and analytical approaches with applications extending beyond turbulence research into diverse scientific and industrial domains, (4) Environmental Sustainability: Pioneer environmentally sustainable approaches to turbulence research through energy-efficient computing techniques (sharing best practice and latest developments in on-the-fly post processing), and applications focused on reducing carbon footprints, (5) Diversity & Inclusion: Address diversity challenges through targeted knowledge exchange activities, and various outreach activities; share ideas/tools required for a broader up-skill of the UK high education landscape

StormTriage 2

GRN: NPG_NIA_057

Period: 01/09/2025 to 31/07/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

This project aims to pioneer an integrated, high-throughput approach for accelerating the design and qualification of new austenitic steels for creep-fatigue environments. The key objectives are: Design new alloy compositions with improved phase stability by combining combinatorial experiments and computational thermodynamics modelling. Establish a high-throughput bulk materials processing route to enable efficient characterisation and parallel testing of multiple compositions. Address the low-throughput limitation of creep-fatigue testing by leveraging full-field strain measurement techniques to analyse a single sample containing multiple compositions. It is fully aligned with the vision, and now requires the capital investment underpinning the “Materials 4.0” Big Idea, put forward by the Royce to the EPSRC, emphasising the need for integrated tools, protocols, and methods to accelerate materials discovery, testing, and characterisation. By working with the Royce my aim is to shorten the development cycle for new materials, which typically spans 10-20 years for safety-critical applications at present. This lengthy timeline poses a significant barrier to meeting our 2050 net-zero commitment. This project proposes a ground-breaking solution: an integrated, high-throughput framework designed to accelerate materials innovation. The UK’s next-generation high-temperature nuclear reactor (HTGR) offers an ideal environment to showcase this novel approach due to its far-reaching impacts, and unique regulatory conditions compared to other sectors. Specifically, the HTGR design requires a safe and efficient heat transfer system with a 60-year lifespan, making the long-term integrity of heat exchangers and boiler components critical. The principal degradation mechanism is creep-fatigue, a significant material challenge that must be addressed during the design phase. The PI, a newly appointed Professor at Southampton, currently lacks the full range of facilities and resources required to realise the project aim. By utilising the Advanced Metals Processing (AMP) facilities at Royce and collaborating with the AMP Area Leads, this project will enable the manufacturing of samples with tailored compositional gradients. Further, Southampton's expertise in combinatorial approach for thin-film material synthesis and screening will be leveraged to intelligently bypass its intrinsic scale-up limitations. Additionally, Southampton’s full-field measurement capabilities will be fully utilised to enable the simultaneous verification of creep-fatigue behaviour in multiple compositions on a single sample, significantly overcoming the constraints of conventional low-throughput testing methods. This collaborative effort not only unites complementary expertise and resources of different institutions but also creates synergies that amplify the impact of each contribution. Our vision is a step-change in development time and cost savings associated with materials innovation. While this project focuses on advanced nuclear fission, the high-throughput methodology developed will benefit a broader community, including those working on fusion, ultra-supercritical power, conventional power plants requiring fuel flexibility, long-term operation of advanced gas-turbines, and petrochemical plants. As a result, this project will also benefit the Royce in its mission to accelerate the introduction of new materials into industrial applications. This project is inherently interdisciplinary and directly addresses the challenges facing next-generation nuclear, which is essential for enhancing the environmental and economic benefits. By successfully overcoming the creep-fatigue material challenge, this project will unlock the full potential of HTGR technology, enabling the elevated nuclear heat to decarbonise the hard-to-abate sectors, which currently generate 25% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. In terms of applications, our accelerated materials discovery framework is ultimately linked to both national and international drivers, such as the transition to zero carbon, sustainable materials and manufacturing, and the circular economy

Suitability Assessment of Type Testing Procedures against SF6-free Switchgear (SATPaSS)

GRN: NIA2_NGET0089

Period: 01/09/2025 to 30/09/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

Our proposal takes a promising technology for the production of sustainable biofuels, with the potential to make a significant contribution in the transition to a prosperous net zero, closer to commercial reality. The main current sustainable alternative to gasoline/petrol is bioethanol and this is now part of the standard fuel blend in the UK (E10 or E5). However, ethanol has drawbacks as a fuel; its energy density is relatively low (around 70% that of gasoline), it can easily retain water leading to separation problems in fuel tanks, and it has a proven tendency to corrode existing engine technology and fuel infrastructure. These factors limit blend ratios to those already achieved, i.e. around 10%. By contrast, butanol has emerged as a promising advanced fuel molecule with drop-in performance much closer to traditional fuels but is difficult to manufacture in a sustainable way at scale. In previous EPSRC-funded research, we have developed catalysts for the so-called Guerbet reaction that will upgrade readily-available small bioalcohols (methanol and ethanol) into butanols (n-butanol and isobutanol). This low-energy pathway using sustainable feedstocks to a fuel which is a potential drop-in replacement for gasoline has clear benefits. Using other related feedstocks (e.g. longer chain alcohols), this reaction can also be extended to other sustainable fuel types such as synthetic aviation fuels, expanding the benefit of this research even further. The performance of our catalysts in lab-scale batch experiments is promising but key technological questions remain, especially regarding the formation of unwanted solid by-products. These by-products are known to result from unwanted reactions with the water that is co-produced during the Guerbet reaction and there is good preliminary evidence that moving from a batch to a continuous process is the most viable route to remove this water and therefore supress by-product formation. The main aim of this project is to prove that a continuous process is viable and overcomes the current technological limitations. Specific objectives include identifying the reactor configuration, conditions and catalysts that will achieve this aim. Crucially, we will also transfer this knowledge to our industry partners by a series of actions including industry placements for key researchers. We will move this area to a higher technology readiness level and allow industry to make robust decisions in terms of the investment that is needed for the next stage of development. The potential benefits of this project are significant, in that it could unlock the potential of a technology which could be widely deployed across the manufacture of sustainable liquid fuels, accelerating the adoption and impact of this technology as a positive contribution to achieving net zero

Super DuPPR: Dual Purpose Power Reserves

GRN: ENA_10157280

Period: 01/05/2025 to 01/08/2025

Funding Source: Ofgem

The transition to renewable energy is crucial for the UK to meet its climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen, as a clean and versatile energy carrier, is key to this effort. By 2050, the UK will need 7.5 to 13.8 million tonnes (Mt) of hydrogen, potentially covering up to a third of final energy consumption. Globally, hydrogen demand is expected to reach 115 Mt by 2030. Electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, is considered a promising method for producing green hydrogen. However, it faces significant hurdles, particularly the high consumption of fresh water—about 9.0 kg of water per 1.0 kg of hydrogen. This poses a barrier to industrializing green hydrogen. Seawater, an abundant resource, offers an alternative but brings challenges like corrosion and impurities that affect the efficiency and lifespan of electrocatalysts. Advancements in electrode materials are needed to make seawater electrolysis more efficient and viable. This ambitious project aims to address these challenges by developing robust, cost-effective and efficient bifunctional perovskite catalysts capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of seawater electrolysis and producing economically viable green hydrogen. The project intends to achieve a current density of 10mA cm-2 with less than 1.5 V and stability exceeding 200 hours using these perovskite electrocatalysts in an electrolyser cell. The project’s success relies on combining expertise in high-throughput clean material engineering (LSBU), in-depth characterization, and the utilization of specialized equipment to accelerate understanding and optimization (LSBU/Oxford), along with electrode development (UoE/LSBU) for advancing catalytic materials for efficient energy conversion. The catalysts, based on the layered Ruddlesden–Popper (R–P) structure of Aurivillius perovskite oxides (ABO3), will be produced via an environmentally friendly, rapid, and controllable continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis method, addressing current synthesis challenges. To accelerate discovery, we will employ a high-throughput mode, enabling rapid synthesis, screening and optimization of catalyst properties. Selectivity and stability will be achieved through heteroatom substitutions at the A and B sites, nanoarchitecture tuning, and corrosion protection via surface modification and the application of a corrosion-resistant layer. Advanced in-situ characterization techniques will be used to observe the real-time interactions between the catalyst and electrolyte, as well as the dynamic formation of the corrosion-resistant layer. This will directly and clearly reveal the underlying reaction mechanisms of the process. We believe that the fabrication and characterization of advanced catalytic materials, along with the study of energy conversion mechanisms and the investigation of electrode/electrolyte/catalyst interfaces, charge carrier dynamics, and catalytic reactions, will provide a profound understanding and firm basis for constructing a commercially feasible electrolyser cell for direct seawater electrolysis. This transformative project aims to enhance the development of electrocatalysts, which are essential for improving the efficiency and economic viability of seawater electrolysis. The multidisciplinary nature of the proposed project is not limited to seawater splitting. The material design, fabrication, and characterisation strategies developed in this project will contribute to other advanced materials research frontiers, such as CO2 reduction, fuel cells, batteries, sensors, photocatalysis, and electro-ceramics. Additionally, this project will create new opportunities for collaboration with leading researchers and experts from prestigious national Hubs and Centres

Transformer ReStart (TReS)

GRN: NIA2_NGET0095

Period: 01/11/2025 to 30/11/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

Following high-profile incidents like the Lakanal House and Grenfell Tower fires, which exposed how seemingly routine building maintenance enact violence towards local populations, this project addresses the urgent need to retrofit high-rise buildings in ways that are both environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. With over 16% of EU emissions coming from the domestic sector, and high-rises being particularly "complex-to-decarbonise," retrofitting these structures is crucial. However, the process presents significant socio-technical challenges, including fire hazards and moisture problems that compromise structural integrity and resident health, as evidenced by the Grenfell Inquiry. These challenges are not merely technical but deeply social and cultural, embedded in the lived realities of inhabitants and the institutional frameworks that govern retrofitting. Using ethnographic and visual research methods, I will engage residents, architects, and policymakers to create retrofit solutions that prioritise safety, well-being, and cultural integrity. The project combines an ethnographic study of a retrofitted high-rise in Lewisham, South London, with participant observation inside the Lewisham Council’s Climate Resilience team, which developed the borough’s Housing Retrofit Strategy. This dual approach captures both residents' lived experiences and the institutional framework guiding retrofitting, offering a comprehensive view of its impacts and governance. Lewisham’s diverse community, grassroots activism, and ageing high-rise housing stock provide a rich context to explore how environmental goals intersect with residents' experiences and the borough's unique social and historical dynamics. The unique anthropological contribution lies in developing a new theoretical framework that reframes retrofitting as a practice of "infrastructural care," foregrounding the interplay between material changes to buildings and the social, cultural, and emotional dimensions of residents' lives. The research aims to create this framework by integrating architectural transformations with residents’ social relations, cultural practices, and embodied experiences, bridging technical demands with the lived realities of residents. Research questions: How do residents of ageing high-rises in London engage with the retrofitting process, and how do their values and practices intersect with or challenge the sustainability priorities of local authorities? In what ways can retrofitting practices be reimagined as a form of infrastructural care that aligns technical imperatives with residents’ cultural, social, and emotional needs? How can retrofitting strategies address the dual goals of environmental sustainability and social equity, fostering meaningful collaboration between residents and local councils? By identifying the challenges that climate change poses for ageing buildings and examining the infrastructural care required to address them, this study opens a new interdisciplinary approach to retrofitting. The project’s objectives are: Empirical: Develop an evidence-based understanding of residents’ experiences of retrofitting, exploring their views, values, and critiques. Compare tenants' concerns with those of the council to examine how climate resilience strategies are implemented and perceived. Conceptual: Expand and integrate anthropological theories on the home, infrastructure, and climate change, and develop architectural theory through an anthropologically grounded approach to retrofitting as infrastructural care. Engagement: Intervene in public and policy debates through co-creative methods such as ethnographic documentary and participatory workshops, fostering collaboration between residents and local authorities. Practical: Transform retrofitting practices by developing a socio-technical framework for a sustainable building industry. This co-creative approach will produce actionable frameworks for local councils and housing authorities, enhancing policy, cross-sector collaboration, and a sustainable building industry. The adaptable model developed here will provide strategies for retrofitting that address climate resilience and social equity in urban housing across the UK and beyond

UAV-based Remote Hyperspectral Imaging for Condition Assessment (URHICA)

GRN: NIA2_NGET0087

Period: 01/05/2025 to 31/05/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

The rapid expansion of the wind energy sector has led to increasingly large and clustered wind farms, sitting at close proximity to each other. Often new wind farms are built upstream of already existing ones, reducing the power production of the farms that were installed first, together with the turbine lifespan due to increased loads. Examples of that are the clustered farms in the North Sea, and the US great planes. The wind turbines in a farm generate wakes which coalesce, forming a massive turbulent air flow at the outlet of the farm, with significant mean wind speed deficits and enhanced turbulence. This "combined" flow propagates downstream for tens of kilometres, reaching subsequent farms. Therefore, farm-to-farm aerodynamic interactions are expected to become a major challenge in the wind industry, with wind farms "stealing the wind" from each other, lowering the overall power production. To prevent this, proper planning guidelines need to be developed. These should ensure that the wind farm spacing is adequate, so that the reduced kinetic energy of the wind at the wake of a farm has had sufficient time to recover, before reaching subsequent farms, and new wind turbine and wind farm arrangements are developed that minimize the production of very large wind wake deficits. However, at present, the wind farm-to-farm wake production and interaction is poorly understood, and thus there is a critical need for developing new knowledge. To address this issue, the proposed research will investigate the problem of successive wind farm wake interactions and develop reduced-order representations of use to industry and national laboratories. Specifically, we will quantify and develop models for (i) the production and recovery of momentum deficit that a single farm generates at its outflow, and (ii) its interaction with downstream farms. A combination of four research teams in three countries will perform detailed large- and small-scale laboratory experiments and high-fidelity numerical simulations that will be used to consider a multitude of real-world conditions, including changes in ground surface roughness, the Coriolis force, thermal stratification, global blockage and entrainment between the atmospheric boundary layer and the wind farm wake. The results will be complemented by wind farm field data, provided from industrial partners. The datasets will be used to develop and test new wind farm flow models that are able to capture the important flow physics, yet are computationally inexpensive, i.e. designed to run in laptop computers of use to industry when developing preliminary analyses in future wind farm projects

Visual Overhead Line Tracking (VOLT)

GRN: NIA_ENWL_043

Period: 09/10/2025 to 08/01/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

Context: Producing stable, single tone terahertz (0.1-10 THz) radiation at power levels demanded by applications is a long-standing physics challenge. The “THz gap” arises from the dearth of suitable THz quantum transitions, and the limitations in power and efficiency of electronic methods. Solid state techniques, often requiring complex chains of multipliers, are limited to hundreds of milliwatts while - with the exception of very large, high voltage devices dependent on precise and high magnetic fields - the miniaturisation of vacuum electronics at THz frequencies restricts attainable power. Application Impact and Benefits: The urgent need to bridge this gap is motivated by a wide range of important applications including: instrumentation for techniques in structural biology and drug design (DNP-NMR/ESR), drive sources and turbulence diagnostics for fusion energy, non-destructive testing of composites, communications and advanced high frequency radar systems. Terahertz waves at the lower end of the spectrum are the only realistic way to deliver energy and particularly to drive current in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. As these develop from research systems to real energy production systems, both the density and the magnetic field appear likely to increase. This increases the frequency requirement for the drive beam. The target power, efficiency and frequencies demanded by fusion are rapidly-approaching technological limits. New steady-state THz sources based on concepts underpinning this work will support the UK initiative to put fusion energy on this grid by 2040. Challenge: The generation of powerful THz signals using conventional electron beam-driven oscillators is hindered by the requirement for the transverse interaction region size to be comparable to the radiation wavelength λ. Increasing the interaction space size to enhance the power capabilities (by maintaining a given power density) dramatically increases the number of allowed modes within the system, with undesirable consequences (parasitic mode excitation, loss of efficiency and coherence). This project exploits multi-dimensional interaction structures composed of periodic subwavelength features. Similar to metamaterials, known for their unique properties, these structures can radically modify the electromagnetic waves to form a dominant coupled "supermode" at any desired frequency Cherenkov radiation can be generated via the interaction between this supermode and the axial motion of energetic electrons. The relative propagation of the electromagnetic wave and the electrons can be controlled using multidimensional structures, with the potential for superradiant emission. In superradiance, the wave is initiated by the leading edge of the beam before propagating back through the transient pulse of electrons, growing and propagating in a soliton-like manner, and compressing the energy into a signal substantially shorter in duration than the driving electron pulse. The novelty lies in the use of the grossly overmoded multidimensional structures which offer superior frequency control and tuning of the slippage (relative phase velocities of the electrons and electromagnetic wave) with the potential for unprecedented peak power . Understanding the coupling dynamics as the interaction conditions change from the steady-state to the transient regime, represents an important step towards closing the THz gap, offering substantive environmental, economic and societal benefits. Aims and Objectives: A self-consistent theory of the complicated electromagnetic and electrodynamic coupling, informed by and compared with numerical eigenmode calculations and full-wave simulations will be developed. Experimental measurements of THz structures made using ultra-high-precision machining (RAL) will be undertaken at the EPSRC THz measurement facility to benchmark the theory and simulations.

VoltFault

GRN: NPG_NIA_058

Period: 01/10/2025 to 31/07/2026

Funding Source: Ofgem

The ability of zeolites - microporous materials comprised primarily of silicon, aluminium and oxygen - to exchange the cations with the surrounding media underpins multiple technologies which impact modern life, for example, water purification, water softening (including in detergents) and remediation of nuclear waste. Mined natural zeolite deposits have cost and formulation advantages over synthetic zeolites and, in some cases, offer a ready supply of zeolite frameworks which are difficult to obtain synthetically with high purity. However, use of natural zeolites is limited because of the restricted number of frameworks found naturally, and source variability in chemical properties they display. Developing methods to modify, control and tailor the chemistry of natural zeolites is an important scientific challenge. Research from the PI's group has recently demonstrated that partial interzeolite transformation (PIZT) – where a parent zeolite structural is partially converted to a new zeolite using low-temperature chemical transformations – can be performed on natural zeolite granules to form core-shell composites of two zeolite structures with complementary ion-exchange chemistry whilst retaining the granule morphology (hemical Science, (2024), 10.1039/D4SC02664K). These have demonstrated exceptional promise as replacement strontium/caesium sorbents for remediation of aqueous waste in the nuclear industry - addressing an urgent industrial challenge. However, the mechanical properties of the granules are suboptimal for use in flow systems; this hampers translation to higher technology-readiness levels. To overcome this, links must be forged between the PIZT conditions, microstructure and mechanical properties. The primary aim of the proposal is to develop the capability to simultaneously control the mechanical and chemical properties of granular composite zeolites (GCZs) formed by PIZT. Assembling a new team of collaborators from academia, industry, research centres and central facilities, the proposed research will link synthesis conditions, material structure - ranging from the atomic- to macro-scale - with the full range of relevant physical properties. This will deliver the fundamental understanding required to engineer optimised strontium/caesium sorbents for nuclear waste remediation. This primary aim will be accomplished through addressing the following specific objectives: O1 Elucidate how PIZT conditions determine the phase, morphology and ion-exchange properties of GCZ. O2. Determine the mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of GCZs through new collaborations with the Henry Royce Institute and the National X-ray Computed Tomography Centre. O3. Uncover the atomic- and micron-scale mechanisms of PIZT in forming GCZs. O4. Explore structure-led synthesis of GCZs to generate new ion-exchange materials with targeted properties. A further objective of the proposed programme, aligned with the funding call, is to transform the burgeoning nuclear research programme of the PI from being focused primarily on atomic-scale materials chemistry into a wider material engineering standpoint, taking into account microstructural and mechanical properties, ultimately accelerating these materials towards optimisation and deployment. This will be achieved by establishing two new partnerships with UKRI-funded centres with complementary expertise - the Henry Royce Institute and the National X-ray Computed Tomography Centre - whilst deepening established connections with Diamond Light Source, Sellafield Ltd and National Nuclear Laboratory. In the short term, this project will provide a step-change in the number of natural zeolite sources available for development as ion-exchangers for the nuclear industry. In the longer term, far-reaching impact for these materials is envisaged in a diverse range of applications where multiple complementary chemical properties are required from single materials sources – from catalysis to carbon dioxide capture

14/01/2026

21 new projects added

AFMNET: a network on antiferromagnetic materials and ultrafast magnetic processes

GRN: UKRI2035

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

The chemicals industry is looking for more green and sustainable routes to the synthesis of important molecules as it looks towards a carbon net zero future. Many current synthetic methods require toxic reagents and energy-intensive reaction conditions. In some cases, these issues can be addressed through the use of enzymes, which can be used under mild conditions and possess excellent reaction selectivities that suit the synthesis of complex pharmaceutical molecules. Amines, for example, are a class of compound that feature in a large proportion of small molecule drugs, and their synthesis in single ‘optical isomer’ form, which is highly important for the synthesis of bioactive molecules and drugs, can be achieved using a range of enzymes. The current choice of enzyme - ‘transaminases’ - present a number of drawbacks with respect to industrial application, and there is a need for complementary enzymes with better industrial potential and superior properties. In this project, we will look to investigate the potential of one emerging alternative class of enzyme, ‘native Amine Dehydrogenases’ (nat-AmDHs), and to enable these for the scalable synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds and their precursors. Our collaborators in France, Gensocope, have performed exhaustive screens of known biological sequences of proteins for AmDHs. Together with our team at York, we will start to investigate the scope and potential of the new enzymes. Our aims are to use a mixture of synthetic organic chemistry and molecular biology to make enzymes and test them for their synthetic potential. We will determine the structures of the enzymes using X-ray crystallography, so that we can then engineer the enzymes for altered and improved activity, stability and process suitability. We will then look to apply the enzymes at a demonstration scale. The project will yield catalysts and processes that we anticipate will supersede the performance of transaminase enzymes for the industrial synthesis of amines, and advance the uptake of green and sustainable methods for pharmaceutical synthesis in the chemicals industry

AI for Science: Delivering Materials 4.0 in the UK

GRN: UKRI2711

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/04/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context: Silicon photovoltaic cells are by far the most common with >400GW of capacity installed in 2023. But they suffer from an Achilles' heel; they are bound by the laws of physics never to attain an efficiency greater than 31% as silicon’s bandwidth means they only generate electricity across a narrow range of wavelengths. Our technology utilises programmed assembly of biomolecules to template the synthesis of non-linear meta-atoms which interact with the sun's light and shift infrared wavelengths into the red region of the spectrum, so they contribute to electricity generation. This boosts the PV efficiency to a theoretical maximum >38%. Importantly, our technology can be sustainably produced using biomanufacture and is readily integrated into PV manufacture, but also easily retrofitted to existing PVs in the field. By boosting both installed and future capacity, the significant carbon savings will make a meaningful contribution to humankind's journey to meet the UN's SDG7 renewable energy goals, and ultimately net-zero. We have demonstrated design and fabrication of optical metamaterials in the lab (millilitre scale). Funded by Dstl/DASA we have achieved proof-of-concept for biomolecule-templated synthesis of nanoscale metallic resonators that interact with optical wavelengths of light. Our recent BBSRC Breakthrough Award took the first step towards upscale using engineering biology approaches to manufacture our template biomolecules in a bacterial chassis (sub-litre scale). These pilot studies give us great confidence in the technology with techno-economic analysis indicating we can deliver an attractive reduction in levelized cost of energy. Challenge addressed: Our metamaterial may be thought of as an optically-active additive that must now be encapsulated in a “binder”, akin to a pigment in a paint. The requirements for the binder are that it facilitates the transportation of the metamaterial to the PV’s surface, it acts to promote favourable orientation of the resonators and it forms a protective overlayer. These requirements must be delivered without compromising light transmission. The challenge that this bid tackles is the formulation of the binder material system to achieve a family of metaVarnish products to take our metamaterial from the lab to real-world deployment. Collaboration enabled: The award enables a new collaboration between the academic team and the National Formulation Centre at CPI. Elfick & Seviour have backgrounds in Engineering Biology and Electromagnetic Materials respectively, but lack the requisite expertise in coatings and formulations. The fit to NFC’s competences is excellent. We anticipate that this will be a long-term relationship as we re-imagine our metamaterial for different applications and reformulate our coating accordingly, e.g., metaInks for inkjet printing in optoelectronic devices. Aims and objectives: The aim of this Working with Centres Award is to accelerate us from TRL2 to TRL5 through delivery of a multidisciplinary collaboration delivering a PV coating technology. Facilitating rapid, large-area treatment, the material system must meet the challenges identified above with the end-goal of passing accelerated environmental tests prior to deployment in a field trial at the University of Edinburgh's 3MW solar farm. Potential applications and benefits: Whilst framed around silicon-based PVs, our technology can be redesigned to boost performance in any PV technology by harvesting wasted wavelengths of light. The benefits to solar energy sector stand to be considerable as will the contribution to addressing the drivers of climate change. Beyond this, the metamaterial coating has trickle-down applications across myriad domains including optoelectronics and architectural/horticultural/vehicular glasses

AIRTUK: The UK Artificial Intelligence for Turbulence Research Hub

GRN: UKRI2694

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/04/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context and Challenge Climate change is reshaping our indoor environments, bringing higher temperatures, shifting humidity levels, and altering pollution patterns in buildings. As we strive for enhanced energy efficiency in buildings to meet the UK Government’s 2050 Net Zero targets, there is a risk of compromising indoor environmental quality (IEQ), particularly due to reduced ventilation when indoor pollution sources are not addressed. While outdoor greening solutions like green walls and trees are well-researched and increasingly in popularity, we lack a clear understanding of how indoor plants affect IEQ and their interplay with outdoor greening near buildings and how their impact will change as the climate warms. GREENIN will address these knowledge gaps by studying key questions about indoor plants and IEQ. The research aims to explore the effectiveness of indoor plants in purifying air, regulating temperature, and controlling humidity, and how building design, construction, and the inhabitants’ activities affect the impact of indoor plants. GREENIN will focus on determining the best ways to measure the potential benefits of indoor greening and examine how climate change might influence these benefits. Additionally, the network will investigate the effects of indoor plants on human health and well-being, while identifying the most effective plants and methods for creating healthier indoor environments. Vision, Aims, and Objectives GREENIN seeks to revolutionise our understanding of indoor green spaces and their impact on health and well-being. To achieve this, our initial, multidisciplinary team - comprising researchers from five leading UK institutions and 27 key stakeholders, including international partners - provides the foundation of the network, which will evolve into a nationally and internationally recognised force in the field. Our objectives are to: (1) Build a network of multidisciplinary specialists; (2) Conduct collaborative studies to expand our knowledge of indoor greening; (3) Create practical guidelines for building design and management professionals; and (4) Promote wider use of greening to enhance building environments and public health. GREENIN will explore the optimal design and implementation of indoor green spaces, assess their advantages and disadvantages under changing environmental conditions, and evaluate their effects on IEQ. Additionally, GREENIN will examine the broader impacts of greening both inside and around buildings, including potential energy savings and heat mitigation. Our goal is to guide informed decisions about improving indoor environmental quality in a warming climate, integrating green features to create healthier, safer indoor environments while addressing energy conservation and climate change challenges. Potential Applications and Benefits GREENIN's research has wide-ranging potential benefits, providing evidence on whether and how indoor plants improve IEQ, and create healthier spaces. This includes studying air quality, hygrothermal control, and biological, social, and psychological effects. Our work will offer practical insights for designing healthier indoor green spaces while supporting energy efficiency and heat reduction. These insights will benefit the public, especially vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with health conditions sensitive to poor indoor air quality. By involving businesses, policymakers, and environmental groups, GREENIN will help incorporate greening practices into building design and management. Our guidelines, policy advice, and innovative solutions will influence urban and indoor planning, creating healthier indoor environments resilient to climate change challenges

Accelerated Design and Qualification of Austenitic Steels for Creep-fatigue (ADEQUACy)

GRN: UKRI636

Period: 29/09/2025 to 29/07/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

What is this network about? The HESTIA Network (Home Environment Solutions through Technology and Innovation for All) aims to create a new approach to home design and upgrades, integrating existing and emerging building technologies to make buildings healthy for all people, and for the environment by reducing carbon emissions. Who are we? HESTIA is a team of interdisciplinary researchers from leading UK universities, spanning engineering and architecture, environmental and atmospheric sciences, human health and the social sciences. We work closely with government and housing organisations that manage housing provision, regulation, and design, and with communities most affected by unhealthy homes to ensure that HESTIA helps to improve health for all. Why focus on housing? Many millions of homes in the UK are being built, and upgraded with a focus on improving energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions. This is typically achieved through improving building thermal insulation and airtightness to prevent heat loss. However, minimal attention is paid at the moment to what this means for the health and wellbeing of the people living in them. Housing is a key factor that determines people's health because people spend more than two thirds of their time indoors at home, and current evidence suggests that deprived communities tend to suffer from poorer quality housing. While energy efficiency upgrades can improve health and reduce health inequalities through, for example, tackling the ongoing fuel poverty crisis, high levels of building thermal insulation and air tightness can worsen the quality of our indoor environments if not implemented properly. For example, they can increase exposure to harmful indoor air pollutants, damp and mould, and make indoor temperatures uncomfortable in the summer. In turn, this can worsen mental and physical health, and health inequalities. Many new and established technologies are currently being installed into homes alongside building insulation to make them more energy efficient, such as smart meters that monitor energy use, and replacing gas boilers with heat pumps. At the same time, new technological devices such as low-cost air quality sensors and air cleaners are increasingly being used in homes to make them better for human health. The HESTIA Network will address how these technologies can work together to both improve environmental health through reducing carbon emissions while improving physical and mental health and reducing health inequalities. What will the HESTIA network do? The HESTIA Network will focus on: Building community: We will build a community across academic disciplines, policy, industry, and the general public through a series of in person and online activities. We will share research, best practice, and lived-experience to create a forum to guide policy, practice, and research on housing to ensure health and equity are central considerations. Developing research potential: Working with our full range of network members, we will roadmap research and innovation priorities, and fund feasibility studies to understand the role that different engineering interventions and technologies can play in home environments to improve human and environmental health for everyone. Promoting future leaders: We will prioritise researchers in the early stage of their careers to develop future leaders who are equipped to work across different academic disciplines and sectors, as well as with the general public, to co-design and deliver housing solutions in an equitable way

Accelerating Bio Alcohol Upgrading Catalysis for a Prosperous Net Zero

GRN: UKRI777

Period: 14/07/2025 to 14/07/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

This Core Equipment Award will enable Loughborough University to purchase nine items of multiuser equipment underpinning our engineering and physical sciences research and active EPSRC funding portfolio. The equipment will enhance and extend the reach of recent institutional investments in our STEM infrastructure and equipment, supporting key research areas under Loughborough’s Research and Innovation strategy ‘Creating Better Futures. Together’ and strongly aligning to one of our three core strategic themes ‘Climate change and Net Zero’. The equipment will be carefully embedded within dedicated spaces of our facilities ecosystem to maximise usage, ensuring efficient staffing support and provision of consumables resources across the different engineering and physical sciences disciplines and fields. Adopting this centrally co-ordinated and institution-wide approach to core equipment will facilitate new research collaborations within academia and with industry partners. The equipment requested in this application will optimise our internal capability and breadth of capacity and will additionally increase our ability to support academic, postdoctoral and technical staff. The training needs of our doctoral researcher community will be fully supported through prioritised time allocation on dedicated equipment and provision of training and development workshops, as well as opportunities to work alongside academic and technical mentors for all Early Career Researchers and students. The selected equipment includes an enhancement of our mass spectrometry capability which is needed to support our growing environmental research activities spanning multiple Schools and research groups across the University, ranging from Chemistry and Physics to Physical Geography, Chemical Engineering, the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) and the Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC). Our multi-user facility for thin film deposition and lithography will be substantially expanded and enhanced through the purchase of a new Reactive Ion Etcher and a maskless Microwriter. This will support the thin film and lithography infrastructure established in the Physics Department extending resolution from ~200 nm to 20 nm and will enable our upcoming early career researchers working across our Physics, Chemistry and Engineering departments to flourish. The award will also support growing demand for our multi-user access facility in thin film and lithography as well as creation of a cross-university ‘Advanced Smart Textile Facility.’ Together these investments will enable accelerated scale-up of current research and innovation endeavours and provide a set of Research Technical Professional-led platforms to support collaborative research across the university, alongside bespoke researcher training and broader career development pathways

Bifunctional Perovskite Electrocatalysts for Efficient Seawater Electrolysis

GRN: UKRI647

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

The UK’s targets for Net Zero are ambitious but must be realised if we are to prevent the worst effects of climate change over the coming decades. A key component of Net Zero is the conversion of sources of electricity to those obtained without the use of fossil fuels and for the UK this means to a large extent offshore wind. The UK has massive potential wind energy resources some of which has been realised already to an impressive extent. We are all now familiar with large offshore wind farms around our coasts and to an extent the UK has been a leader in this area with other countries starting to ramp up their own offshore wind developments (e.g. China and the USA). Offshore energy generation (including wind but int he future potentially tidal, current and wave energy could become significant) requires considerable infrastructure to be developed, maintaining and decommissioned for a resilient energy delivery service. At present, most offshore wind turbines are supported on monopile foundations driven into the seabed, but already we are seeing the advent of floating offshore wind where superstructures are tethered to the seabed via cables and anchors of various different types. As well as the foundations, the electrical services needed to connect a generation source to the grid involves major construction works, e.g. the laying in trenches of cables. As activity increases and time goes on the industry is faced with perhaps new issues, e.g. of having to build new infrastructure adjacent to existing, and the whole issue of decommissioning installations that are obsolete or need replacement. We cannot create a situation where old windfarm locations become areas of brownfield seabed. This sets the scene for this particular proposal which seeks to improve the computational tools that engineers can use to design new installations of the type described above, simulate various scenarios to assess behaviour over time and make predictions of the effect of operations (installation or decommissioning) on the seabed flora and fauna. Practical tools have to be computational. Field testing is expensive, dangerous and site-specific; physical modelling in the laboratory is useful but many issues exist with fidelity to a real site. Computational modelling, properly validated against field data and the lab testing mentioned provides the only way to make the predictions the industry will need to contribute to the Net Zero goals as outlined above. The proposed project starts from a computational software developed at Durham University, which to date has been a vibrant source of solutions to interesting research questions through three EPSRC-funded projects, and will take it to the next level as regards utility to the industry tasked with new offshore developments. The project has a suite of outstanding industry supporters who will guide the researchers during and after the project to ensure that the outputs are indeed the tools that industry needs

CBET-EPSRC: Unwinding entrainment processes in wind farm to wind farm interactions

GRN: EP/Z536131/1

Period: 01/11/2025 to 31/10/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Batteries have changed the way in which we store and consume energy, and promise to be one of the most important technologies in the race to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. In recent years, the mass-adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has led to unprecedented demand for batteries. However, accompanying this is increased concern about the cost, lifetime, and performance of these batteries, as well as the sustainability of the materials that go in to them, and their recyclability at end-of-life. It is therefore important to develop new, high-performance, long-lifetime, and sustainable battery materials, as well as new processing methods that are low-cost and environmentally-friendly. Producing battery materials by microfluidic synthesis is a promising but relatively unexplored area of research. Fluids flowing through microchannels behave very differently to bulk fluids, and these unique properties can be harnessed to synthesise nanoparticles in a low-cost, green and continuous process, with unrivalled control over particle morphology and structure. As a result, microfluidics is already used in the chemicals industry to produce functional nanoparticles, and in the pharmaceutical industry to produce drug particles with lipid- or polymer-coated surfaces. This project will use microfluidics to synthesise next-generation battery cathodes. The cathode is one of the most important materials within a battery, accounting for approximately half of the cost of each cell, and determining its energy density and cycling performance. An exciting, next-generation class of cathode materials, termed lithium-rich cathodes, promises to significantly increase the amount of energy that batteries can store. However, they also experience much more severe degradation than conventional lithium-ion cathodes, which limits battery lifetime and performance, and is a barrier to their commercialisation. The aim of this project is to use the unique advantages of microfluidic flow synthesis to produce lithium-rich cathode particles with tailored nanostructures. These nanostructures will make the cathode particles less susceptible to degradation, and so improve battery performance and lifetime. The objectives of the project are to produce three different kinds of nanostructured particles: 1) single crystal particles, 2) particles with a lithium-rich core and a conventional cathode shell, and 3) metal oxide-coated particles. In each case, optimisation of the microfluidic synthesis conditions will be informed by characterisation of the products through cutting-edge techniques including X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy, advanced imaging, and particle size analysis. Finally, the performance of nanostructured lithium-rich cathode materials will be assessed by testing in battery cells. This ambitious programme of research will be carried out in collaboration with the Faraday Institution’s next generation lithium-ion cathode materials project, CATMAT. CATMAT are the global leaders in understanding, synthesising, and scaling-up production of lithium-rich cathodes. This collaboration opportunity will place myself and the PDRA at the heart of the UK’s battery research community, providing the opportunity to access world-leading characterisation equipment and modelling support, and to collaborate to achieve a depth of understanding and quality of research output which would not otherwise be possible at this early stage in my academic career. We expect to find that tailored lithium rich-cathodes made using microfluidics will outperform those made by batch-processing methods. This finding has the potential to be highly impactful and drive adoption of microfluidic synthesis in industry, particularly as there are also strong economic and environmental incentives to use continuous flow techniques for cathode synthesis

Composite zeolite ion-exchangers for nuclear waste remediation.

GRN: UKRI635

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

An enormous amount of fluids — from water to oil and natural gas — is transported across the globe through pipes and ducts. In the United Kingdom alone there is over 215,277 miles of water pipelines, enough to travel the circumference of the world 8 times. Most often these flows are turbulent, and the associated frictional losses are much larger than those of laminar flows, making it a far less energy-efficient way of transporting fluids. According to estimates, around 10% of the global electric power consumption is spent by pumping systems to overcome frictional drag in pipelines, including not only large-scale oil/gas pipelines, but also domestic networks. Fighting against climate change, the most desirable, yet challenging, outcome that a flow control method could achieve is to completely extinguish turbulence, hence zeroing the associated frictional losses. Even when relaminarisation has been achieved in lab experiments and numerical simulations, it was not possible to explain on a theoretical basis why the control strategy worked, and under which conditions. This lack of understanding has so far prevented up-scaling of relaminarising control strategies for deployment and implementation in practical engineering systems. To overcome these limitations, this project will exploit recent advances in machine-learning and data-driven methods to unravel the physical mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of forced relaminarisation and to provide a mathematical description of its dynamics through the theory of dynamical systems. The understanding gained in this way will be leveraged to develop novel control strategies, based on the same principle, to completely suppress turbulence in pipeline flows of industrial interest. Such vision has important societal and economic implications because vanishing turbulence will massively curb carbon emissions, thus leading to improved air quality and contributing to meeting the net-zero-by-2050 target. This achievement is also of great fundamental interest as it would provide a better understanding of the universal mechanisms sustaining wall-bounded turbulence. As this knowledge applies not only to pipelines but to many other flows of industrial relevance (e.g. flows over the wing of an aeroplane or a turbine blade), it will enable us to control and improve eﬀiciency of these systems in a variety of engineering and technological applications

Enabling Native Amine Dehydrogenases (nat-AmDHs) for the Sustainable Synthesis of Chiral Amines

GRN: UKRI1113

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Power electronics is a major technology sector for the UK, contributing £50B to GDP and direct employment for >300,000 people in 12,000 companies. This proposed project aims to accelerate the UK’s ambition for NetZero by transforming the next generation of high voltage electronic devices using wide/ultra-wide bandgap (WBG/UWBG) compound semiconductors. This project will develop world-class experimental methodologies such as in-situ/ex-situ micro-mechanical testing, nano-/micro-imaging/diffraction (down to ~20 nm resolution) to generate novel understanding of the interfacial strength, 3D nano-/microstructures and the distribution of residual stresses/strains setting the foundation for enhanced performance and reliable WBG/UWBG high voltage power electronic materials/devices including SiC, Ga2O3 and diamond. This project will work with REWIRE IKC (Innovation and Knowledge Centre: Transforming Net Zero with Ultrawide Bandgap Semiconductor Device Technology) led by the University of Bristol with Universities of Warwick and Cambridge with more than 35 industrial partners, providing this project access to the latest and cutting-edge novel power electronics materials and devices, as well as enabling this project to have enhanced commercial impact. This project also allows the PI to expand her network to key industrial stakeholders and academic institutions in power semiconductor electronics. She will bring her unique combination of expertise in fracture mechanics, nano-/micro-resolution tomography/imaging, ceramics and composite materials knowledge from the aerospace and nuclear sector to the semiconductor field, extending her prior GaN research, to support the design and fabrication of novel power electronics materials and devices; this cross-disciplinary combination of expertise does not exist yet either in REWIRE IKC consortium nor the UK in general. This project will also strengthen the connections between REWIRE IKC, Diamond Light Source (project expert partner), National Physical Laboratory (project expert partner), and the National Facility for lab X-ray CT (NXCT, project expert partner). The materials and devices provided to this project by REWIRE will be state-of-the-art examples/prototypes of next generation power devices to demonstrate the non-invasive 3D techniques developed; REWIRE will support the benchmarking of these results against traditional approaches, for example, lab-based defect distribution characterisation at the University of Warwick in SiC materials, conventional transmission electron microscopy analysis at the University of Cambridge, and device failure analysis of Ga2O3 and diamond electronics at the University of Bristol. It is expected that the use of the advanced techniques and methodology established will expand beyond initial device structures targeted, as REWIRE will develop a cluster of new device technologies that can benefit from this project in the longer term. A particular exciting aspect of the project is the ability to track stresses/strains in these novel devices under electrical bias which would be unprecedented, and open new gateways to advanced device reliability analysis and physics of failure studies. This project will host two networking workshops to drive the transfer of knowledge to industrial stakeholders within and beyond REWIRE to enhance the impact in the development of high voltage power electronics. In addition, a joint electronic ceramics and engineering ceramics workshop will be held with emphasis on drawing in PhD students, early career researchers and industry to help expand their network and support their career developments. The impact of the project not only lies in the generation of novel understanding of the advanced WBG/UWBG materials, but also in supporting renewable power generation and local smart grids to meet the increased demand of electrification in the UK and NetZero ambition

Formulating MetaVarnish: Defining a binder system towards indelible metamaterial coatings

GRN: UKRI645

Period: 01/05/2025 to 31/01/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

Cars, trains, satellites, boats, airplanes, and buildings are complex structures where vibration has to be accurately simulated during design. If excessive noise is created by the vibration, then this can affect health and well-being, result in products failing to meet regulations, as well as reducing sales and customer satisfaction. Consequently, vibro-acoustic modelling is vital to product design cycles. However, the current state-of-the-art is incapable of dealing with the challenges arising from electrification for net-zero and other engineering trends such as digital twins and modular/ prefabricated construction. Complex structures require a modelling approach that starts with simulation or measurement of individual components and then combines these to realise a model for the full structure. This component-based approach is used extensively in design today across sectors via various commercial software. However, the available methods are restricted to low-to-mid frequencies due to the limitations of current experimental and numerical techniques, as a consequence of their 'point-wise' view of vibration. There is no suitable framework for mid-to-high frequency vibro-acoustic simulation, the frequency range that is becoming ever more important due to electrification driven by net-zero. The xDEA project will address this industrial capability gap by developing a new simulation framework that combines state-of-the-art experimental methods from Transfer Path Analysis and the cutting-edge high frequency simulation using Dynamical Energy Analysis (DEA, objective 1). DEA will be extended by developing inputs for experimental data representing components that cannot be easily modelled. On the experimental side, xDEA will develop new techniques able to characterise complex components at mid-to-high frequencies (objective 2). Capturing directional information, such as energy flow / intensity, using optical techniques will be the key innovation here. This information is crucial for high frequency simulations. Together, these innovations will provide a robust vibro-acoustics simulation strategy for a broad class of engineering structures. The demand for this is evidenced by support from internationally leading players, including Siemens PLM (software & measurement), Jaguar Land Rover (automotive), Airbus (aerospace), Hoare Lea (construction), BAE Systems (marine) and QinetiQ (defence, marine). Our partners cover key sectors of UK's Plan For Growth and are ready to lead the way in hybrid vibro-acoustics modelling thus supporting Digital Twin design development. Together with our partners, the developments of xDEA will be applied to a series of industry-posed case studies (objective 3) demonstrating the practicality of the new xDEA framework in the mid-to-high frequency range. Not only will industry gain from this research - through decreased product time to market, increased product reliability, and reduced material waste and cost - ultimately the general public will benefit from products and places sounding better, and reducing the harms due to environmental noise

Greening the indoors: transformation of indoor environments in a changing climate (GREENIN)

GRN: UKRI1239

Period: 06/10/2025 to 06/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

Silicon photonics is currently one of the fastest growing areas of research and development. The ability to exploit both the optical and electronic functionality of the semiconductor platform to process and manipulate data offers a route to dramatically increase the speeds, capacities, and efficiencies of optoelectronic systems. Capitalizing on their compact and efficient architectures, silicon photonic chips now underpin several key application areas such as data centre communications, where they are helping to expand internet bandwidths, and LiDAR, where they are enabling 4D vision in driverless vehicles. However, there are challenges associated in realizing the full suite of optoelectronic functionality using single-crystal silicon platforms due to their fixed silicon layer thickness. This is because the active and passive devices that make up the silicon circuits have different size requirements. For example, active devices are more efficient when the light is tightly confined in small waveguides, while passive devices are best when formed from larger waveguides as this helps to reduce the coupling and transmission losses. Moreover, the fixed silicon height can also make it difficult to fully optimise and integrate various components for operation across broad bandwidths or non-standard wavelength regions. The work in this proposal aims to tackle the integration challenge by developing a low cost and versatile polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) platform technology that allows for the formation of components with a range of tailored dimensions across the photonic chip. The components will be fabricated via a combination of precision etching, deposition, and laser materials processing to achieve high-quality polysilicon waveguide devices. Importantly, as well as boosting the efficiency of the individual components through optimised designs, the improved coupling between components of different dimensions will reduce optical losses, resulting in lower energy consumption within the photonic integrated circuits. Furthermore, the transition from using single-crystal waveguide materials that require high temperature epitaxial growth to low temperature deposited polysilicon opens a route to a more sustainable manufacturing of silicon photonic systems. To explore this new platform technology, the team combines leading UK experts in the areas of semiconductor materials optimisation and integration, as well as active and passive silicon photonic component design and systems level engineering. Although much of the programme is focused on development of the fabrication procedures, a number of passive and active devices will be constructed, including couplers and modulators that will be used to benchmark the performance against state-of-the-art systems. The work will culminate in the demonstration of a high-speed photonic transmitter circuit constructed entirely from our polysilicon platform, illustrating the versatility and practicality of this approach. Thus, this project will take a transformative step towards unlocking the rich potential of integrated polysilicon optoelectronic systems

HESTIA: Home Environment Solutions through Technology and Innovation for All

GRN: UKRI1240

Period: 01/11/2025 to 01/11/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

The Challenge The UK's journey to net zero depends on understanding how people use energy in their homes, but accessing the data needed for this research is restricted. Smart meter data from households provides crucial insights for developing better energy policies, reducing fuel poverty, and improving building performance. However, privacy regulations and data protection rules create major barriers to accessing this information, slowing down vital research that could accelerate our transition to clean energy. Our Solution We will solve this data access problem using cutting-edge artificial intelligence. Our project will train advanced AI models called Generative Pretrained Transformers (GPTs) on the UK’s world-leading SERL Observatory dataset - a unique collection of smart meter data from 13,000 representative GB households, combined with detailed information about their buildings, occupants, and energy use patterns collected over five years. The AI models will learn the complex patterns in real energy data and generate completely synthetic datasets that look like real household energy data but contain no actual personal information. This synthetic data will have all the statistical properties researchers need while being completely privacy-preserving. This project directly advances EPSRC AI for Science objectives: developing AI capabilities across research fields to accelerate scientific discovery; increasing access to well-governed, high-quality datasets for AI; building interdisciplinary collaborations between AI and energy researchers; and embedding AI as a research tool in a fair and inclusive way. What We Will Deliver Over six months, we will create "Synthetic-SERL", the first dual-fuel synthetic smart meter dataset with long temporal sequences. This will include half-hourly gas and electricity data for 13,000 virtual households across full calendar years, each with contextual information about building and occupant characteristics and weather. We will rigorously test this synthetic data to ensure it provides genuine research utility while passing strict privacy audits. The entire dataset, along with the training code and tools to integrate the data into workflows, will be published under open licences, making it freely available to researchers worldwide. Impact and Applications This research will deliver targeted benefits across three key sectors. Academia will benefit from removal of barriers to accessing high-quality data, enabling and accelerating R&D that was previously restricted by privacy regulations. Industry will gain access to data for testing business cases and grid planning that rely on high-resolution energy data, supporting investment decisions in clean energy technologies. Government will have data to evaluate distributional impacts of net zero policies like time-of-use tariffs, ensuring a fair transition for all households. By democratising access to high-quality energy data, we will unlock research that was previously restricted, accelerate innovation in the energy sector, and create new partnerships between AI researchers and energy experts. This project establishes the foundation for future research that will push the boundaries of AI for energy decarbonisation.

LboroCoreEquip

GRN: UKRI454

Period: 31/12/2024 to 01/07/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

The ultimate goal of this project is to pioneer the world's first AI-driven Design for Forming (AI-DfF) platform, facilitating versatile applications in design development of high-performance manufacturable vehicle components. The transport sector accounts for about a quarter of global CO2 emissions. Lightweighting vehicles, especially their body parts, is crucial to increase fuel efficiency, which can reduce fuel consumption by up to 30%. Sheet forming processes, contributing to approximately 250-300 parts in every car, are essential in this regard because of their cost-effectiveness and superior stiffness-to-weight ratios. However, challenges such as manufacturing defects and a disjointed design process complicate achieving desired outcomes. An AI-driven solution is proposed to integrate manufacturability and performance metrics early in the design process. AI applications are emerging in the forming sector to enhance efficiency and product quality. Despite initial successes in AI-based modelling of forming processes, current models struggle with complex real-world scenarios, particularly intricate 3D geometries in automotive designs. Advanced Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) offer hope for simulating intricate physical systems, hinting at the potential for broader AI application in the forming sector. The project intends to meld knowledge from various domains, such as materials, mechanics, and AI, to tackle challenges in the forming space. Key objectives include creating an efficient database for forming, developing methods for complex geometric representation in AI-compatible formats, developing GNN-based surrogate models for AI-driven simulations, and establishing a platform that synergises data and AI models for optimal system design and performance. The envisioned AI platform aims to make design processes vastly more efficient, potentially accelerating the creation of novel vehicle parts by tenfold and significantly boosting their performance, manufacturability, and eco-friendliness. This innovation is crucial for the UK's manufacturing competitiveness in the rapidly advancing age of AI

Microfluidic flow synthesis of lithium-rich cathodes

GRN: UKRI643

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/04/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

From renewable energy to transport electrification, every watt is converted multiple times by power electronic converters from generation to end-use. Achieving high efficiency, high reliability, low cost, and miniaturization in power converters is crucial for energy savings and decarbonization. The development of individually structured components has been isolated, with interactions between entities often overlooked. This lack of integrated design beyond individual components has largely restricted the full potential of emerging wide bandgap (WBG) power electronic devices. Consequently, improvements in power converters have been incremental, and technological demarcations continue to stifle innovation in power electronics. The development of power electronics products and technologies typically prioritizes efficiency, power density, affordability, and reliability, often neglecting reusability and waste management after consumption. Conventional power electronics converter design is linear, beginning with raw materials, progressing through the composition of individually structured components, and ending with disposal. Power electronic packages are challenging to reuse, repair, and recycle due to the inseparable physical connections of parts within the package. Significant resources and residual values inherent in power electronics are wasted through standard disposal methods such as landfilling and incineration, leading to environmental concerns. The lack of focus on reusability, reparability, and recyclability in power electronics undermines sustainability and the principles of a Circular Economy. In our quest for high performance and sustainability in power electronics, we aim to demonstrate a new design paradigm for power electronic packages and converters through structural and functional integration, with a focus on circularity from the design stage. We will cohesively design novel and high-performance power electronic device packages where parts can be separated and replaced. This innovative packaging concept and design incorporate new structures of ceramic embedding die chips, a new bonding method using liquid metal, and new assembling and disassembling processes for power electronics packages. We will explore the fundamental sciences and engineering implementations necessary to enable the reusability, repairability, and recyclability of all parts in the device package, ensuring their 'another life' and 'after life'. This approach is expected to deliver unprecedented performance and enable circular power electronics. We aim to achieve an advanced system for high-performance and circular power electronics through the following objectives. 1) Develop a ceramic-embedded power electronic package for scalable power converters with ultra-fast switching and excellent thermal management; 2) Innovate a floating die structure for power electronics packaging using liquid metal fluidic joints to address thermomechanical issues; 3) Create an integrated design and fabrication process for reusable, repairable, and recyclable power electronics using floating die structures enabled by liquid metal. The team from the University of Cambridge (CAM) and the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSAC) will collaborate closely throughout the project. Transformative ideas and theoretical analyses from CAM are well complemented by the fabrication and testing expertise and facilities at CSAC. The project enjoys strong support from leading industrial partners, STMicroelectronics for SiC bare dies, MacDermid Alpha for packaging bonding materials, and Semikron Danfoss for thermal and packaging design. We believe this combined effort will derisk the fundamental research and accelerate the impact. The technology and knowledge generated from this project will inspire the academic community to explore more interdisciplinary research between Electrical Engineering, Material Science, and Economics. Research and training activities from this project will benefit the UK’s Power Electronics and Machine Drives (PEMD) industry with more assets contributing UK’s PEMD supply chain

Sustainable and Selective Hydrogenation with Zinc Catalysis

GRN: UKRI1108

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Because of their high energy density, Lithium-ion batteries are currently the dominating technology for powering electric vehicles and portable consumer electronics. However, their high costs, flammability, and the scarcity of elements such as Li, Co and Ni used in these batteries, have motivated the search for alternative energy storage solutions. This is particularly true for applications such as renewable energy storage where cost-efficiency, safety and sustainability are more important than energy density. This work focuses on aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries (ZIBs), which are an exciting new battery technology where a Zn metal anode is cycled against a cathode typically made out of a transition metal oxide such as MnO2. These batteries do not rely on any rare or toxic materials, they use non-flammable aqueous electrolytes and are easy to recycle. However, ZIBs suffer from two major challenges that prevent their commercial adoption, the first is the growth of Zn dendrites and the second is hydrogen evolution reactions. Our project aims to address these issues by using new asymmetric separators that are rationally designed to cater for the different chemical processes taking place on the anode (plating and stripping) and the cathode (intercallation). These separators allow for a better distribution of the Zn-Ion flux, which addresses dendrite issues, and they will be paired with artificial solid-electrolyte interphase coatings to suppress hydrogen evolution reactions. Finally, a key goal of this project is to ensure that the proposed membranes can be manufactured at scale using a continuous Roll-to-Roll (R2R) process. Along with addressing the two challenges discussed above, this is critical for ensuring that the technology proposed in this project can have a tangible real-world impact. The two institutes working on this project (UCL and Cambridge) are equipped with state of the art scale-up manufacturing tools, including Roll-to-Roll coating, automated large area spray coating and pouch cell assembly lines. We will use these facilities to fabricate 5 Ah pouch cells with a lean anode design to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed technology to industrial stakeholders and help the UK advancing towards it net-zero goals

Towards data-driven turbulence control: saving energy in pipelines by suppressing turbulence

GRN: UKRI1494

Period: 03/11/2025 to 03/11/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

The world is currently trapped in a vicious heating cycle, whereby global warming increases the need for cooling technologies, but these technologies themselves exacerbate global warming. Vapour-compression refrigeration, the method that currently dominates, relies on gaseous refrigerants that contribute significantly to global warming and accumulative “forever chemicals”. For this reason, there is a widely acknowledged, urgent need to find a successor technology. Among the most promising such technologies are heat pumps based on barocaloric materials. Like vapour-compression refrigerants, these materials can be converted between high- and low-entropy phases by applying external pressure; the crucial distinction is that here both phases are solid, so that they cannot leak to the atmosphere. This enables clean, compact, and efficient refrigeration. In our previous EPSRC-funded work, we have developed an unprecedented understanding of the atomic structure and dynamics that give rise to barocaloric effects. As a result, we have developed several novel, highly promising materials. However, there is a limit to what can be learned from laboratory measurements on the materials alone. For instance, the thermal conductivity, which limits the cooling power, depends not just on the barocaloric material but on the whole device architecture, while the device efficiency is crucial to real-world competitiveness; both of these require a full working model to determine accurately. To progress further, we therefore need to build and test a working prototype, which will bridge the gap between academic materials research and future commercial development. This is precisely what we propose here. We will produce a working demonstrator model whose design and components can easily be tuned, and use our expertise in the physics and chemistry of barocaloric materials and heat transfer engineering to optimise its properties. In particular, we will use experience from other caloric materials to incorporate active regeneration, which will allow this device to operate over a larger, and hence more useful, temperature drop. At the conclusion of this project, the prototype will be sufficiently competitive with existing cooling systems to achieve early-stage financing towards further development. Achieving barocaloric refrigeration on a commercial and industrial scale will remove our dependence on fluorinated refrigerant gases, thus reducing their contribution to global warming (typical global warming potentials are over 1000 times that of CO2 by mass) and environmental accumulation. Because of this technology’s high efficiency, it will also reduce the power consumption associated with heating and cooling. Widespread use in the UK and worldwide (global market size US$233B; projected annual growth 6–7%) will have a very substantial economic impact

Understanding the interfacial strength, nano-scale 3D structure and residual stresses in advanced power electronic materials (INTERVENE)

GRN: UKRI637

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

Polymers provide solutions to many critical functions in modern life, from the single use plastics that have been the focus of recent environmental campaigns, to longer acting structural polymers and rubbers, to paints, lubricants, coatings and drug delivery formulations. The use of polymers is being re-evaluated in the light of the sustainable development goals and the need to leave the planet in a state fit for future generations. Many polymers remain essential for the functions they provide, and there is a drive to improve their sustainability, including through the design and manufacture of bioderived, potentially “net-zero” analogous polymers. Synthomer is a British manufacturer of high-performance speciality polymers and ingredients. Speciality polymers, accounting for less than 5% of the global polymer industry, are distinct from large volumes polymers used as plastics materials, but are indispensable to solve technical challenges. Synthomer thus work with over 6000 customers supporting the delivery of thousands of products from adhesives to coatings, construction and speciality healthcare applications. They employ 4,400 people across Europe, North America and Asia, and are a FTSE registered company, headquartered in London, with revenue of £2.0 B in 2023. To make a significant step change in the defossilisation of the fine chemicals industry, advancing knowledge, technical innovation and speed is critical. Synthomer has decided to join forces and build on an existing relationship with the University of York Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, and their expertise in biobased chemistry, to catalyse the changes required. The ambition of this project is to co-deliver, after 3 years, a platform of bioderived monomers, ideally 4 or 5 species, that would act as replacements for essential building blocks of Synthomer’s products. These bioderived monomers would be from renewable sources, non-competitive with food, using CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow. Processes to form the monomers from the biomass would be as sustainable as possible, and Life Cycle Assessment would be conducted for the most promising candidates to mitigate the risks of undesirable side effects, for example from indirect land use change. Our Prosperity Partnership will bring together world-leading industry expertise in the manufacture of synthetic polymers, product performance and market requirements with outstanding academic biobased chemistry and sustainable polymer research. We will explore end-of-life options and end-use performance, and develop an understanding of how new monomers can be exploited in combination with existing monomers to optimise design and development of high-performance polymers. The products generated will contribute to Synthomer’s public commitment to reach net zero by 2050, whilst also building UK expertise and commercial competitive advantage in this important area. Using these ingredients will allow Synthomer’s customers to reduce their own carbon footprint, comply with future regulations and significantly advance their own sustainability goals. With co-creation and sharing of information at its heart, this Prosperity Partnership promises wide ranging benefits to colleagues across academia, industry and policy who are striving to develop the sustainable polymers required for the future. The project aligns with the strategic priorities of EPSRC, primarily Engineering Net Zero, and of the UK Government policy (Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, 2021; and Mission Zero, 2022). The chemical industry is “one of the key blind spots in the global net zero energy debate” (IEA, 2018), where future innovation and growth will depend on value chains embracing sustainable feedstocks (Road to Net Zero, Cefic, 2022)

xDEA - Vibro-acoustic energy flow in hybrid systems: improving the simulation of engineering structures

GRN: EP/U536854/1

Period: 01/09/2025 to 31/08/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context: The global push towards sustainable energy has intensified the need for renewable sources like wind power. However, meeting rising demand requires a significant scale-up in wind turbine production capacity—the International Energy Authority estimates global installed wind capacity must triple by 2030 to achieve net-zero emissions targets. Continuing with current practices makes this goal impossible, posing a significant challenge for manufacturers. The Challenge: Conventional approaches to increase production, like building more factories and hiring more workers, would be prohibitively expensive. Production also relies on a highly skilled workforce that cannot easily be expanded. Additionally, increasing production speed may heighten the likelihood of manufacturing defects, undermining the strength of turbine blades and requiring costly re-works to design specifications on the production line. A new approach is needed to radically increase production throughput while maintaining quality and operational reliability. Aims and Objectives: The BladeUp Prosperity Partnership between the Bristol Composites Institute of the University of Bristol, LMAT, and Vestas aims to revolutionise wind turbine blade design for efficient, scalable production through machine learning-enabled, advanced computer methods. The key objectives are: Develop turbine blades optimised for ease and speed of manufacturing by accounting for defects/variability during the design phase. This will enable faster production with fewer defects requiring repair. Engineer blades with inherent tolerance to manufacturing imperfections and design uncertainty, ensuring reliability over their operational lifetime and eliminating the need for rework. Create a streamlined process to design for right-first-time manufacturing and for rapid introduction of new blade designs into production, minimising costly manufacturing trials. Achieving these goals would enable manufacturers to triple throughput while maintaining quality, with reasonable capital investments and workforce growth. Potential Applications and Benefits: The Partnership outputs will transform fundamental principles of wind turbine blade design, positioning the UK as a global leader in this critical renewable energy technology. Economically, it will create opportunities for workforce expansion and sustainable growth in the wind energy sector, enhancing energy security. Environmentally, accelerating wind power adoption will reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change impacts for current and future generations worldwide. More broadly, the novel design approaches could find applications in other sectors relying on large-scale composite structures, such as aerospace, automotive, and marine industries. The cutting-edge composite materials innovations will enable lighter, more fuel-efficient transportation solutions. Overall, our Partnership could catalyse the widespread transition to renewable energy and represents a vital step towards a sustainable future. By addressing manufacturing bottlenecks, it enables wind power to increase its market share and reliably meet clean energy demands as the world pursues an ambitious net-zero agenda

Building for Climate Resilience: The Social Impact of Retrofitting Urban High-Rise Housing

GRN: UKRI2872

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2029

Funding Source: ESRC

My research examines the following questions. First, why and how do people become attached to fossil-fuelled ways of life in a wider context where greenhouse gas emissions urgently need to be cut? Second, can attachments to fossil-fuelled lives be disrupted? If so, how? I explored these questions in my PhD. I examined a case study of a northern English town – one which found itself at the centre of controversy because of plans to open a coal mine in the area. I showed that many of the town’s residents re-attached to the promise of new coal extraction, even though people had detached from coal industries following the closure of coal mines in the 1980s. I argued that this signalled a warning about how fossil fuel attachments can be unexpectedly resurrected, even when a transition towards low-carbon energy production has happened. At the same time, I showed how a small group of residents in the area attached to the possibility of a ‘net zero’ transition, where society is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. They did so after taking part in a democratic citizens’ forum, learning about climate change and devising solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I argued that this signalled an opportunity: That attachments to forms of life which are no longer reliant on fossil fuels can be formed, often at speed, when people re-imagine alternative futures. In this fellowship, I have two key objectives – to communicate the findings of my doctoral research to new audiences, and to open opportunities to carry out new research about people’s attachments to fossil fuelled and post-fossil fuelled ways of life. First, I aim to disseminate my PhD findings among two audiences – academic researchers who examine the politics of energy transitions, and climate change policymakers and campaigners. To publicise my research to academic scholars, I am: publishing my doctoral thesis as a book; writing a new paper in an academic journal, based on one of my thesis chapters; and giving presentations at two academic conferences. Policymakers and campaigners typically engage with content which is shorter than academic publications. I am writing two articles for online media and speaking about my research on a climate change podcast. In addition, I am co-producing a policy brief based on my, and other comparable, research. The brief will be shared with policy organisations (from local authorities and national government audiences to think-tanks and political parties). Second, I am applying for new funding opportunities to build and expand on my research. I will propose examining cases where workers detach from high-carbon industries (in the oil and gas sector) to attach to sustainable industries (e.g., work in renewable industries). My focus is the politics of their actions – how they challenge the power of fossil fuel industries by pointing to the possibility of alternative futures, even when doing so involves embracing risks and uncertainty. Overall, I want to use my research to contribute to tackling the climate emergency, so that we can protect people and future generations. My hope is that my research can play a role in contributing towards that outcome

07/01/2026

46 new projects added

3D Polysilicon Photonics - A New Platform for Integrated Optoelectronics

GRN: UKRI1248

Period: 01/12/2025 to 01/12/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

This Prosperity Partnership will create a Global Centre of Excellence, building on the successes of the well-established Innovation and Research Centre at Loughborough which is a collaboration between Perkins (as a Caterpillar UK subsidiary) and Loughborough University. The UK off-highway construction industry is 1st in Europe and 5th globally, and four times the size, in revenue terms, of the heavy-duty on-highway sector. Therefore, for the UK to meet its climate change targets as well as maintaining its excellent market share, it is imperative that it invests in solving the immense challenges of this sector that are significantly different from other sectors. Full electrification is not an option for many applications due to a range of complex scale, geographical, economic, and technical factors. Leveraging £2.57m of EPSRC investment, to deliver a total project value of £8m, this centre will develop disruptive technologies which will transform the design and engineering of complex heavy duty power systems to decarbonise this sector. The co-created vision and programme devised by Perkins and Loughborough University to undertake the foundational research required to decarbonise this hard to abate sector, 80% of which is off-highway, will investigate the use of alternative fuels including hydrogen and renewable fuels such as methanol and ethanol. The Perkins and Loughborough University partnership which is manifested in the Innovation and Research Centre at Loughborough, is ideally positioned to address these enormous challenges. With a track record of delivering excellent research through funding from bodies such as the Advanced Propulsion Centre, this team have a well-established collaborative working relationship and have extensive experience in co-creating impactful projects, combining the superior engineering capabilities and market knowledge of Perkins with the excellent academic capabilities of the Loughborough team. The outputs of the I&RC have been realised in many Perkins products which have been distributed worldwide, thus benefitting many downstream industries as well as the Perkins supply chain, much of which is in the UK. This Partnership will focus on improving the efficiency of a range of alternative fuels, reducing harmful emissions, enhancing materials durability and performance, and creating engineering design tools for the rapid, robust, optimal design of new products. To support this significant undertaking, Perkins is making substantial investment in hardware and Loughborough is investing over £1m in the centre’s infrastructure. The prosperity partnership funding will support early TRL projects complimenting the existing portfolio: to create a state-of-the-art facility delivering end-to-end research for this sector and facilitating impact beyond current capability. Additional benefits will be the consequential strengthening of the supply chain for manufacture of new products for alternative fuels, a nucleus of skilled engineers capable of designing and delivering complex power systems into the future, and a knowledge transfer of technology to the wider automotive industry. The expansion of the already successful I&RC into a centre of excellence for focused heavy-duty off-highway power systems will strengthen the UK’s reputation and capability in this sector, creating the foundations for a thriving manufacturing industry into the future

AI-EDOL: AI Generated Synthetic Smart Meter Data

GRN: UKRI2708

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/04/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

The RENEW project tackles the urgent requirement to reduce carbon emissions in the UK’s heating sector, a major contributor to the nation’s overall emissions. The UK has established a legally binding target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with heating presently accounting for a third of these emissions, mainly from natural gas usage. Decarbonising this sector is crucial for meeting climate change objectives and presents significant challenges due to its scale and integration complexities. Electrified heating systems at both communal and household levels can offer viable routes towards decarbonisation when supplied by a net-zero electricity sector, as electric heat pumps can deliver 3-5 units of heat output for each unit of electricity input. Communal systems, such as district heating networks powered by large, highly efficient heat pumps, are particularly promising, potentially offering substantial cost savings. However, increased demand on the electricity grid during extreme cold periods, which may also coincide with low renewable energy production, could strain the system, potentially leading to serious supply disruptions. To address these challenges, the RENEW project proposes a whole-system analysis approach through refining the Whole-electricity System Investment Model (WeSIM). This tool has been previously developed by the RENEW research team to identify cost-efficient investment and operational strategies for low-carbon energy systems and has a strong track record in providing evidence to policymakers and stakeholders in the UK. RENEW will build upon previous work by its research team and enhance the WeSIM tool to better accommodate electrified district heating technologies. The upgraded tool will use climate-based models to generate projections for future extreme weather conditions, which will affect electricity and heat demand but also renewable energy production. The contributions of the RENEW project are multifaceted. Firstly, it will gather extensive historical data and employ climate models to simulate future weather conditions, and in particular extreme events that could severely impact the energy system. Secondly, it will upgrade the WeSIM model to optimise the deployment of electrified heating technologies for projected future climate extremes, focusing on the optimal type, capacity, and location of technologies such as air-, ground-, and water-source heat pumps. Thirdly, the project will identify cost-effective, climate-resilient pathways for the UK’s integrated electricity and heat sectors, enhancing energy supply security against extreme conditions. The project is organised into five main work packages, led by researchers from the three collaborating universities with strong track records in energy systems and resilience studies. Work packages include: 1) managing the project, 2) generating data-driven climate scenarios, 3) upgrading the WeSIM tool as open-source, 4) applying the tool to case studies for evaluating adaptation strategies to climate extremes in energy systems, and 5) stakeholder engagement and dissemination. The RENEW project involves a team of world-leading researchers from Newcastle University, Brunel University London, and Imperial College London whose expertise spans climate change impacts, whole-energy system modelling, and decision-making under uncertainty in energy systems. In addition, close collaboration is envisaged with stakeholders at regional/national levels, including the Association for Decentralised Energy, Birmingham Energy Institute, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Energy Demand Research Centre, Met Office, Newcastle City Council and Northern Powergrid. This broad collaboration aims to accelerate RENEW’s impact and ensure its alignment with national energy and climate policies, providing a holistic strategy for a transition to a just and prosperous net-zero future

AI-driven Design for Forming High-Performance Vehicle Parts

GRN: UKRI221

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Manufacturing plays a key part for achieving and going beyond NetZero by 2050. Manufacturing accounts for 14% of the UK territorial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and will be vital for making and maintaining the emerging technologies underpinning the green transition. Labour productivity is crucial to achieve the ambitions 2050 targets while growing our living standard with an aging population and low birth rate. UK Growth has been sluggish falling behind many peer economies. Manufacturing’s drive for connectivity and data has laid the foundation for digital technologies. However, the full gains in productivity and efficiency, can be realised only by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI). Optimising, simultaneously: productivity, resilience, and sustainability exceeds human capacity. The advancement of AI offers unparalleled potential for manufacturing, by empowering people. Examples include adapting to radical demand & supply changes, managing complex sets of human and machine resources, or dexterously adapting to in-process variations. Humans and AI offer co-working, with automation could supercharge productivity by +36% while reducing emissions below 1990 levels. The vision: Position the UK as a world leader in research and commercialisation of AI-empowered autonomous machines and systems to transform manufacturing productivity and sustainability for a net positive future by empowering people. The aim: Deliver, collaboratively with manufacturing businesses, leading-edge technologies for robust, safe, trust-worthy, fault-tolerant, and co-operative autonomous AI systems for manufacturing and establish a platform for their design, development, testing, and validation. Key objectives: defined with our stakeholders (users, providers, governance) to achieve future sustainable manufacturing and surpass NetZero by 2050: Eliminate all waste and emissions in complex, interdependent manufacturing ecosystems (aiming for zero emissions and waste, zero downtime, double life expectancy). Enable safe and meaningful work with AI systems, empowering workers to contribute their skills regardless of their location – whether remotely or on-site - and physical ability. Supercharge productivity by increasing the autonomy of AI-powered machines (+40%). Enhance resilience and agility in decentralised, circular, interconnected production systems and networks (reduce time to recovery -50%, towards zero setup and changeover time, towards batch size 1). UK flagships to act as lighthouses (four+ sectors) to facilitate the exchange of expertise and knowledge between industrial experts, factory workers and academic researchers. To address these objectives, the hub will focus on three research themes focusing at three levels of manufacturing ecosystems: AI-powered machines for agile and effective task execution Self-optimising AI for agile production systems AI-enhanced logistics and Total Quality Control for distributed, circular production networks Five research priorities will investigate the underpinning AI challenges across the themes: Edge AI for real-time digitisation of manufacturing ecosystems Adaptive skill learning and Human-AI collaboration for advanced manufacturing ecosystems Hybrid collective AI for distributed design, planning, and control of manufacturing ecosystems Verification and validation for safe and reliable AI in manufacturing Environmental, social, and economic context of AI in manufacturing To unlock the transformative effect of AI and rapidly move manufacturing beyond NetZero, the hub will work with key industrial sectors including automotive, aerospace, clean energy, and food&drink to setup flagship test and demonstration ecosystems. These will act as light houses for the wider industry to showcase best in class applications of AI to eliminate waste and emissions, enable safe and flexible working, supercharge productivity, and enhance the resilience and agility of critical processes

APP50312: MaxStoreUK

GRN: UKRI3155

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

FRAME-FM aims to enable the fast and easy processing of diverse, complex and very large (peta-byte scale) environmental datasets by end-users in economic sectors including energy, food, finance and logistics. We will achieve this aim by delivering a framework that facilitates the development of Foundation Models (FMs): machine learning (ML) models that can encapsulate the information contained in large datasets – such as those existing in the data archives of NERC’s Environmental Data Service (EDS) – and can be fine-tuned to perform specialised tasks(1). FMs can greatly simplify the process of developing solutions to real-world challenges because they can be tailored to address specific tasks and can be easier to interact with than processing large raw datasets. FMs can contribute to the democratisation of data access, particularly benefitting end-users who may lack the computing resources and specialised knowledge required to process peta-byte scale datasets (or develop FMs) in the first place. However, creating environmental FMs is currently difficult because producers of environmental data, such as NERC EDS centres, lack the required digital infrastructure. The framework developed by the FRAME-FM project will include the software infrastructure, AI tools and standardised workflows necessary for NERC EDS. The FRAME-FM framework will be open-source and, although developed for environmental datasets, it will be designed to be generalisable – a key design principle of FRAME-FM will be to enable all data producers (including NERC centres) to deploy the framework directly on top of existing data archives – therefore benefitting other areas of science. The FRAME-FM project will evaluate existing state-of-the-art approaches to develop FMs, conduct user research to co-design the framework (ensuring its suitability for the environmental research community), consider key aspects such as security, explainability and environmental sustainability, build the software components necessary to test the framework, and develop at least one proof-of-concept relevant to end-users (e.g. renewable energy generation, food security, early warning systems for property protection) using data already available in the EDS archives. FRAME-FM will deliver two key outputs: A software infrastructure framework that enables and facilitates the development of FMs from big environmental datasets At least one practical demonstration of the framework to train AI Models using approaches typically used in FM development In addition, FRAME-FM will directly skill up multi-disciplinary researchers across EDS centres, and help speed up the adoption and use of FMs across public and private sector in a fair and inclusive way, contributing to make the UK a world-leader in the use of AI for environment. (1) Bommasani, Rishi, et al. "On the opportunities and risks of foundation models." arXiv preprint arXiv:2108.07258(2021)

APP51649: Multi-stack tubular solid oxide steam electrolyser (METASIS 2.0)

GRN: UKRI3156

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

The proposed work is an original research project with two main objectives: (1) to provide a generalised mixing theory for shear-induced dispersion and (2) to test the theory by applying it to four iconic mixing problems. The theory is pertinent to many engineering and real-life situations involving transport phenomena with variable density, viscosity, and other transport properties. Such situations are encountered in a variety of contexts with vastly different length scales—from the oceanic to the microscopic. The project is an ambitious attempt to generalise theoretical concepts and tools recently developed in our combustion-focused investigations in order to develop a theoretical framework with broad interdisciplinary applications. The theory will be applied to the following four problems: Flame instabilities in a Hele-Shaw cell, focusing on the coupling between Taylor dispersion and classical instabilities associated with variable properties, including the Darrieus–Landau instability (associated with variable density), the Saffman–Taylor instability (associated with variable viscosity), and the diffusive-thermal instability (associated with unequal mass and heat diffusivities). In the project, specific emphasis will be dedicated to hydrogen combustion. Effect of Taylor dispersion on the Rayleigh–Benard instability (associated with buoyancy) in a Hele-Shaw cell. Effect of Taylor dispersion on the double-diffusive convection instability (associated with buoyancy and differential diffusion) in a Hele-Shaw cell. Effect of Taylor dispersion on the Marangoni convection (associated with variable interfacial surface tension) in a thin fluid layer. The objectives of the work will be accomplished through a two-phase approach, the first being based on theoretical tools such as scaling analyses and perturbation methods and the second relying both on theoretical tools such as modelling and linear stability analyses and numerical tools involving numerical computations applied to the four selected problems. The success of the project will pave the way for future proposals that will benefit various beneficiaries. Such beneficiaries include applied mathematicians, fluid dynamicists, combustion scientists, oceanographers, physiologists, and others. A concrete illustration of research areas on which the project is expected to have an impact is that of hydrogen combustion, to which one of the test problems in this proposal is dedicated. Specifically, the outcomes of this problem should contribute to improving our understanding of hydrogen-flame dynamics in micro-engines that can power devices such as micro air vehicles (MAVs) and micro-satellites, thereby assisting engineers to design these devices more efficiently. With hydrogen being regarded as one of the most promising fuels for the future in order to decarbonise current fuels, this research should contribute to placing the UK at the forefront of international research efforts to address global greenhouse gas concerns. This is also in line with the EPSRC's strategic plan towards achieving "engineering net zero" via "transformative low and zero carbon—hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels"

Advanced Device Packaging Enabling High Performance and Circular Power Electronics (CircularPE)

GRN: UKRI2417

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/01/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Great British Chemicals (GBC) is a national hub uniting industry, researchers, and policymakers to revolutionise UK chemicals production by advancing innovative, scalable technologies that transform waste and renewable resources into sustainable solutions, tackling the grand challenge to reduce fossil fuel dependency while securing resilient, environmentally sound, and economically vibrant supply and value chains. GBC will demonstrate how industry can exploit the net zero transition as one of the most profitable areas for the UK, ensuring a strong economy and an improved environment that is fair and creates inclusive opportunities. The chemistry-using industries are a vast and complex sector, comprising several diverse sub-sectors, each playing a crucial role in various aspects of modern life. GBC has identified opportunities, leveraging the outcomes of major UKRI investments such as CircularChem, Flue2Chem, the Catalysis Hub, doctoral training grants and aligned research and partnerships. It will create, collate, and translate knowledge from research on defossilising (rather than decarbonising) chemicals across technologies, policy, energy, and industrial systems in partnership with industry, civic bodies, national government, and the third sector. The challenge areas have been described in recent reports: Innovate UK Sustainable Carbon Ambition, Royal Society “Defossilising the Chemical Industry”, IChemE Climate Change Action Plans, DESNZ Unlocking Resource Efficiency, Phase 2 Chemicals Report. The triple drivers leading to a focus on defossilising chemicals are: the major contribution of the chemicals sector to the UK’s industrial carbon emissions (19%); the dependence of all industries and citizens’ health on chemicals (96% manufactured goods); the critical importance of the chemicals sector to the UK economy (£61bn/a exports). Reducing the UK’s carbon emissions by 78% between 1990 and 2035 (6th Carbon Budget) cannot be achieved without addressing the carbon embedded in the feedstocks and processes in chemical using industries. GBC’s whole system approach includes mapping hotspots for replacement with zero fossil alternatives with the least disruption to the existing infrastructure, accelerating adoption of smarter technologies and chemistries, and evaluating economic and environmental impacts. GBC will target the foundation chemicals within the existing petrochemical industries and will support the community to create a new, circular chemicals supply chain. GBC’s end-to-end approach will minimise the demand for energy and competition for limited resources, such as biomass. Adopting waste hierarchy principles could optimise less energy-intensive manufacturing, including the production of vehicles, wood/paper products, consumer hygiene products, pharmaceuticals and electronics, among other industries. These sectors provide opportunities for industrial symbiosis by providing by-products as feedstocks for other industries and can provide new revenue streams for businesses. The research will be delivered via a Moonshot project on the digital acceleration of technology for Chemical transformations, three work streams: Carbon Capture, CO2 Use, and Process Intensification, all underpinned by three cross-cutting Function Streams: Planet, Prosperity, and People. Further, innovative ideas for co-creation and co-delivery with wider stakeholders will be provided via Flexible Funding structured as follows: Phase 1 (early stage) - identify high-potential research innovations and assess their industry applicability through feasibility studies, market analysis, and project prioritisation based on scalability and readiness. Phase 2 (mid stage) – advance prioritised projects to validate tools/services by supporting development, industry collaborations for real-world testing, and technical and commercial validation. Phase 3 (late stage) – enable full-scale deployment by finalising development to industry standards, supporting adoption through pilot programmes, and establishing commercialisation pathways for long-term industry uptake.

Asymmetric Separators for Ultra-stable Zinc-Ion batteries - ASSURANCE

GRN: EP/U536830/1

Period: 25/08/2025 to 24/08/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

As the global economy shifts towards low-carbon solutions, the electrification of transport has increased the demand for electric motors with maximised power and torque density, and reduced weight to enhance efficiency. Critical to this development are advanced materials for electrical insulation, such as slot liners and coatings, which are essential to e-motors. The push for faster vehicle charging speed requires higher system voltages, introducing significant challenges for insulation materials, especially as 800 V technology becomes mainstream. These materials must withstand high temperatures, electrical stresses, and exposure to cooling fluids while maintaining high breakdown voltages (BDV) and partial discharge inception voltages (PDIV), ensuring long-term reliability. Traditional high-temperature insulation materials, such as ceramics and polyimides, present significant limitations including prone to crack, complex processing conditions, and limited recyclability. In contrast, polyaryletherketones (PAEKs) have emerged as promising candidates for insulating electric wires and hairpins in e-motors due to its non-polar nature. PAEKs offer exceptional thermal endurance and chemical resistance, enhancing the reliability of e-motors, particularly in high-voltage systems. Moreover, PAEKs are lightweight, recyclable, offering less hazardous and more energy efficient manufacturing processes compared to ceramics and polyimides. Despite these advantages, the underlying mechanisms of how these semi-crystalline polymers behave under high-voltage conditions are currently less understood. The aim of this research is to fundamentally understand the development of the microstructure of PAEKs during wire processing and wire forming, and their subsequent impact on dielectric properties such as BDV and PDIV. To achieve this, the first objective will be conducting a systematic investigation to benchmark detailed correlations between crystallinity, crystal morphology, and amorphous composition with BDV and PDIV under both ambient and elevated temperatures. The second and third objectives will be analysing the complex microstructures presented in commercial wires, as well as the mechanical conditions during the wire forming process. Predictive models will be developed to forecast their insulation performance. We will replicate the thermal and mechanical conditions observed in industrial wire processing to establish direct links between processing and forming parameters and the resulting microstructure. The knowledge obtained from these investigations will enable us to make reliable predictions and optimisation strategies of the final insulation quality, providing superior breakdown voltage strength and minimal discharge occurrences. This project will advance our fundamental understanding of the impact of microstructure on the dielectric properties and electrical failure mechanisms of PAEKs under high-voltage conditions. The collaboration with the Winding Centre of Excellence (WCE) at the HVMC will provide direct access to both discrete and continuous hairpin winding facilities, enabling in-process testing of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. This collaboration is crucial for optimising the design and manufacturing processes of PAEK-coated wires, ultimately contributing to the development of more efficient and reliable e-motors. The results from this project will facilitate the development of tailored PAEK grades for e-motor applications, optimising wire production and forming processes. This knowledge will accelerate innovation cycles, providing tools for OEMs and tier suppliers to rapidly assess and address their performance requirements. It will enable materials and e-machine companies to explore new design approaches with thinner coatings, enhancing their ability to meet evolving industry standards and performance needs in transport electrification. The project’s outcomes will have broader applications extending beyond automotive e-motors to include aerospace and marine e-motors, and cables and power transmission systems that also endure high electrical stresses and temperatures

Barocaloric solid-state cooling: from materials to devices

GRN: UKRI780

Period: 12/09/2025 to 12/09/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

IGNITE is a multi-university/industry partnership that will kick start a green steel revolution supporting a just transition to net zero economic growth. Over the decades UK industrial communities have been disproportionately affected by decline. For example, even before the recent fuel price increases up to half of Neath Port Talbot residents were in fuel poverty. The current potential for the transition of UK steelworks to net zero operation holds initial challenges but longer-term opportunity. In the decades to come indigenous steel production can drive a green industrial revolution. The Swansea University led innovation ecosystem of UK Universities have supported SUSTAIN to contribute to ca £2.5bn investment in a decarbonisation pathway. This new UKRI application to create the IGNITE Sustainable Manufacturing Hub aims to trailblaze the emerging opportunities for UK wide produced green steel to underpin our just transition to net zero. IGNITE has three core pillars (Grand Challenges) namely development of novel green-steel products for future manufacturing (GC1 Sustainable Demand), support the transition of the industry to a fully circular model (GC2 Resilient Supply) and explore the opportunity to provide steel into the market with a service offering (GC3 Steel as a Service) extending lifetime and performance and controlling the long-term recycling supply chain. These align to key ambitions: GC1 - Profitable supply chains for sustainable products by 2035 GC2 - Re-shore 5 million tonnes of supply by 2040 GC3 - Commercialisation of steel as a service by 2035 To solve the grand challenges and deliver on the ambitions IGNITE will address four cross-cutting interdisciplinary scientific research challenges namely: Sustainable metallurgical design (RC1): providing the tools to design the metals of tomorrow Durability and performance monitoring (RC2); creating the techniques to evaluate and extend lifetime Enablers of servitization (RC3); understanding the barriers and opportunities of steel as a service Optimising steel use and re-use (RC4): re-imagining the design process to maximise steel deployment and the ease of reuse and recycling. Ultimately IGNITE should power-up delivery of novel products into three key market facing Demand led supply chains namely: D1 Energy: steel supports the manufacturing and deployment of renewable energy solutions from SMRs to floating offshore wind and new forms of energy generation storage and release for photovoltaics, hydrogen electrolysers and storage solutions. D2 Transport: green steel will underpin marine, land and air transport for the future and critically enable new industries ranging from the hydrogen transport economy to new and lower cost materials for energy storage (thermal, electrical and calorific). D3 Infrastructure: green steel has the potential to become the material of choice for better buildings, public and private sector civil engineering modernisation and in defence applications. The IGNITE Manufacturing Hub will also be a central pathway to establishing a National Manufacturing Institute for Wales building on the successful models developed by AMRC, WMG and NMIS creating an allied but distinctive operation that supporting both regional economic development and wider UK and international impact. Building on our heritage of support and innovation in metals the NMIW will support the colocation and growth of synergistic manufacturing opportunities on glass and plastic materials supporting a UK and worldwide transition to functional materials for the net zero economy

Centre for the Decarbonisation of Heavy Duty Power Systems

GRN: UKRI1299

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2030

Funding Source: EPSRC

We seek to improve the efficacy, efficiency and reproducibility of focused ion beam (FIB) nanofabrication processes for advanced photonic materials and devices, and in turn their optical performance and energy efficiency, through the application of deep learning. Our methods will enable rapid optimization of nanostructures for optical function informed by real process and material characteristics, rather than analytical/numerical approximations or wasteful trial-and-error. Deep learning offers a novel, systematic, data-driven approach to modelling the FIB milling process that is applicable to arbitrary nano/microstructural geometries in any target medium, whereby milling outcomes can be accurately predicted without the need for knowledge or understanding of (often unavailable/inaccessible) material parameters, the fundamental physics of ion-atom interactions, or the mathematical description of time-dependent 3D structural geometry. We will show how neural networks can: rapidly accrue understanding of the complex relationships among numerous sample and system parameters that affect process outcomes for a variety of metal, semiconductor and dielectric target materials commonly used in nanophotonic devices, to expedite or negate the need for conventional 'dose testing'; be configured to solve challenging inverse problems, answering the question "what input design will generate a desired output structure?"; optimize (rather than just simulate) milling processes, to answer the question "what input design and process parameters will best deliver a structure with prescribed optical and/or nanomechanical properties?". Alongside these trained functionalities we expect emergent capabilities, such as the ability to make accurate predictions for unseen target media, and inherent compensation for systematic artefacts. The project aligns to the EPSRC strategic priority on "Frontiers in Engineering and Technology": it will leverage novel capabilities and ideas in deep learning and nanophotonics to facilitate "breakthroughs in ... tools and techniques enabling researchers and businesses to make, measure and model more efficiently and effectively," and to "accelerate design to manufacture of the new materials needed for a more resilient, sustainable UK". FIB milling is a key enabling technology in many areas of fundamental and applied research, and high-tech (electronics and photonics) industrial applications of importance to the UK's position at the forefront of physical and bio sciences research and advanced technology development - for micro/nanoscale rapid prototyping, materials/device characterisation and cross-sectional/tomographic imaging (including in support of other high-throughput, e.g. lithographic, nanofabrication processes), and transmission electron microscopy sample preparation. Our initial focus will be on applications in nanophotonics (e.g. to the optimized fabrication of metasurface optics and energy-efficient optomechanical time crystals), but the techniques developed will be transferrable to beneficiaries in other domains of engineering, physical science and technology, deployable on any FIB platform, and indeed adaptable to other direct-write micro/nanofabrication processes

Climate Resilient Heat Electrification for Net-Zero Emission Whole Energy Systems (RENEW)

GRN: UKRI778

Period: 01/09/2025 to 01/09/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

The rapid growth in portable devices, including sensors and consumable electronics defines a new era for photovoltaics (PVs) because of the demand for innovative and sustainable power sources that can be easily integrated with high-value products. The integrated PV device can also act as an optical signal receiver, enabling the establishment of a simultaneous optical wireless communication (OWC) network among the interconnected IoT devices while harvesting energy from surrounding light sources. This Overseas Travel Grant aims to access the required specialist facilities and related expertise at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia and perform a series experiments to improve the power conversation efficiency and communication bandwidth of my solar cells. The objectives of my visit will be (i) study the surface passivation pathways using ultrathin alumina capping layer as well as Cd-free buffers to achieve low-cost, environmentally friendly, and high efficiency solar cells; (ii) optimise local chemical environment engineering to assess my designs for solar cells as low-speed OWC receivers; (iii) organise an innovation workshop during my visit to create a valuable platform at UNSW to promote project outputs in energy natural OWC and forge sustainable collaborations between academics, engineers and wider energy/telecommunication companies in Australia. Through the proposed novel approaches, we aim to achieve 15% kesterite solar cells with its communication bandwidth significantly increased from its current kHz to several hundred MHz. Importantly, this international collaboration will allow me to establish new partnerships with world-leading experts in thin film solar cells. By the exchange of knowledge and skills, it provides a special opportunity for professional growth that I will use to advance scientific research and innovation in Northumbria university. This will be achieved by generating essential feasibility data for a more extensive collaborative research programme that will include industrial partners from both UK and Australia. Moreover, the scientific findings will be disseminated widely through gold open access where possible, conferences and outreach events to maximum the benefit to researchers in the field and wider public

Co-AIMS: Research Hub on Collaborative AI for Manufacturing Sustainability

GRN: UKRI1890

Period: 31/10/2025 to 31/10/2032

Funding Source: EPSRC

This proposed study aims to contribute to the finance governance theme by investigating the empowerment of marginalized communities (i.e., the Indigenous communities) through equity stakes in the energy sector, which bridges broader corporate governance frameworks with the critical goals of energy transition and sustainability. Indigenous inclusivity is essential for the sustainable development of the energy sector, addressing long-standing social and economic inequalities while fostering just energy transitions. Indigenous groups play key roles in energy projects in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), with their lands and resources often forming the foundation for large-scale developments. In the UK, marginalized communities, particularly in Scotland, have voiced concerns about energy projects, such as accusations of "bribery" in gaining support for wind farms. While community energy initiatives that allow local groups to invest in green projects exist, their growth remains limited. In Canada, innovative strides are being made toward inclusive economic participation of Indigenous communities. A notable example in Canada involves Indigenous communities leveraging government-backed guaranteed loans to purchase equity stakes in energy companies, thereby entering corporate structures. This innovative approach, which encourages Indigenous communities to acquire equity stakes in major energy projects, promotes financial inclusion while encouraging them to participate economically in energy companies and contribute to energy transition efforts. Despite its promise, this pathway presents challenges. Indigenous shareholders, as minority stakeholders, often face barriers to having their voices heard in corporate governance, raising concerns about tokenism. Addressing agency issues for minority equity holders is essential to ensuring genuine empowerment and improving energy transformation efficiency and climate risk mitigation efforts. This research project aims to examine studies on the empowerment of Indigenous communities in financial inclusion, energy transformation, and climate risk mitigation by focusing on Indigenous equity participation developments in Canada and providing cross-national insights to inform strategies for empowering marginalized communities in the UK. Through narrative syntheses of academic literature and media reports, this project seeks to: - Assess the current knowledge on Indigenous community empowerment in Canada and the UK, building on existing literature. - Explore the implementation and challenges of enabling equity stakes for Indigenous communities in the energy sector. - Identify knowledge gaps and offer policy and practice recommendations to enhance financial inclusion and active participation in energy transformation. - Share findings with cross-sectoral stakeholders and the public to drive meaningful impact

FRAME-FM

GRN: UKRI2696

Period: 07/10/2025 to 07/04/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

The development of new materials and devices that are relevant towards achieving net-zero either by energy generation OR by reducing power consumption is of critical importance to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Closed shell organic semiconductors have been phenomenally successful in energy related device applications. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have become ubiquitous technology and organic photovoltaic devices (OPV) have efficiencies approaching those of conventional inorganic technologies. In order to move beyond the state-of-the-art it is necessary to overcome the fundamental issue associated with dark, low energy triplet states in these materials. We propose to create a new family of organic semiconductors and devices based on open-shell materials. The materials have the unique combination of high luminescence efficiency and absence of lower energy dark states meaning that the major loss processes in current generation optoelectronic devices can be overcome. Additionally, the presence of unpaired electrons means that these materials can also be used to optically generate high-spin states for use in quantum applications. Following on from our initial discovery that organic radicals based on (tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) methyl) TTM can be made emissive through correct chemical functionalization. We propose a series of chemical systems which will achieve improved and unique optical properties. We will then use these new materials to understand and demonstrate their performance in a series of (spin)optical device applications. Specifically we will aim to design i) highly emissive, stable organic radicals with narrow FWHM for use in display technology. ii) strongly absorbing radical based polymers for use in organic photovoltaics and iii) high-spin radical systems which can be optically manipulated. Thus we propose a true paradigm shift in organic optoelectronic design and function by moving from closed-shell to open-shell systems. In doing so we believe that we open the door to a new chapter of spin and optically active materials which retain or improve upon all the benefits of traditional organic semiconductors whilst eliminating their biggest problems

Generalised theory and Darcy's law for shear-induced dispersion in fluids with variable density and transport properties

GRN: UKRI173

Period: 01/11/2025 to 01/07/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context The UK Government’s net zero strategy predicts a 60% increase in electricity demand due to the switching of energy supply modes from fossil fuel to electricity in major sectors including transport. Transport is currently the largest emitting sector, accounting for 29.1% in 2023 and decarbonizing all forms of transport is a national key priority. Railway is a cleaner transport mode, and the UK’s largest electricity consumer (~4 TWh p.a. ~1.2% of UK total). The railway's decarbonisation ambitions to phase out diesel trains by 2040 will result in a major increase in electricity demand (~ 2TWh), requiring up to £30 billion investment to electrify/decarbonize ~15,000 single track kilometre (stk) rail. The challenge the project addresses Transport electrification requires extensive updates of both the power and transport networks, which are extremely expensive and time-consuming to deploy, e.g. rail electrification costs £1~2.5m per stk, while the current lead times for critical new carbon projects to connect to the power grid are now over 15 years, and investment in transmission capacity is falling behind deployment, leading to >£1Bn cost of managing constraints. For example, in 2021, it was reported that 7TWh electricity including 2.3 TWh wind power was curtailed at a costing £1.5billion. Aims and objectives To address the dual challenges of electricity curtailment due to congestion and increased electricity demand from transport electrification in a whole system approach, this project aims to exploit the commercial application of the Networked Energy Hubs concept integrating technologies developed by Project lead in previous EPSRC projects (EP/L001063/1, EP/R030243/1 and EP/P004636/1), transforming the inflexible transport energy demands into flexible loads, absorbing excessive electricity during the night which otherwise will be curtailed to power trains and potentially road haulage in the daytime. The energy hubs are modular microgrid solutions that integrate battery storage and local renewable generation, interfacing with both the power grid and traction power supply network for trains. When they are networked and controlled via a communication network, they form virtual power plants to provide aggregated flexibility and ancillary services to the power grid, including wind power curtailment reduction, demand flexibility service, and frequency and voltage services. The project has 6 coherent work-packages to achieve the following objectives: Develop a stakeholder network and engage with key stakeholders to scope commercial applications of the networked energy hub technology (WP1). Identify use cases for railway and road electrification and decarbonization (WP2). Conduct desktop feasibility study including data analysis and initial design (WP3). Conduct simulation studies and hardware-in-loop experimental validation (WP4). Assess the technological transferability, including off-shelf solutions, communication infrastructure, and cyber security issues (WP5). Conduct coast benefit analysis and project dissemination (WP6). Potential applications and benefits The project will first explore applications to the GB railway network in decarbonizing ~15,000 stk non-electrified routes, avoid constructing overhead line for at least 3,000 stk track in rural areas which can instead be served by battery trains that are powered by ~500 networked energy hubs, saving > £3billion CAPEX. The aggregated battery storage in these networked hubs would be c. 2GWh, which can be used to absorb excessive electricity at night and power trains by day, reducing curtailment costs by c. £16m per year. The same technology can also be scaled and applied to TfL underground, electric roads, and EV charging stations in cities and along the strategic road network

Great British Chemicals

GRN: UKRI2199

Period: 01/08/2025 to 01/08/2032

Funding Source: EPSRC

The net-zero transition requires us to completely change the way we generate, convert and store energy, alongside a transformation in our chemicals industry away from fossil fuel-based feedstocks. Central to achieving this, are catalysts – which increase the energy efficiency of a reaction without being consumed themselves. Not only will entirely new catalysts be needed for novel chemical processes, but the performance of existing catalysts for sustainable processes must be improved to be competitive with the fossil fuel-based alternatives. On top of this, many current catalysts are based on scarce and expensive platinum-group metals. It is therefore imperative to develop a new generation of catalysts which are active, selective, stable and, where possible, made from earth-abundant elements. This project thus addresses a key challenge in catalyst development: the need for widely accessible methods for observing how catalyst surfaces change with reaction conditions. The lack of such methods limits the extent to which we can apply fundamental understanding of surface catalysis to engineer improvements in performance. The business-as-usual approach to catalyst discovery continues to rely on trial-and-error, where composition is empirically optimised through repetitive testing. To meet our net-zero targets, and minimize the global temperature rises, we do not have time for such inefficient approaches and it is essential that we can rationally design and optimise catalysts, based on underpinning knowledge of their surface chemistry under reaction conditions. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is amongst the most powerful probes of surface composition and chemistry and is already widely used in industry and academia for the post-mortem study of catalysts and other energy materials. However, apart from at a small number of specialised facilities, XPS must be performed under high vacuum conditions, severely limiting its usefulness for understanding the state of catalysts in their operating environment. We have recently demonstrated a novel reaction cell approach which enables XPS to be performed on catalysts under realistic operating conditions, based on electron-transparent graphene windows. This project will move this technology from a proof-of-concept design used at synchrotron facilities, towards a robust, versatile and user-friendly platform which can be integrated into conventional lab-based XPS instruments. The main objectives are to: • Develop a scalable method for manufacturing electron-transparent graphene windows. • Implement thermocatalysis and electrocatalysis reaction cells, with integrated pumping, heating and gas/liquid delivery that can be incorporated into lab-based XPS systems. • Perform demonstration measurements on key stakeholders’ materials under both thermocatalytic and electrocatalytic conditions. • Produce licensable IP to de-risk commercialisation and explore exploitation opportunities. The wide availability of this capability to industrial and academic researchers will be disruptive to the process of catalyst discovery and optimisation by enabling direct observation of structure—function relationships. Rational design instead of trial-and-error will significantly accelerate the catalyst development process. Delivering this capability in the UK will be a clear advantage to our catalysis, chemicals and energy industries, helping us retain international leadership in decarbonisation, as well as benefitting other fields including batteries, sensing, and corrosion. Developing this technology in partnership with a UK-based instrument manufacturer will help retain the UK’s world-leading position in materials characterisation

High performance polymer insulating coatings for high-voltage e-motors

GRN: UKRI642

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/04/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

Foundation industries (cement, steel, glass, ammonia etc) are classified as hard-to-abate sectors due to the inherent high-temperature processes. Decarbonization of industry is technically possible through a combination of technical solutions, the optimum mix of which will vary widely between sectors and regions. Deep decarbonization technologies such as application of alternative carbon neutral fuels and carbon capture are essential to achieve the target of net zero by 2050 in the EU. The project aims to evaluate, develop and demonstrate the advanced and emerging technologies for sustainable energy transition and industrial deep decarbonization. Firstly, the project attempts to remove the barrier associated with high operational and infrastructure costs incurred by the traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology applying aqueous scrubbing. The project also evaluates and justifies the potential of a negative CO2 emission solution by combining CCUS with biomass derived carbon neutral fuels (BECCS). In addition, the project aims to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on the application of ammonia in selected industrial processes as an alternative carbon neutral fuel to replace fossil fuels. The project attempts to apply a wide range of research methods at different scales from microscopic material design to laboratory scale testing and pilot scale trials, and finally to industrial scale deployments supported by the industrial partners. Multi-scale modellings such as reaction kinetics modelling, CFD modelling and process modelling will be performed for system optimization. Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment on carbon footprint of the full supply chain will be conducted for all three above-mentioned decarbonization pathways. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven approach will be used to predict the dynamic CO2 emissions from industrial sites under scenarios using different combinations of renewable fuels with CCUS

IGNITE - Indigenous Green-steel for Net-zero Innovation, Technology and Enterprise

GRN: UKRI1893

Period: 20/10/2025 to 20/10/2032

Funding Source: EPSRC

Foundation industries (cement, steel, glass, ammonia etc) are classified as hard-to-abate sectors due to the inherent high-temperature processes. Decarbonization of industry is technically possible through a combination of technical solutions, the optimum mix of which will vary widely between sectors and regions. Deep decarbonization technologies such as the application of alternative carbon-neutral fuels and carbon capture are essential to achieve the target of net zero by 2050 in the EU. The project aims to evaluate, develop and demonstrate the advanced and emerging technologies for sustainable energy transition and industrial deep decarbonization. Firstly, the project attempts to remove the barrier associated with high operational and infrastructure costs incurred by traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology by applying aqueous scrubbing. The project also evaluates and justifies the potential of a negative CO2 emission solution by combining CCUS with biomass-derived carbon-neutral fuels (BECCS). In addition, the project aims to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on the application of ammonia in selected industrial processes as an alternative carbon neutral fuel to replace fossil fuels. The project attempts to apply a wide range of research methods at different scales from microscopic material design to laboratory scale testing and pilot scale trials, and finally to industrial scale deployments supported by the industrial partners. Multi-scale modelling such as reaction kinetics modelling, CFD modelling and process modelling will be performed for system optimization. Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment on the carbon footprint of the full supply chain will be conducted for all three above-mentioned decarbonization pathways. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven approach will be used to predict the dynamic CO2 emissions from industrial sites under scenarios using different combinations of renewable fuels with CCUS

Integration of a novel direct air CApTure And uTiLisation sYStem for rEnewable fuel production

GRN: UKRI1159

Period: 04/12/2024 to 04/12/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

High performance computing (HPC) and corresponding CMOS chips used in large data centres today face two major challenges: (1) Energy: Achieving a low-energy, low-carbon, greener footprint is critical. It has been predicted that total energy consumed by data centres could increase 15 times by 2030, accounting for up to 8% of global electricity demand. It is crucial to develop new technologies that can drastically reduce HPC energy consumption by orders of magnitude. (2) Performance: Due to the difficulties in continuing the conventional scaling, particularly for power reduction, HPC improvement has dramatically slowed from 32 times per decade in the 1990s to only 1.5 times per decade, as up to 80% of transistors on the chip cannot be used simultaneously due to chip overheating. Power efficiency of logic technologies is limited by VDD, which cannot be scaled much below 0.8 V at room temperature, due to the large Vth and off-leakage imposed by the large sub-threshold swing (SS) of MOSFETs. Liquid nitrogen cooling can drastically improve the performance-to-energy ratio for greener data centres. The significantly reduced SS at cryogenic temperatures (CT) ≤77 K enables significant Vth and VDD scaling to ~0.1 V and 0.3 V, respectively, and delivers >7.5 times power reduction. DARPA recently called for ground-breaking innovations in cryogenic logic technologies and set the target of 25 times performance-to-power ratio (PPR) improvement. However, nanoscale devices operating at a low VDD near Vth are susceptible to logic and timing faults from false transistor switching on/off, induced by charging and discharging of a single defect. The risk of false switching is amplified by the steeper I-V characteristic at CT. Existing device fault and reliability modelling cannot be used under low VDD at CT where the probabilistic process dominates, because they are based on conventional deterministic methodologies. These models use the accumulation or average of multiple defects to set the failure criteria. They are overly pessimistic and force the designers to use the worst-case methodology and unnecessarily large design margins, which hinders the achievement of the 25X Cryo-CMOS optimization targets. Therefore, a novel probabilistic criterion of Fault Rate in Per Million Operations (FPMO) should be used to identify the lowest VDD at CT, instead. This project aims to break the bottleneck and fill in the knowledge gap of cryogenic power fault co-optimisation (PFCO) under ultra-low-VDD. SPICE-level compact modelling of probabilistic and quantum phenomena in defects and their correlations with random faults in devices and circuits will be developed, for achieving ultra-low power and ultra-low fault cryogenic HPC. The project is built on the holistic integration of three key research pillars and objectives to demonstrate the probabilistic PFCO technology and EDA tools at defects, devices, circuits, and system modelling levels: 1) Measure and characterise different probabilistic defects/faults at CT. 2) Develop probabilistic physical and compact device/fault modelling. 3) Demonstrate the new probabilistic Power and Fault Co-optimisation strategy. The integrated pursuit of the four WPs aims at delivering a major breakthrough deployable for HPC at low VDD and CT, through probabilistic fault modelling and Device-Technology-System co-optimisation for achieving unprecedented PPR, which is transformable for many other applications in low power design and green ICT technologies. The results will be implemented in cryogenic process-development-kits (PDK) and commercial design tools, and disseminated to leading industry and academia partners through collaborations with ARM, IBM, Synopsys, IMEC and Semiwise

Integration of a novel direct air CApTure And uTiLisation sYStem for rEnewable fuel production (CATALYSE)

GRN: UKRI1163

Period: 01/01/2025 to 01/12/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context: The REMODEL project seeks to revolutionise high-performance computing (HPC) applications for engineering modelling and simulation by advancing parallel mesh generation and geometry representation. As HPC continues to evolve, particularly with the advent of Exascale supercomputers, the need for precise and efficient simulations of complex engineering systems, such as jet engines and fusion reactors, has never been greater. Despite significant advances in simulating physical phenomena, current methods for handling geometries and generating high-quality meshes in parallel have not kept pace, posing a major barrier to the full utilisation of these powerful computational resources. Challenge: The project addresses the critical challenges impeding the adoption of high-fidelity modelling in industrial applications. These challenges include the difficulty of creating accurate geometric representations that can be efficiently processed in parallel, the lack of standardised parallel CAD formats, and the need for intelligent meshing tools that can predict optimal meshes for new geometries and conditions. Existing methods are often slow, require significant user intervention, and struggle with the dynamic and multi-scale nature of real-world problems. Aims and Objectives: REMODEL aims to develop cutting-edge algorithms and tools, new knowledge, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of simulations, to drive the next generation of HPC systems. Key objectives include: Parallel Geometry Handling: Developing innovative methods for managing complex geometric and topological structures in parallel, ensuring accurate feature recognition and preservation. Hybrid and Adaptive Meshing: Creating adaptive meshing strategies that can handle evolving geometries and enable continuous adaptation for time-dependent simulations. Machine Learning Integration: Utilizing AI to enhance mesh generation and adaptation, reducing the need for iterative processes and ensuring optimal mesh resolution from the start. Multi-Physics Integration: Facilitating seamless, high-fidelity simulations that can capture the complexities of multi-physics problems on parallel platforms. Applications and Impact: The REMODEL project will have far-reaching implications for various industries, including aerospace, automotive, energy, and space exploration. By advancing the state of parallel mesh generation, the project will enable: Enhanced Simulation Accuracy: More precise modelling of complex systems, leading to better product designs and improved performance. Reduced Computational Overhead: Efficient use of HPC resources, minimising energy consumption and computational costs. Broader Industrial Adoption: The development of standardised tools and techniques that can be easily integrated into existing workflows, making high-fidelity simulations more accessible to a wider range of industries. This will stimulate the development of new products and services that contribute to national economic growth and sustainability goals. UK Innovation Leadership: By aligning with the UK's commitment to investing in Exascale computing, REMODEL will strengthen the nation's position at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation. Furthermore, the project will orchestrate meaningful collaboration and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. The consortia amalgamates internationally leading scholars, establishing a robust partnership that will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange, socio-economic impact, and the co-creation of future strategic projects. As part of dedicated engagement and outreach commitments, REMODEL’s outputs will be available as open-source libraries to support global reach, the team will actively promote visibility of the findings, engaging with stakeholders and launching a series of workshops, conferences, and a dedicated project websit

Intelligent Nanofabrication for Nanophotonic Devices

GRN: EP/U536866/1

Period: 01/10/2025 to 30/09/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Flows with large gradients of viscosity and density have recently been found to exhibit new unstable behaviours. New linear energy growths have been detected, suggesting the existence of novel routes leading to turbulence. Fundamental understanding and mathematical models of these new phenomena are currently missing: the physical origin of some instabilities is unclear as well as the conditions under which they may prevail. Hence, the range of physical parameters for which these flows are laminar or turbulent is unknown. Even less understood is how we may act on these flows in order to enhance or impede transition to turbulence. Such questions have great practical implications in engineering. Strongly stratified flows are found, for example, in power plants that use supercritical fluids – fluids at high pressure and temperature. Bridging those gaps will eventually enable the design of more efficient clean energy systems by leveraging the potential of supercritical fluids to exist in a turbulent state (thereby ensuring high heat transfer) even at relatively low flow rates. This project aims to develop a mathematical framework, based on resolvent analysis, that models the linear dynamics of strongly stratified flows. Resolvent analysis is a modern approach in fluid dynamics. It is particularly well suited to study transition to turbulence, as it allows the largest linear energy growths to be identified whilst informing on the optimal conditions that trigger these growths. No such framework currently exists for stratified flows beyond the Boussinesq approximation. Under this assumption, inertial baroclinic effects are neglected, making such models unable to represent instabilities in strongly stratified flows, as recently shown in the literature. The present project addresses this issue by deriving the resolvent analysis using the low-Mach approximation. Based on an asymptotic expansion in terms of the vanishingly small Mach number, a framework modelling arbitrary large density variations can be obtained. Establishing this set of equations for an arbitrary equation of state constitutes the first objective of this project. Developing a numerical tool that solves it is the second objective. This will be achieved by employing a classical spectral method and a singular value decomposition of the resolvent matrix. A thorough validation of this new code will be conducted against data from the literature. The third objective is to obtain results that will demonstrate the applicability of the approach to identify the non-modal mechanisms at play in a laminar strongly stratified flow. Preliminary results will also be obtained on turbulent mean flows. The development of this novel theoretical and numerical framework will benefit the fluid dynamics community interested in stratified flows. Beyond transition to turbulence, the versatility of resolvent analysis can unlock new avenues of research regarding turbulence modelling, as it provides an efficient approach to model coherent structures. These structures, which underpin the statistics of turbulence, have never been studied in strongly stratified flows. This could yield new insights into the modelling of turbulent heat transfer in supercritical fluids which, along with the development of a novel operational computational tool, have the potential to foster technological and knowledge transfers to industrial partners in the energy sector

International collaboration towards dual-functional photovoltaics enabling power transfer and optical signal transmission

GRN: UKRI1491

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Introduction According to the UK Biomass Strategy published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in 2023, sustainable biomass use across the economy plays a vital role in achieving the ambitious target of net zero carbon emission by 2050. Aligned with The Biomass Strategy Policy Statement, widespread biomass use in the industrial sector provides a low-carbon alternative to conventional chemical synthesis, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Sugar beet pulp (SBP), a major waste stream from sugar industries in the UK/Europe is currently sold as animal feed and its valorisation into more value-added products is essential to establish profitable SBP-based biorefineries. The proposal aims to design Yarrowia lipolytica-based cell factories to produce value-added chemicals (zeaxanthin and 1,4-butanediol (BDO)) from SBP, providing a sustainable route for the UK’s nascent bio-based industry. BDO, a tetracarbon diol, is an industrially important large-volume commodity with applications in the food, chemical, medical and pharmaceutical industries. BDO is used as a starting material for manufacturing different products including polybutylene terephthalate, tetrahydrofuran, γ-butyrolactone (GBL), and polybutylene succinate. Zeaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment and a potent antioxidant found in yellow vegetables and fruits, including corn, orange peppers, mangoes, pink grapefruit, apricots, etc. It has a wide range of applications, from colorants and antioxidants in the food industry to dietary food supplements and cosmetics. The consortium brings together the expertise of esteemed academics (Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, and Dr Razieh Rafieenia, Imperial College, London, Dr Vinod Kumar, Cranfield University and Dr Ahsan Islam, Loughborough University) and industrial partners (C-Source Renewables, and FRUU Cosmetics) who will provide in-kind support. The project will apply systems/synthetic biology, metabolic and bioprocess engineering approaches coupled with machine learning algorithms to ensure industrial scale production of zeaxanthin and BDO. The proposed research is part of a wider vision to enable efficient use of all major monosaccharides in lignocellulosic-based waste streams with a circular biorefining approach. Research Aim & Objectives The overall aim of the proposed research is to design and construct Y. lipolytica-based cell factories by rewiring its metabolic network to enable the sustainable biomanufacturing of zeaxanthin and BDO from SBP. This involves achieving specific and measurable milestones: I) Machine learning-based design of optimised strain engineering strategies, II) Construction of L-arabinose and D-galacturonic metabolising Y. lipolytica strains, III) Bioconversion of L-arabinose and D-galacturonic acid into zeaxanthin and BDO by the engineered Y. lipolytica strains, IV) Scaled-up production of target chemicals. The potential direct or indirect benefits: The project outcomes will hugely benefit the current, unsustainable, fossil fuel-based chemical industries, as these are identified as the key and direct beneficiaries of the work through the availability of environmentally friendly products. The profound research investigation and investment in this area will strengthen the bioeconomy, improve the economic viability of bio-based industries including pharmaceuticals, and polymer industries, and create new employment opportunities in the UK from researchers to engineers and operators. The efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic-based wastes into value-added chemicals will benefit the polymer and pharmaceutical industries by contributing to circular biorefining, leading to more sustainable and environmentally friendly bioprocesses. Additionally, the use of wastes as inexpensive raw material will result in reduced process costs and, subsequently, lower market price of the final products

Luminescent Radicals for Next Generation Optoelectronics

GRN: EP/Z534249/1

Period: 01/04/2025 to 31/03/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are required for a diversity of applications across many fields spanning clean energy, environmental remediation, and healthcare. Examples include: green hydrogen producing electrolysers and low temperature fuel cells; carbon dioxide electrolysis into high value chemicals; salinity gradient power; hydrogen peroxide generation; redox flow batteries; actuators; batteries and supercapacitors; electrodialysis and diffusion dialysis for the recovery, extraction, and separation of inorganics including heavy metals ions and acid and bases; chromatography materials for protein purification; biomaterials for tissue engineering; and fouling resistant membranes for microfiltration. The Lancaster University team will develop a novel table-top facility using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to routinely and non-destructively quantify the different states of water (bound, bulk, and free) in IEMs in environments with both relative humidity (RH) and temperature control. Previously, water states and contents have only been measured in uncontrolled environments using either pulse field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance experiments or with destructive techniques like differential scanning calorimetry. The developed THz-TDS system will be used to gain a more extensive TRL1-2 level fundamental understanding of how the states of water vary in IEMs with different composition characteristics. These IEMs will be either commercial types (including those provided by a project partner) or those fabricated at the University of Surrey (see below). Underpinning preliminary work at Lancaster University has shown that THz-TDS derived water state information can be collected at different RHs, but this was only possible at ambient temperatures. A more comprehensive development of a system, that can collect such data with both RH and temperature control, is required. Commercial ion-exchange membrane developers and users, including project partners, have indicated that they would like to see this knowledge deficiency rectified, where routinely collected water-state data is available over a wider range of conditions. Radiation grafting is a useful method for bulk functionalisation of polymers with defined characteristics (films, powders, fibres). The University of Surrey will supply a range of small-scale (10 × 10 cm) samples of radiation-grafted cation- and anion-exchange membranes with a diversity of: (1) ion-exchange capacities; (2) chemistries; (3) thicknesses, and (4) nano-morphologies (distribution and size of crystallites). This will aid the generation of new fundamental scientific knowledge related to how IEM characteristics affect their water contents and states. In the latter stages, the Surrey team will then conduct TRL3 scale-up work on down-selected radiation-grafted IEMs, an effort that will be supported by the developed Lancaster University-based THz-TDS capability. For initial translation to impact, the scaled-up RG-IEMs will be those that have the right balance of properties for application in peroxide generating cells, an interest of our aerospace partner. It is well known that the in situ performances of IEMs (in numerous electrochemical systems) is as much a function of water contents (and mobility) as they are of ion-conductivity. Hence it will be important to elucidate the homogeneity of the distribution of water states across different areas of scaled-up (30+ × 30+ cm) batches of IEM, as well as the consistency of water states across multiple repeat batches. It is currently unknown if homogeneous ion-exchange capacities actually lead to homogeneous water states

Networked Energy Hubs for Accelerating Decarbonization of Transport and Energy Sectors

GRN: UKRI779

Period: 01/09/2025 to 01/09/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

The project 'Super High Power and Energy Electrode Designs for Metal-ion Batteries' (SPEED) is focused to demonstrate a sustainable 'Hybrid Battery' (HB) technology by combining materials which demonstrate different charge storage mechanisms in a single device, decoupling energy and power. High surface area materials store charge as an electric double layer capacitance (EDLC) and redox- active materials can store charge in the bulk particles, such as in batteries. If suitable green principles are used from concept through to end-of-life and recycling, the materials' life cycle can be optimised. SPEED will highlight the integration of renewable energy generation, emission reduction, e-mobility with improved resource efficiency targeted for the European Union (EU) aim of Net Zero by 2050. This novel concept has enormous potential to overcome the drawbacks of both supercapacitors and batteries such that high power and high energy density can be achieved in a compact system with improved charging rates. Sustainability will be addressed through materials choice, using abundant materials such as Aluminium, Sodium, Magnesium, Iron and Manganese rather than critical materials such as Lithium, Cobalt and Graphite. Multi-material concepts which combine the different surface area materials, and ion transport combinations will be used to maximise performance properties. High-charge aluminium ions will be used for high surface charge storage, whereas sodium ions for bulk charge storage. A lab-based prototype will be developed to underpin the fundamental understanding of hybridised technology for long-term industrial and emerging technologies. Devices fabricated using this composite will provide an enhancement in the frontiers of science & technology associated with the aim of clean energy usage leading to economic prosperity for all

Operando XPS for Accelerating Energy Materials Discovery for the Net Zero Transition

GRN: UKRI784

Period: 10/11/2025 to 10/11/2027

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context The discovery of high-temperature superconducting magnets has allowed the design for fusion devices to shrink considerably. Whilst this will result in large economic benefits, operating components in such a proximity to the reactor core only pushes them closer to the point of failure: containing a Sun in a box is no mean feat. “Saving Icarus” aims to increase the operating temperature of reduced-activation fusion steel using additive manufacture (AM) to design and engineer a microstructure that is stable at elevated temperatures. The connection enabled by this project This collaborative project brings together experts on AM and alloy design at the University of Cambridge (UoC) with the Materials and Fusion Technology divisions at the UKAEA. The alloy design will revolve around a spatially engineered microstructure concept, which is pioneered by the group at UoC and is enabled by AM. The goal of the project is twofold. First it will demonstrate the viability of using AM technology to improve performance and lower the cost of fusion applications. Second, it will showcase the benefits brought about by materials with spatially varying microstructure, which may have implications for different engineering problems. The challenge addressed Current reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel alloys proposed for use in plasma-facing components in the reactor core—such as breeder blankets—cannot operate at temperatures exceeding 550°C. Beyond this baseline, creep, thermal cycling, and radiation damage accumulation will cause failure and limit the lifetime of the reactor significantly. The UKAEA has identified a class of high-strength RAFM steels with finely dispersed nano-precipitates as a possible material solution to raise the operating temperature to 650°C. However, these materials are difficult to manufacture and assemble into large components. As a result, making breeder blankets out of these materials is costly and would require multiple weld joins, which irremediably compromise the alloy’s unique microstructure and introduce possible failure points. Aims and objectives This project will address the above challenges by enabling net-shape manufacturing of these advanced steels with spatially controlled microstructure using AM technology. The part design consolidation offered by AM will allow reducing the number of joints required to make large scale parts, lowering the production cost and ensuring safer operations. Moreover, site-specific ‘tuning’ of the alloy microstructure will be used to make parts with graded precipitate density; high in the hot, plasma-facing regions and absent in colder ones, which may be safely welded to other subcomponents. The objectives of this project are thus two: 1) demonstrating the printability of these high strength alloys with tuneable density of precipitates and 2) producing a demonstrator breeder blanket subcomponent with optimized microstructural gradient. Potential applications and benefits The adoption of advanced, near-net shape manufacturing technologies is a crucial step to realising commercially-viable power generating nuclear fusion reactor designs. As such, this manufacturing development will be of interest to a range of public and private organisations which are currently engaged in these designs. This represents an exciting opportunity for the UK to lead the energy revolution. As an indication of scale, the Fusion Industry Association reported that in 2023 the fusion sector global invested $1.4B, of which private sector operators raised $271M. Translation projects, such as Saving Icarus, are ideally positioned to feed into and leverage off this growing industrial opportunity

PARADISE - Development of next generation pathways leading to just energy transition and industrial deep decarbonization

GRN: UKRI2110

Period: 01/01/2025 to 01/01/2029

Funding Source: EPSRC

Up to 90% of the energy used over the lifetime of a ceramic component is consumed during manufacturing. The very high temperatures used are by far the biggest barrier to the wider use of ceramic materials, despite their suitability for use in a wide range of applications including solid-state batteries and other devices. In this project we will attempt to eliminate the need for heating to densify ceramic materials. We will start with pellets pressed from highly pure ceramic powders to which we will add very carefully controlled amounts of "phase-changing additive" substances which convert to metals at relatively low temperatures. This will provide us with a way to input energy by connecting the material to a power supply which will preferentially heat the surfaces of the particles where these substances are placed. We hypothesize that this will lead to intense heating in this region locally, enabling sintering to occur without needing to raise the temperature of the entire sample. This paradigm-shifting idea would radically reduce energy consumption in the ceramics industry and enable co-processing of ceramics with other materials which would usually degrade at the high temperatures of conventional ceramic processing methods. This work, if successful, will enable better manufacturing routes for important technological applications including solid-state batteries and ceramic-based metalized metamaterials for use in imaging and communication. In this project we propose several methods to investigate whether our hypothesis is correct and whether the effects we propose can be sufficiently controlled to lead to extensive densification. We will also investigate how universal the effects are by substituting materials with different ionic, electrical, and thermal conductivities. The project will also involve extensive work to characterise the samples produced using a wide range of imaging, X-ray spectroscopy, and bulk property measurement methods

Probabilistic Power-Fault Co-Optimisation (PFCO) for Cryogenic Logic Technologies

GRN: EP/Z536180/1

Period: 01/09/2025 to 31/08/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Developing more energy-efficient technologies is a key component of sustainable economic growth. Superconductors can make a key contribution to such technologies, however their ground state is typically only reached at very low temperatures. Only one group of materials, the cuprate high-temperature superconductors, so far exhibits superconductivity at temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen and at ambient pressure, which has made it challenging to develop a universal understanding of the pairing mechanism in these materials. Recently, superconductivity at similarly high temperatures has been reported in a second class of transition metal oxides, the lanthanum nickelates, albeit so far only under pressure. Discovery of a second class of transition metal oxides that exhibits high temperature superconductivity promises new opportunities to establish an understanding of the pairing mechanism in these materials and vastly better possibilities their properties in applications. The lanthanum nickelates are structurally very similar to the cuprates: they are both perovskite oxides, and superconductivity is observed in layered compounds of the Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) series – suggesting that similar physics might be at play. The primary objective of this research proposal is to systematically investigate the ground states of RP type phases derived from lanthanum nickelates in a quest to stabilise the superconductivity at ambient pressure as well as establish their correlated phases and understand their origin. To be able to harvest this potential high temperature superconductivity, but also improve our understanding of and ability to design correlated phases in transition metal oxides, we propose here an approach that combines thin film growth with characterisation by spectroscopies and electronic transport and ab-initio modelling to identify the key physics, enable identification of the superconducting phase, and unravel the mystery of high-temperature superconductivity in lanthanum nickelates. To achieve this objective, we will Use advanced spectroscopic methods to understand the electronic structure and correlated phases of single crystals of lanthanum nickelates Establish growth of electronic designer metamaterials, consisting of layered structures of different members of the Ruddlesden-Popper series of the lanthanum nickelates Employ a range of methods to identify the superconducting phase and stabilise it in thin films at ambient pressur

REMODEL

GRN: UKRI1666

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2030

Funding Source: EPSRC

Context: Climate change and new technologies like AI are having unprecedented impacts on the performance of critical engineered systems like infrastructures. For example, surges in the demand for electric power can exacerbate the impact of devasting floods and storms that can then wreck power grids. Coastal erosion disrupts railroads and impact transport and supply chains. The UN SDGs stress the urgent need for next generation infrastructures to make better use of resources, sustain economic activities, and recover readily from major disruptions. These are essential to face global societal challenges like climate change and transition to net zero. Challenge: Standard tools for designing and planning complex engineered systems (electrified transports, renewable energy systems, space-based remote-sensing) are poorly suited to deal with uncertainty in environmental conditions, markets, technologies and societal needs. Tools and measures of performance like optimization and benefit-cost analysis typically rely on deterministic forecasts that cannot deal with uncertainty or the value of strategic adaptation in the face of unforeseen conditions. They often lead to rigid systems that are insufficiently resilient, inefficient in terms of resource use, or cannot provide the originally intended societal value for money. Our ability to address complex global challenges like climate change is at risk if upcoming investment decision-making continues to rely on existing approaches. Aims & objectives: This OTG will push further the development of an emerging paradigm called Strategic Engineering, which promotes design & planning of complex systems like infrastructures to dynamically adapt and reconfigure to deal with uncertainty and risks. Many years of research show that strategic engineering produces systems with improved economic value for society, better sustainability, and resilience in the long run. This OTG will support travels to enable in-person meetings and workshops with colleagues in the US and Europe who have contributed to the development of this emerging paradigm. The objectives are to 1) continue development of an educational eBook presenting concepts and theories underlying strategic engineering and how to apply the methods and measure benefits in sectors like aerospace, defence, energy, transport, 2) research and co-develop new data-driven and AI technologies to better disseminate knowledge in engineering education and practice, and 3) contribute to grow a global community of researchers and practitioners to maximise impact and momentum in view of a follow-on EPSRC Network Plus proposal. Potential applications & benefits: Latest research shows that strategic engineering produces engineered systems with improved economic value for society (20-30% routinely compared to standard tools, significant for infrastructures typically requiring >£100 million investments). Strategic engineering is a unifying paradigm promoting sustainable use of economic and material resources via dynamic adaptation, as well as resilience in the face of uncertainty. As such, it supports global business and policy aspirations for a cleaner and greener future. The tools, methods and technologies developed over the years are, however, not widely accessible to engineering students, academics and practitioners. This is because the knowledge is highly cross-disciplinary and fragmented, and our community spread out across many institutions. This OTG will help consolidate our efforts to produce innovative, open access and accessible educational and research material for future engineering and system leaders. Crucially, it will support society’s ability to adapt to a changing world at a time when it is most needed

Resolvent analysis for strongly stratified flows

GRN: UKRI1119

Period: 01/10/2025 to 01/10/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Rising ambient temperature, changes in precipitation and extreme weather events are observed more frequently recently. Buildings should be designed and retrofitted to withstand these changes and extreme events during their lifetime. Resilience of buildings has attracted attention of research and design guidance in particular for heatwaves and flooding. In addition, cities create their own microclimate. There is considerable drive in many cities to improve quality of air and thermal environment outside. On the thermal environment, current research and initiatives focus on how to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI) by increasing vegetation, reflectivity (albedo) of external surfaces, and incorporating water features. These interventions will help reducing external air and surface temperatures improving thermal comfort of pedestrians and reducing energy demand for cooling buildings. Urban settings and climate change both impact on energy use and thermal comfort inside buildings as well as Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in naturally ventilated buildings. At design stage, external boundary conditions are an important input to predicting their performance and at operational stage knowledge of external conditions helps to adjust settings. Designing buildings especially in urban environments using typical (based on past data) weather conditions ignores the changed external environment leading to erroneous predictions and choice of façade design and Heating Ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) strategies and equipment that may not be suitable. Considering the drive to achieve net zero buildings in the next decade, ignoring the urban environment and climate change will compromise the results. The new International Energy Agency (IEA), Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Annex 97 research project aims to generate and spread international knowledge about effective heat mitigation and sustainable cooling in cities considering their characteristics and impact of climate change. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction between heat mitigation in outdoor spaces and cooling of buildings. Therefore, the project aims to develop and support the application of measures that serve the health, safety and wellbeing of people and that push energy efficiency and open the way to carbon neutrality. The objectives are: establish a knowledge base on environmental quality criteria in indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) for urban cooling. develop simulation and experimental methods to assess heat mitigation and cooling technologies. identify and assess solutions to improve heat mitigation in urban outdoor areas and cooling in buildings, focusing on the interrelation of both measures. identify best practices for policy-making, and strengthen existing networks to amplify global adoption of sustainable cooling practices. Annex 97 participation includes research organisations from 20 countries, including many European countries, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and the USA while India, Mexico and Vietnam will be observing countries. Brunel intends to participate to the work of all objectives. Participation will benefit the UK in identifying additional niche areas for research at national level and promoting current national research at international level. The results of Annex 97 will be of benefit to regional policy makers, urban planners, architects and building designers. The Annex will publish reports of the international research which are approved by the IEA EBC Executive Committee before publication and will be available in the IEA EBC website. In additional, interim results will be published in the form of journal and conference papers

Rewiring Yarrowia lipolytica to design green biorefineries for complete valorisation of sugar beet pulp

GRN: UKRI3190

Period: 01/11/2025 to 01/11/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

Quantum mechanics is often thought of in the context of highly controlled laboratory experiments and complicated theoretical calculations. Yet, its principles also govern everyday natural processes. As a consequence, quantum correlations—phenomena like coherence and entanglement that have no classical equivalent—may be the key to dramatically enhancing their efficiency. Hence, this project is devoted to uncovering the hidden potential of quantum mechanics with a particular focus on energy transfer in molecules. Central to our research is the process of singlet fission, where a molecule absorbs a single photon creating an excited state which then divides into two quantum mechanically linked electronic states. This process has the potential to facilitate more efficient charge transfer—a critical step in converting light into electricity. However, despite its significant promise, the intricate mechanisms underlying singlet fission remain largely unexplored, presenting both a challenge and an exciting opportunity for research breakthroughs leading to step changes in technology. Understanding singlet fission poses a dual challenge that intertwines theoretical and experimental obstacles. On the theoretical side, traditional quantum chemistry methods often fall short in capturing the rapid, complex, and non-equilibrium dynamics intrinsic to singlet fission, e.g., where coherence or entanglement play a crucial role. On the experimental side, unraveling the dynamics demands specialized spectroscopic techniques capable of simultaneously resolving both electronic and spin effects over a broad range of timescales. Moreover, the gap between the sophisticated theoretical frameworks of quantum information science and the practical constraints of experimental chemistry is a formidable barrier that this project will overcome: We will integrate cutting-edge modeling with state-of-the-art spectroscopy to achieve a unified understanding of singlet fission. To tackle the challenges outlined above, our project brings together a team with wide-ranging expertise in quantum chemistry, quantum information, open quantum systems, spectroscopy, and synthetic chemistry, to capture the intricate dynamics of singlet fission and the subsequent charge transfer processes. We will develop a novel theoretical framework that combines state-of-the-art quantum chemistry with open quantum systems theory, which will be rigorously tested using cutting-edge ultrafast optical and magnetic resonance spectroscopies on specially-synthesized molecules engineered to exhibit singlet fission. By directly observing the quantum behaviour that drives these processes, we will gain unprecedented insights into optimizing energy transfer and pioneer the integration of quantum information techniques with advanced chemistry research. The potential applications of this research are extensive. A deeper understanding of quantum correlations in singlet fission could lead to the development of next-generation solar cells that significantly exceed current efficiency limits. In addition, these insights may inform the design of photocatalysts and other optoelectronic devices, contributing to more sustainable energy solutions. Beyond immediate technological applications, integrating our new methodology with advanced spectroscopy and chemical synthesis will foster interdisciplinary collaboration, bridging the gap between quantum information theory, chemistry, and materials science, and thereby enriching the broader research community. In summary, our project will combine quantum chemistry with quantum information theory through open quantum systems theory with backing and grounding in experimental measurements to advance fundamental knowledge of quantum dynamics in molecular systems. More, we aspire to translate these insights into practical applications to lay the groundwork for transformative technologies in renewable energy and quantum-enabled devices, ultimately addressing critical challenges in energy conversion and sustainability

Routine, non-destructive water-state sensing in ion-exchange membranes under controlled temperature and humidities using terahertz spectroscopy

GRN: EP/Z534237/2

Period: 01/05/2025 to 05/01/2028

Funding Source: EPSRC

The electric vehicle (EV) market is growing at an unprecedented rate. EV drivelines face unique operational and reliability challenges to reduce energy consumption, increase vehicle range, and switch from oil-based lubrication. EV lubricants face significant challenges operating inside electromagnetic fields that damage surfaces by electric discharge and changes molecular interactions at the surface. They need to lubricate under severe conditions, from low-speed high-torque to super-high speeds and angular accelerations typical of EV operation. Lubrication is in boundary-to-mixed regime where surface contact occurs, so forming protective tribofilms is paramount. Switching to aqueous lubrication has benefits to the environment, health, and increased cooling (increasingly as both lubricant and coolant combined), but brings significant challenges in film formation and corrosion. How tribofilms form and evolve in the electro-aqueous environment is fundamental to their operation. This project aims to provide fundamental understanding of aqueous EV lubricant performance and create a framework for performance prediction in real applications, thus enabling development of appropriate sustainable lubricants. This includes mechanistic and deterministic models and novel experiments at different scales - the formation of tribofilms at molecular level, single asperity and contacts, and then to full-size bearing components. We have designed four work packages, each for a different length scale. In WP1 we investigate commercial and prototype fluids in an electrified full-size bearing, exploring tribofilm formation, surface damage, and failure mechanisms. A component (bearing) level simulation model, built simultaneously, will incorporate contact analysis, thermo-hydrodynamic and boundary film formation. In WP2, single contact level testing is performed in bench-top simulators to closely control the contact between rolling and sliding parts, watching for tribofilm and damage mechanistic evolution, with and without potential. WP3 considers the single asperity, using AFM experiments, to study tribofilm composition and how it builds atomically at the contact. This is complemented by the molecular dynamics simulations in WP4, studying the adsorption of the candidate molecules to form boundary films and the effect of electric fields. These are then upscaled to film formation at contact and bearing scale. The team consists of three world-leading tribology groups with complementary expertise. Loughborough have a long track record in tribodynamics, including EV transmissions. Imperial College leads the field in development of lubricant additives, transmission technologies, and modelling at all scales. Sheffield specialises in machine element experimental measurement and sensing. The industrial partners span the supply chain and are committed as this aligns with their business needs. Shell will support with their expertise in lubricant design, supply of fluids, access to test equipment, and fund a PhD. SKF will support with expertise in bearings, effect of electric potentials, as well as specialist equipment and PhD funding. Scania will provide data on EV drive cycles, and expertise in performance of EV drivelines. AVL will provide access to their simulation tools and dissemination to their customer base. The output from the project will be a complete methodology for design and selection of aqueous lubricants for electric vehicles. This will be adopted by our industrial partners and more widely into automotive and lubricant sectors

SPEED: Super high Power And Energy Electrode Designs For Metal-ion Batteries

GRN: EP/Z001595/1

Period: 01/07/2024 to 30/06/2026

Funding Source: EPSRC

Organic (carbon-based) semiconductors are leading to a more sustainable future in electronics. What sets organic based electronics apart is their cost-effective production through easy-to-use printing methods. They are also mechanically flexible and lightweight, making them ideal for unconventional device shapes. Additionally, these devices can be energy efficient, contributing to reducing power consumption, aligning with the goals of a sustainable energy landscape. The applications of organic electronics are diverse, including energy-efficient displays and low-cost photovoltaics for renewable energy generation. I specialise in optical spectroscopy and device physics of organic semiconductors. In my approach to research, I believe that merely understanding the potential of a molecule in isolation is insufficient. It is crucial to consider the context of the molecule within its environment and the diverse behaviours relevant to the timescales and energy-scales present in a functioning device. By integrating these considerations into opto-electronic models, we can facilitate more effective material and device design, thereby optimising their performance and functionality. Although organic based devices are already successfully incorporated into commercial products such as Samsung smartphones and LG TVs, their full potential remains untapped. For example, we have yet to develop stable blue high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) or electrically driven organic lasers. These advancements are hindered by a fundamental lack of understanding of exciton (electron and hole pair) dynamics within operational devices. Current research relies on photoexcitation (light) to probe exciton dynamics, which explains very well exciton dynamics in thin films. However, this method does not fully replicate true device operating conditions. The discrepancy arises because the excited states generated in electronic devices differ significantly from those induced via photoexcitation, primarily due to variations in the spin of the excitons generated. Therefore, a paradigm shift is needed in the study of exciton dynamics to unlock the potential of organic based devices. My proposed project will develop exciton dynamics models under actual device operational conditions and link these to performance and degradation of organic based devices. The project will study OLEDs using a novel device characterization methodology and currently available electro-optical techniques to unravel fast processes occurring in devices. The primary scientific outcome is to uncover key insights into how organic based devices operate. This involves understanding the mechanisms of exciton generation and emission in OLEDs. Specifically, I aim to obtain critical exciton parameters such as spin, energy, efficiency, and lifetime directly from the devices. By analysing these parameters and assessing their effects on OLED performance metrics (like efficiency, colour purity, and lifespan) we will be able to establish new guidelines for designing materials and devices. Moreover, this program will delve into device engineering methods for controlling exciton degradation mechanisms, which must be mitigated to realise significant breakthroughs in the field, such as stable blue high-performance OLEDs and electrically driven organic lasers. These achievements will impact direct industrial applications, especially in the development of displays that consume less power. Finally, I highlight that grasping the fundamentals of these emitting devices will yield broader implications for other organic based technologies. For example, sustainable organic solar panels currently face challenges on reducing non-radiative charge and exciton recombination which is critical to achieving high-performance conversion from light to electricity. This project holds the potential to ultimately understand this obstacle, promising advancements in the realm of solar energy technology as well

Recent Additions to the EDC

24/04/2026

36 new projects added

14/01/2026

21 new projects added

07/01/2026

46 new projects added