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Press Release 4 December 2007 - TSB to invest £12m in Research and Development of New Materials Technologies for Energy

UK research into materials technologies that will help meet the country’s energy challenges is to be boosted by a £12 million investment by the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

The two organisations have allocated the money to fund highly innovative industry-led collaborative research and development projects that will enable the UK to rapidly meet the urgent and difficult challenges posed within the global energy sector.

The investment will support the research and development of materials technologies that offer either specific or generic solutions to problems within the sector. The focus of the projects will be on the development of technologies and materials for energy generation (including fossil fuel, nuclear and renewables), energy transmission and distribution (including electrical and liquid gas), energy storage and energy conservation (with a focus on improved insulation materials in the built environment).

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest £10 million into the projects, with a further £2 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Together, they will provide partial investment in winning projects that address one or more of these areas, and which involve businesses working collaboratively with other businesses and/or with research organisations and academic institutions.

The projects, which can last for 2 to 3 years, can range from small, highly focussed basic research projects, aimed at establishing technical feasibility, through to applied research and experimental development projects.

The Materials for Energy competition is part of the Technology Strategy Board's Autumn 2007 call for proposals in a number of innovation and technology areas.

Explaining the background to the competition, Technology Strategy Board Chief Executive Iain Gray said "Energy supply and the control of CO2 emissions represent major environmental and sustainability challenges for the UK. Materials technologies can play an important role in meeting these challenges, within a global context.”

“Energy demand in the UK is set to grow, as the economy expands, but we also have a target to achieve at least a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. To both meet increased demand and minimise environmental impact, the UK will require a balanced energy portfolio, potentially including a mix of fossil, renewable and nuclear energy sources. The UK will need advances in the development and application of materials technologies in order to meet our needs for energy generation, storage and transmission.”

He added "The aim of the Technology Strategy Board is to support the research, development and exploitation of technology for the benefit of the UK economy and to improve the quality of life. We are therefore delighted to invest in research and development in the area of materials for energy.”

Applicants must register their intention to apply for funding by 11 January 2008 and the final closing date for applications is 14 February 2008. Further information is available at www.technologyprogramme.org.uk

Notes to Editors

The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its mission is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

The Technology Strategy Board's Collaborative Research and Development Programme is investing directly in new and emerging technologies and has been designed to help businesses work with each other or with academic partners to develop technologies that will underpin products and services of the future. Since 2004, the programme has supported about 700 projects across 40 technology areas with a combined business and government investment worth over £1 billion.

On 8 November 2007 the Technology Strategy Board announced a new competition for proposals for collaborative research and development, representing a Government investment of around £100 million. The competition is designed to generate innovative proposals in which the business and research communities collaborate on research and technology projects to deliver successful new products and services.

Submissions have been invited in eight technology areas: Cell Therapy, Material for Energy and High Value Manufacturing (opening 8 November 2007), Low Carbon Energy Technologies, Advanced Lighting, Lasers & Displays and Technologies for Health (opening 19 December 2007), Gathering Data in Complex Environments and Creative Industries (opening 30 January 2008).

Issued by

Nick Sheppard
Media Relations Manager
Technology Strategy Board
Block B, North Star House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1JF

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