National Materials Innovation Strategy

The Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials has appointed an expert team comprising ScotCHEM,  Perspective Economics and Urban Foresight to engage stakeholders across the materials science community in the development of a new National Materials Innovation Strategy.

ScotCHEM is the project lead and, with the team, will expand on the Framework for the strategy, working across the research community to develop both the econometric data and the wider underpinning evidence necessary for scoping, definition and appropriate groupings of:

  • National and industrial sector priorities, including trends and drivers, market needs and industrial sectors
  • Key application and process developments to which materials innovation can contribute via value-creation opportunities
  • Material innovations to support these applications and processes and further highlight the need for cross-sector collaborations
  • The associated non-technological supporting enablers, such as skills development, regulation and finance

The project team will work under the direction of the new Materials Innovation Leadership Groupwhich has been established by Royce to oversee and champion the development of this important new Strategy that will tackle the major challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the UK.

Development of the Strategy will run from now until the end of 2024, with the first stakeholder workshops being planned for later this year.

Materials underpin manufacturing, and the UK is one of the largest global manufacturing nations, contributing £203 billion every year to GVA and supporting 5 million jobs. 84% of this manufacturing takes place outside of London and the South East.

We look forward to working with industry, government, academia and the 3rd sector to develop this significant strategy for the UK.

For enquiries, please contact [email protected]

Keep up to date with the Strategy development – sign up to the Henry Royce Institute Newsletter

SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme: ScotCHEM European Exchanges

PhD & ECR European Exchanges in chemistry funding call

We are delighted to be one of the consortia selected to deliver the SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme European Exchange programmes.

Enabling ScotCHEM researchers to collaborate with colleagues in EU Member States, and EEA and EFTA countries will bring benefits not only to individual researchers and their research groups but also to Scotland’s research ecosystem. Growing relationships and attracting talent to Scotland is a key aim of the scheme.

Webinar

ScotCHEM hosted a webinar to answer questions from the community in relation to the SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme: ScotCHEM European Exchanges call on Tuesday 19th October 2021 2pm (immediately following the ScotCHEM ECR Seminar).

Applications

Applications for the ScotCHEM Saltire European Exchange Programme are now closed.

Application deadline: 28 January 2022.


[Last updated: 25 February 2022]

ScotCHEM ECR funding call

Applications deadline: 5pm on December 18th 2020

Scope

For the last few years ScotCHEM and the SFC have been supporting early career researcher (ECRs) through the PEER and PECRE funds. Due to recent events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic the remit of these calls seems less appropriate as travel restrictions continue to be very unpredictable. Therefore, ScotCHEM is pleased to open a funding call for ECRs with as much flexibility as possible.

The funding call will be split between two types of applicants and awards, non-independent and independent ECRs (see eligibility criteria below).

Non-independent ECRs can apply for up to £500 while independent ECRs can apply for up to £4000. A minimum of 8 projects will be funded for non-independent researchers and a minimum of 4 projects will be funded for independent researchers.

The project proposal must highlight how it will have a positive impact on the lead applicant’s career and must also fulfil at least one of the following aims:

  • building a new collaboration (for non-independent ECRs a collaboration not currently existing with the supporting applicant).
  • access to facilities for generation of proof of concept data or for enhancing impact of ongoing research.
  • access to training under the scope of continuing professional development.
  • small equipment, specialist glassware, consumables, software licence etc. that is/are integral to the delivery of proof of concept data or enhancing impact of ongoing research.

Eligibility

  • Non-independent ECR, describes those at Masters, PhD or Postdoctoral level not currently named as investigators on a grant (PI, Co-I or Researcher Co-I)
  • Independent ECR, describes those researchers currently named on a research grant (PI, Co-I or Researcher Co-I) and within 5 years of becoming independent.
  • Non-independent researcher will require the support of independent research staff (which can include those applying for the Independent ECR award). Only one application for this award should be submitted per research group (we therefore expect PIs to do internal selection within their groups for this award).
  • The lead applicant must be employed or a registered student at a ScotCHEM University and have at least 3 months remaining on their studies or contract from February 1st 2021.

Submissions

Submit your applications to [email protected]

Applications deadline: 5pm on December 18th 2020

Enquiries should be directed at Dr Alan Wiles (Director of Operations ScotCHEM) [email protected]

Lightweight Manufacturing Centre Feedback

Lightweight Manufacturing - A first step towards creating a national manufacturing institute for Scotland. With logos for Scottish government, University of Strathclyde, Advanced Forming research centre, and Scottish enterprise.

The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre in Renfrew is a new part of the Scottish Government’s National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). It will focus on the manufacture of lightweight components for a range of industries in which lighter materials offer benefits, including, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, renewables, medical, marine and off-highway transport. It will deliver cutting-edge research and development projects involving lightweight materials in partnership with companies in Scotland

Further Background

Areas of interest

  • Additive manufacture.
  • Fibre development
  • Nanomaterials
  • Composites
  • New materials
  • Adhesives
  • Surface treatments
  • Packaging
  • Battery
  • Printed electronics
  • Processing, properties and chemistry

The LMC team have suggested the items below for special consideration.

  1. Hybrid structures: multi-material, metallic + non-metallic (processing/forming simultaneously)
    • Cathodic protection
    • We need good surface energy to allow covalent bonding,
    • Clean
    • Hard yet ductile
    • Simulation
  2. Alternative pre-cursors for industrial fibres
    • Sustainability
    • Mechanical performance
    • Fibre matrix interactions
  3. Disbonding; the failure of a coating to adhere to its substrate.
    • Peptides?
  4. Solid-state batteries
  5. Nano-particles

Feedback

Please email feedback  to [email protected].

In your message please consider including:

  • Name.
  • Email.
  • Website.
  • Affiliation.
  • Department.
  • A brief description of your research interests.
  • Any research areas which the LMC should consider.
  • Which equipment would you like to see at the LMC and why?
  • What are the current gaps in the equipment base in academia in Scotland?
  • Which equipment that already exists would be useful to have at a larger scale?
  • Any further comments.