IDRIC funding awarded to decarbonise industry

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IDRIC, part of the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) has been awarded nearly £6m to support decarbonisation of the UK’s largest industrial clusters.

Industry plays a vital role in society, contributing to nine per cent of the UK’s GDP, but contributes around 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

IDRIC recently launched a call for a second wave of new industrial decarbonisation research projects, offering stakeholders the opportunity to respond to emerging innovation and research needs and complementing its existing programme of projects.

The funding will go toward 20 projects covering a wide range of technological, environmental, economic, skills and social aspects of decarbonisation.

Priorities that are addressed include low carbon technologies (carbon capture usage and storage, hydrogen, greenhouse gas removal); systems and scale up; policy frameworks; workforce skills development; and equality, diversity and inclusion.

In a statement announcing the funding, IDRIC said that the successful bids demonstrated how they would employ active dialogue and collaboration with key industrial stakeholders to ensure that outcomes and impact remain closely tied to industry needs. The funding extends IDRIC’s current research programme of 40 projects.

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Projects to receive support through the latest funding round include carbon capture and utilisation projects from Bath, Sheffield, Loughborough and Aston Universities; next-gen/low-carbon fuel technology projects from Southampton and Cardiff Universities; a hydrogen storage project from Manchester University; and direct air capture and general decarbonisation pathway projects from Imperial College London, amongst others.

“We were delighted by the quality and volume of applications received in response to our funding call and as a result we have awarded funding to projects that address a wide range of pressing research priorities,” said Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer, champion and director IDRIC.

“IDRIC’s programme has demonstrated that we have the tools to transform industry and make it an engine of green growth. Our Wave 2 funding accompanied by the continued support of industry and academia will further enhance innovative decarbonisation solutions at pace and scale in the industrial heartlands, where it matters most.”