Stronger than steel, lighter than air, or designed to mimic nature in extraordinary ways, advanced materials challenge our understanding of the physical world and drive innovation across a multitude of industries from aerospace to drug development.
They offer tantalising glimpse into the future, with a cross-sector influence that profoundly impacts the global economy, with nations and businesses racing to unlock new possibilities.
Nations around the world recognise the strategic importance of these materials. The United States, China, and Japan each hold leadership positions, shaped by their industrial strengths, research investments, and strategic priorities.
Take China - it dominates in production capacity and control over critical materials, such as rare earth elements. The United States leads in pioneering innovations and high-tech applications while Japan specialises in precision engineering and high-performance materials, particularly in carbon fibres and electronics.
UK role
Where does this leave the UK? We still play a significant role, particularly as industries like electronics, aerospace, defence, renewable energy, and biotechnology demand new material solutions. The North of England, in particular, stands out as a growing hub for materials innovation.
This region boasts a rich industrial heritage in chemicals, textiles, steel, and glass - a legacy that has paved the way for a thriving materials ecosystem supported by leading research-intensive universities and innovation centres.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation, has its northern England base at Sci-Tech Daresbury and with its partners is exploring how to further connect the region’s academic and industrial assets to advance its standing in advanced materials. By fostering collaboration, the goal is to drive economic growth and make the sum of the region’s expertise greater than its individual parts.
An independent report, Supporting the Growth of Advanced Materials in the North (2024), commissioned by STFC, highlights the region’s strong starting position. The report, conducted by Metro Dynamics, points to the North’s critical mass of researchers, established infrastructure, and a concentration of businesses working directly in materials development and application.
As a key science and technology hub in the North of England, Sci-Tech Daresbury, and its JV partner STFC, play a central role in the region’s materials innovation ecosystem. It connects academia, industry, and policymakers, ensuring that the region’s assets are leveraged effectively. It also invests in a range of laboratory facilities and infrastructure to support the growth of scaling materials businesses which will be further enhanced through the development of a new laboratory building V5 as part of the Violet Phase 2 development.
Scaling up
Success isn’t just about creating a new material but also about figuring out how to produce it at scale and integrate it into existing processes. The time required to develop, test, and commercialise these new materials can be extensive. Securing long-term investment is a persistent challenge.
Additionally, the broad scope of advanced materials makes it difficult to clearly communicate their impact to policymakers. Businesses engage with materials differently - as producers, users, or both. This can lead to challenges in defining industry boundaries and creating cohesive strategies.
As is often the case collaboration will be crucial in overcoming these issues. Developing new materials and scaling up production is a long and complex journey, requiring joint efforts between academia, startups, and established companies.
For start-ups in this sector, there is the challenge of transition from university labs to commercial facilities. However, things are changing on this front – there is an ongoing industry consultation by the Royal Society of Chemistry aimed at identifying constraints in creating more lab space for growing companies.
Digitalisation
Increasingly materials companies are looking at the utilisation of digital technologies to accelerate their product development processes and enhance their manufacturing operations and quality. At Sci-Tech Daresbury, STFC’s Hartree Centre, with its advanced computing capabilities and specialised infrastructure, provides crucial support for such businesses.
Ecosystems play a vital role in skills development. Clusters foster a talent pool that can move between companies within a given geography, reinforcing the sector’s strength. This is an area that STFC has been a pioneer in establishing its first cluster, the Harwell Space cluster over 10 years ago.
Many materials-focused businesses transition quickly from research-driven teams to operationally focused organisations, requiring diverse skill sets and strategic planning.
Take Evove, a company on our campus that developed a novel lithium-selective membrane for Direct Lithium Extraction. Its journey involved not only material innovation but also developing proprietary manufacturing processes. The company secured significant funding, including venture capital from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, to scale up operations.
The advanced materials sector holds immense promise for the future of manufacturing. As industry and academia deepen collaboration, regions like the North of England can position themselves as global leaders in materials science. By fostering clusters, enhancing infrastructure, and securing investment, the region can be instrumental in the UK shaping the next generation of materials innovation.
The race to develop and apply new materials is not just about technological breakthroughs - it’s about building a sustainable, competitive economy for the future. As companies continue to navigate the challenges of scaling up and commercialisation, the potential rewards - both economic and environmental - are too significant to ignore.
Phil Carvil (left) is Head of North West Clusters, Science and Technology Facilities Council and John Leake is Business Growth Director, Sci-Tech Daresbury
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