Innovate UK have announced an additional £30 million investment to extend its highly successful Innovation Accelerator pilot programme through to 2026. This funding ensures continued momentum in regional innovation and sustainability, further strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in research and development. Among the pioneering projects continuing under this extension is the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS), a strategic collaboration that brings together world-class research and industry expertise to accelerate sustainable materials innovation.
This latest investment builds on an initial £100 million already deployed through the Innovation Accelerator programme. Co-designed with city regions, the initiative has unlocked new technologies, attracted private sector investment, and sustained high-value jobs across multiple sectors.
CEAMS: Supporting Sustainable Materials Breakthroughs
CEAMS is a consortium-delivered initiative that acts as a bridge between academic research expertise, commercial exploitation and scale-up, supporting businesses in unlocking new opportunities, de-risking innovation, and adopting advanced materials solutions that drive economic growth and support the UK’s net-zero ambitions.
As a key CEAMS partner, the Henry Royce Institute (Royce) is committed to advancing the UK’s materials sector. CEAMS’ extension aligns closely with the priorities outlined in the National Materials Innovation Strategy (NMIS), reinforcing the UK’s ambition to be a world leader in materials science. The NMIS highlights the need for:
- Stronger industry-academic partnerships to accelerate materials adoption.
- Sustainable materials innovation as a key driver for net-zero goals.
- Increased regional impact through innovation clusters like those established in Greater Manchester.
CEAMS is already delivering on these priorities, fostering industry engagement, and translating pioneering materials research into real-world applications. Through targeted co-investment, strategic collaborations, and the integration of industrial partners into research programmes, CEAMS is helping to build a resilient and sustainable materials ecosystem for the UK.
Through CEAMS, Royce provides expertise and research support across a broad range of capabilities, including but not limited to sustainable polymers and circular materials, advanced coatings and surface engineering and life cycle assessment (LCA).
Additionally, the integration of Application Scientists within the Royce team at Manchester, supported by the University’s academics from across the Faculty of Science and Engineering, has provided businesses with access to hands-on expertise, accelerating the transition from research to real-world applications.
Photo of ‘CEAMS at Royce’ team.
Delivering Real-World Impact to Businesses
Over the course of its 2-year pilot, CEAMS’ efforts have resulted in over 40 projects, live or closed, marking a significant milestone in the programme’s ability to drive real-world outcomes.
Royce has played a central role in CEAMS’ success, leading 30 of the programme’s 40+ projects and contributing expertise to 34, demonstrating its commitment to driving the UK’s sustainable materials agenda.
These projects are already demonstrating tangible benefits. One example is Corrosion Resistant Products (CRP), which collaborated with CEAMS to identify suitable material alternatives to specific fluoropolymer-based ‘forever chemicals’, ahead of a proposed EU chemical ban that would significantly impact the company’s operations. By leveraging Royce’s expertise, CRP was able to streamline R&D decisions ahead of regulatory changes.
“CEAMS expertise brought a dedicated resource to conduct this research, as well as a wider knowledge of the engineering materials landscape, which in turn has provided much greater certainty to the results than if the research had been conducted in house at CRP.”
Driving Investment and Economic Growth
Through its consortium, CEAMS is designed to catalyse cross-sector and supply-chain collaborations across Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), helping businesses scale up innovation and improve productivity.
Royce is proud to have supported projects within CEAMS that have directly contributed to companies securing significant external investment, including Deakin Bio (£693k) and Chromition (791k).
“Thanks to the CEAMS project, we’ve managed to develop a minimum viable product that’s enabled us to go to investors and we’ve very recently had our first round of investment funding confirmed.”
– Aled Roberts, Founder and CEO, Deakin Bio
The Next Phase of CEAMS
As CEAMS moves into its next phase, Royce remains committed to driving sustainable advancements in materials which sit at the heart of multiple strategic sectors. By leveraging world-class research and industry partnerships, CEAMS will continue to drive economic growth and ensure a greener future.
For more information on CEAMS and Royce’s role in shaping the future of sustainable materials innovation, visit ceams.org.uk.
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The Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) is funded as part of the Innovation Accelerator programme. It will build on existing capability anchoring strategic businesses to the area.
Initially funded as a two-year pilot, CEAMS is led by a consortium of expert partners, including: Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Henry Royce Institute, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVM Catapult) and its centres: Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), National Composites Centre (NCC), Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
