Projects aim to accelerate UK transition to clean energy and sustainable materials while strengthening the country’s industrial and scientific leadership.
Two projects aim to accelerate UK transition to clean energy and sustainable materials while strengthening the country’s industrial and scientific leadership.
The University of Birmingham has been awarded funding for two pioneering research projects as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Prosperity Partnerships scheme.
These projects aim to accelerate the UK’s transition to clean energy and sustainable materials, addressing critical global challenges while strengthening the UK’s industrial and scientific leadership.
The Prosperity Partnerships initiative brings together leading UK universities and businesses to co-create and co-deliver transformative research. This year, EPSRC has invested £41 million in 23 new partnerships, matched by £56 million from industry and academic institutions.
Fusion energy holds the promise of virtually limitless, carbon-free power. Our research will help make this vision a reality by creating materials that can withstand the harsh conditions inside fusion reactors.
One of the University of Birmingham’s funded projects, led by Professor Arunodaya Bhattacharya in collaboration with Tokamak Energy, focuses on developing advanced shielding materials for fusion reactors.
These materials are essential for protecting future fusion power plants from extreme heat and radiation, ensuring stable and efficient operation.
Professor Bhattacharya commented: “Fusion energy holds the promise of virtually limitless, carbon-free power. Our research will help make this vision a reality by creating materials that can withstand the harsh conditions inside fusion reactors.”
The project supports the UK’s clean energy ambitions by enhancing energy security, creating skilled jobs, and attracting investment. It also positions the UK as a global leader in the race to commercial fusion power.
PLFs are essential to modern life, but their environmental fate is poorly understood. By developing models and tests that can rapidly and accurately predict how these polymers degrade in the environment, we can enable the development of truly sustainable PLF solutions that lower their environmental impact and help consumers make more sustainable choices.
Professor Andrew P. Dove leads a research partnership that is focussed on understanding the biodegradation of polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs), which are widely used in everyday products such as shampoos and cleaning agents, many of which cannot be recovered.
Jointly with Croda, BASF, Lubrizol, Unilever, the Centre for Process Innovation, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water and the Royal Society of Chemistry, the project will develop tools and test methods that will enable accurate prediction and testing of how these polymers degrade in the environment.
The project, titled Mission Biodegradability, aims to speed up biodegradable PLF development, and ensure future PLFs are environmentally non-persistent from the outset.
Professor Dove commented: “PLFs are essential to modern life, but their environmental fate is poorly understood. By developing models and tests that can rapidly and accurately predict how these polymers degrade in the environment, we can enable the development of truly sustainable PLF solutions that lower their environmental impact and help consumers make more sustainable choices.”
This research will contribute to the UK’s net-zero goals and support the development of safer, more environmentally friendly consumer products.
Science Minister, Lord Vallance said: “These partnerships show the range of real-world challenges the UK’s world-class research base is helping to tackle – from cutting carbon emissions in heavy transport, to improving access to life-saving medicines.
“By backing scientists to work hand-in-hand with industry, we’re combining cutting-edge research with business expertise to turn science into practical solutions that can make a difference in people’s daily lives.”
Since its launch in 2017, the Prosperity Partnerships scheme has supported 100 projects with over £600 million in combined investment. The initiative has fostered strong collaborations between academia and industry, leading to breakthroughs in areas such as zero-emissions transport, AI, and advanced manufacturing.
Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of EPSRC, commented: “These 23 ambitious projects present a significant investment in the UK’s future. From speeding up drug manufacturing to longer-lasting batteries, these partnerships have the potential to make a real difference to people’s lives and help boost the economy.”
For more information, please contact the University of Birmingham press office on or +44 (0) 121 414 2772.
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
For more information about the University of Birmingham’s research in clean energy and sustainable materials, visit: www.birmingham.ac.uk/research
Professor of Sustainable Polymer Chemistry
Staff profile for Andrew Dove, Professor in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham.
Chair in Fusion Energy
Profile of Professor Arunodaya Bhattacharya, Professor of Fusion Energy in the School of Metallurgy and Materials, at the University of Birmingham.
