National Materials Innovation Strategy

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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 Group, which 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

ScotCHEM Polymer & Soft Materials Conference II

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Join an amazing line-up of speakers at the 2023 ScotCHEM Polymers and Soft Materials Conference on 4 May, at the University of Edinburgh.

Register
Download programme (pdf)

Speakers

Dr Amit Kumar ‘Homogeneous (De)hydrogenative Catalysis for A Circular Economy’ – University of St Andrews

Dr Ruaraidh McIntosh ‘Balancing Sustainability with Activity in Polymerisation Catalysis’ – Heriot Watt University

Dr Paul Hunt ‘Practicality of Making Sustainable Polymers’ – Croda International

Dr Emily Draper ‘Using Supramolecular Assembly for Flexible Organic Materials’ – University of Glasgow

Prof Mike Ingleson ‘Electrophilic borylation as a route to generate deep LUMO / near IR-emitting small molecules and polymers’ – University of Edinburgh

Dr Ketan Pancholi ‘Magnetic Polymer Nanocomposites Incorporating Metal-Organic Frameworks: Tailored Synthesis for Targeted Applications’ – Robert Gordon University

Dr Ross Minty ‘The role of residual stress at the fibre-matrix interface in composite materials’ – University of Strathclyde

Welcome

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Welcome to all new students joining our chemistry departments!

Follow @CHEMScot on Twitter to receive news of all forthcoming events.

Our future health innovation seed funding

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This funding aims to support researchers in the development of their independent research and their affiliation with the industry sector.

Scope of Prize

In May 2021 SULSA and SINAPSE, with support from additional Research Pools and Innovation Centres organised the Our Future Health workshop as part of the Research Innovation Scotland series, in partnership with KTN. This new funding call builds on the success of this workshop and its subsequent activities and is joint-funded across five Research Pools (SULSA, ScotCHEM, SUPA and SICSA) and two Innovation Centres (IBioIC and CENSIS). Researchers from across these Pools are all eligible to apply for this scheme.

Researchers can apply for between £5,000 – £15,000, which must be match funded by an industrial partner or show a strong case for commercialisation of your research. Applications must focus on one of four topics:

  • Big Data in Health
  • Development of Advanced Therapies or Vaccines
  • Biomanufacturing of Drugs or Therapeutics
  • Medical Devices or Sensors

This fund is aimed at early lecturers/PIs to support development of their independent research and their affiliation with the industry sector. The project should aim to foster new projects and collaborations across the academic and industry sector and drive novel and exciting research and innovation.

Projects should have a significant consideration for sustainability post-award and show demonstrable potential for securing funding leverage. This scheme is not for continued funding of existing projects.

Applicants are encouraged to reach out to innovation centres and similar organisations where appropriate when developing their application.

Workshop

Our Future Health Innovation Seed Funding Workshop

Eligibility

Essential:

  • The academic lead applicant should be early stage lecturer/PIs (either within the ECR criteria of 8 years post-PhD award or within the first 3 years of your first independent position).
  • There must be an industrial co-applicant with agreed match funding as cash or in-kind contributions*
  • All academic applicants must be employed within a SULSA, ScotCHEM, SICSA or SUPA member university.
  • All applicants must have at least 12 months remaining on their contract/current funding from the 1st January 2022. If your contract is ending before then, you are still eligible if you can secure a letter from your host institution confirming that your contract will be extended.

* For applications for the commercialisation of research where there is not an industry partner tied in this is not required, however you must show a strong case of support from a business development specialist.

Desirable:

  • Additional co-applicants can be academics, post-graduate students, technologists and technicians, or anyone with a PhD employed as a researcher. Including ECRs, with a defined plan of engagement and CPD, will be looked favourably upon.
  • We would encourage applications to be multidisciplinary and collaborative across multiple national or international universities.
  • Engagement with an Innovation Centre or similar external organisation.
  • Further funding agreed in principle.

Conditions

  • Between £5,000 and £15,000 is available per application. For industry-partner applications the amount requested must be match funded by the industry partner. This award can be used to cover consumables and facilities access only, it is not for staff costs.
  • Match funds from the industry partner can be extended to in-kind contributions, or be a combination of cash and in-kind. In-kind contributions might include consumables, use of lab space or facilities, or industry staff time.
  • Between 4 – 12 projects will be awarded, depending on the amount requested for suitable applications.
  • We expect that funds will be awarded in June 2022.
  • The Innovation Centres listed will be involved in the review process, as will external partners, and there is potential for suitable applications to be supported and/or developed by these centres.
  • Connecting with relevant organisations external to your academic institution will be seen as a strength, these do not have to be Innovation Centres.
  • Funds will be awarded to the lead applicant’s institution.
  • Updates on the collaboration will be provided to SULSA as and when requested. SULSA reserves the right to clawback funds not used in accordance with these terms and conditions.
  • A short report (template will be provided) to be submitted to SULSA 3-months into the project summarising expected outputs. Industry partners must agree to this prior to the award being funded. If funded through an Innovation Centre, other reports may also be required, including from the industrial partner.

Applications

Judging Criteria:

Applications will be reviewed in two stages, first for scientific quality by the relevant Research Pool reviewing panel and secondly by an external panel who will consider:

  • The novelty, innovative nature and need for the project
  • Impact and commercial feasibility of project
  • The collaborative strength
  • Engagement of external organisations
  • Potential to leverage further funding
  • Sustainable and impactful outcomes
  • Consideration of group member support

How to Apply

Call is now closed. 

Please submit your application (merged into a single PDF) to [email protected] at SULSA by 5pm on Monday 4th April 2022.

Notification of Outcome:

Successful applications will be notified by email.

Payment of Funds

If successful, funds will be transferred to your lead Institution. Funds must be spent within 12 months of the date of transfer. Upon request funds can be divided up between applicant’s host institutions.

Reporting

You must provide the SULSA administration with project updates and outcomes at 3 months and 12 months post-award. If this project leads to a published article, or leverages grant funding, please contact the SULSA administration to make them aware. Projects in receipt of funding from CENSIS or IBioIC will receive additional monitoring and support of the project.

These grants are provided by the Scottish Funding Council and must therefore comply with constitute Subsidy Control (previously State Aid).

[Last updated: 20 April 2022]

SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme: ScotCHEM European Exchanges

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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

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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

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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.

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