TO BE PUBLISHED February 2027
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This conference will examine next steps for advanced materials in the UK, including what is needed to advance national economic and strategic priorities alongside meeting the commercial and industrial requirements of UK businesses. Areas for discussion include the Government's policy approach and industry priorities, security of supply and international dependencies, investment and manufacturing capability, routes from research to commercial use, and the contribution of skills, infrastructure and new technologies.
With advanced materials identified as one of six frontier industries in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, the conference will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess the approach set out in the Government's Industrial Strategy, alongside the response from industry and other stakeholders. Delegates will consider the scope for public intervention, including where policy and investment support may be most needed, and priorities for developing the UK's capabilities in advanced materials and their industrial application.
The agenda will examine the £80m National Materials Innovation Programme and related initiatives aimed at bringing research and innovation into industrial use. Delegates will assess priorities for addressing obstacles to commercialisation and scale-up, potential frameworks for closer collaboration between research organisations, manufacturers and industrial customers, and the respective roles of public funding and private investment. The contribution of the developing materials roadmaps will also be considered, including their relevance to industry needs and the coordination of national and sector-specific priorities.
The conference will also examine security and cost of supply, against a background of international competition, concentrated sources of critical materials and changing geopolitical and trading relationships. Delegates will consider the Government's Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy and associated investment measures, alongside the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme and wider concerns about industrial energy costs. Priorities for domestic processing and recycling, international partnerships and supply chain resilience will be assessed, together with the commercial and policy conditions influencing decisions about manufacturing and investment in the UK.
Further discussion will examine the longer-term requirements for industrial capability, including workforce skills, regional strengths, the recovery and reuse of high-value materials, as well as the application of digital technologies to materials development and manufacturing. Delegates will examine practical priorities arising from the Henry Royce Institute's National Framework for Materials 4.0, including data sharing, standards and access to digital tools. The international context will also be considered, including the EU's planned Advanced Materials Act and its potential implications for regulatory approaches, market access and competition.
Policy priorities, innovation programmes & industry needs
Delegates will examine priorities for advanced materials policy and the contribution of national innovation programmes, including the arrangements for bringing together government, research organisations and industry. Discussion will consider the respective interests of industrial customers, manufacturers and other stakeholders in determining priorities, and approaches to coordinating research and innovation with commercial requirements.
Areas for discussion include:
- policy priorities: the Industrial Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan - proposals for a wider UK materials strategy - coordination between departments, agencies and industry
- innovation programmes:
- the National Materials Innovation Programme - early feasibility studies and collaborative research and development funding
- SME participation and industrial customer involvement - priorities for future support
- research & industry:
- National Materials Innovation Strategy - strengthening links between universities, Catapults, the Henry Royce Institute and manufacturers
- the role of the Materials Innovation Leadership Group in informing policy
- sector roadmaps:
- Metamaterials Commercialisation Roadmap and forthcoming UK Advanced Ceramics Roadmap
- industry requirements and commercial applications - relationship with defence, energy, life sciences and other sector priorities
Competitiveness, investment & skills
The conference will consider what is needed to attract and sustain investment in advanced materials development and manufacturing in the UK. Delegates will assess the significance of energy and other operating costs, access to finance, skills and industrial infrastructure, alongside priorities for improving manufacturing capacity and the commercial conditions facing businesses of different sizes.
Areas for discussion include:
- energy costs:
- the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme and planned relief from April 2027
- eligibility and the position of materials processors and smaller suppliers outside the scheme - implications for investment and competitiveness
- finance & scale-up:
- patient capital and private investment - financing first-of-a-kind manufacturing facilities
- the roles of the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank - commercial requirements for attracting investment
- investment decisions: operating costs, infrastructure and regulatory certainty - internationally mobile investment - incentives and manufacturing conditions in competing locations
- standards & regulation:
- testing standards and regulatory requirements for new materials and industrial applications
- compatibility with international standards and requirements for access to export markets
- workforce:
- strategy for meeting demand for materials scientists, process engineers, technicians and digital skills
- priorities for the forthcoming Advanced Manufacturing Jobs Plan - apprenticeships, training and workforce development
- regional capability: existing industrial strengths and emerging clusters - connections between universities, Catapults, SMEs and manufacturers - local access to facilities, finance and specialist skills
Critical materials, supply chain resilience & circularity
Priorities for securing access to critical materials and managing risks will be assessed, in the context of concentrated international supply chains, export restrictions and geopolitical uncertainty. Sessions will examine the respective roles of UK production, processing and recycling, and international partnerships, including the commercial viability of developing additional domestic capability and the requirements of industrial users.
Areas for discussion include:
- critical minerals policy:
- Vision 2035 targets for domestic production, recycling and diversified supply - implementation priorities
- investment and commercial requirements for UK processing and refining
- programme delivery:
- the £50m Critical Minerals Programme - Magnet Hub, Critical Minerals Accelerator and Demand Aggregation Platform
- industry participation, financing and demand commitments
- supply chain security:
- strategic dependencies and exposure to international restrictions - requirements of defence, energy and manufacturing industries
- sourcing strategies, international partnerships and options for domestic capability
- circular materials:
- recovery and reuse of composites, alloys, polymers and magnets
- quality and availability of secondary materials - standards, traceability and investment in viable markets for recovered materials
Routes to market, manufacturing & industrial use
Further sessions focus on priorities for bringing advanced materials into commercial production and use, including the requirements of industrial customers and the practical and financial considerations involved in introducing new materials. Delegates will also assess the contribution of manufacturing infrastructure, procurement and digital technologies to commercial development, and the scope for UK businesses to participate in domestic and international markets.
Areas for discussion include:
- industrial requirements:
- performance, quality, cost and continuity of supply - commercial benefits and risks of introducing new materials
- requirements of aerospace, automotive, energy, defence and other industrial customers
- testing & qualification: validation, certification and qualification for industrial applications - cost and timescales for businesses and SMEs - access to specialist testing facilities
- manufacturing capability:
- pilot, demonstration and production facilities - manufacturing readiness
- integrating materials into existing products and processes - collaboration between larger manufacturers and smaller suppliers
- customer demand: procurement and early customer commitments - defence and other strategic sectors - long-term purchase contracts and commercial routes to market - export opportunities
- Materials 4.0:
- materials data, modelling, simulation and artificial intelligence - data sharing and interoperability
- application of digital tools in development, qualification and production - costs and requirements for industrial adoption
- international markets: EU Advanced Materials Act and developing regulatory approaches - market access and international standards - collaboration and implications for UK competitiveness
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for the Economy, NI; Health and Safety Executive; Office for Investment; National Wealth Fund; and the Welsh Government.
