Innovate UK’s CLIMATES programme launches opportunities
The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains Programme (CLIMATES) has launched four Innovation Exchange Challenges.
Working with industrial partners to identify key challenges they face associated with the development of a UK based rare earth and permanent magnet supply chain has led to the development of the four challenges.
UK based organisations are invited to apply with solutions to the challenges and selected applicants will have the opportunity to pitch to the Challenge Holder. Subsequently successful projects will be awarded up to £25k over three months to explore their solution with the challenge holder with the possibility of further adoption upon successful trials.
Innovate UK Innovation Exchange is a cross-sector programme supporting innovation transfer by matching industry challenges to innovative organisations from a wide range of sectors. It does this through putting businesses with technical needs in contact with organisations who have innovative technology, for faster development of novel solutions.
CLIMATES supports the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy and aims to build and develop resilient supply chains to address this strategically important area with an initial focus on rare earth elements.
Utilised in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and wind turbines, permanent magnets made from rare earth elements are crucial in the development of net zero innovations. The programme supports the development of innovation in primary (mine to magnet) and secondary (End of Life to magnet) supply chains.
Challenge details
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Ionic Technologies is looking to use open innovation to prepare magnets from end-of-life wind turbines and other applications for chemical recycling and separation.
Find out more and apply
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Hirst Magnetics seeks to use open innovation to understand the unexplored dynamic nature of eddy current and hysteresis losses in permanent magnets in motors and generators.
Find out more and apply
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EMR are looking to explore ways to automate the disassembly of vehicle drive motors to separate out the permanent magnets and copper coil.
Find out more and apply
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Mkango Resources is looking to use open innovation to find a more efficient way of removing iron contamination from mixed metal oxide powders.
Find out more and apply
Application deadline for all challenges is 24 January 2024. To discuss further please contact Sheena Hindocha or Debra Jones.
Related programmes
Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains
This £15 million programme will support the development of resilient UK based supply chains for rare earth elements, with a focus on primary (mine to magnet) and secondary (End of Life to magnet) supply chains.
Innovation Exchange
Innovate UK KTN’s Innovation Exchange is a cross-sector programme supporting innovation transfer by matching industry challenges to innovative companies from other sectors. It does this by putting large businesses with technical needs in contact with companies who have the right innovative solutions, for faster development of novel solutions.