Critical Materials for Magnets (Innovate UK) - Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains Programme

Country / jurisdiction: United Kingdom · Year: 2023 · Status: In force · Level: National · Type: Voluntary

Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and provides funding, expert advice, and networking opportunities to foster innovation across various sectors, including technology, manufacturing, and energy. Through its CLIMATES programme , Innovate UK will invest up to GBP 5 million in innovation projects focused on circular critical materials supply chains.

One of its key initiatives is the Critical Materials for Magnets: Strand 2 , which focuses on supporting mid- and late-stage research and development (R&D) for materials essential in the production of magnets. This initiative aims to enhance the UK’s capability in developing sustainable and high-performance magnet materials, crucial for applications in electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, and electronics.

Key objectives of this strand include:

Research and Development : Funding R&D projects that advance the understanding and processing of critical materials for magnets, particularly rare earth elements (REEs) and alternatives.

Circular Supply Chains : Supporting projects focused on identifying, collecting, sorting, separating, and dismantling end-of-life products containing REEs, as well as the circular design of products with high-performance magnets. This includes the safe and economic removal of magnets from end-of-life products, valorisation of scrap materials produced during magnet manufacture, and the development of novel, sustainable routes for processing recovered REE materials.

Sustainability : Promoting environmentally friendly practices, ensuring that the supply chain is not only sustainable and resilient but also compliant with environmental, societal, and governance (ESG) standards. Solutions for ensuring the provenance of REE materials, such as sustainability models for life cycle analysis, embedded carbon accounting, and monitoring of radioactivity and societal impacts, will be encouraged.

Official source: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1511/overview/19778eba-448f-4bc7-a86c-afc17e9d2ab9#dates