Materials Research Exchange (MRE) 2022

The Materials Research Exchange 2022 took place on 4th – 5th October, in the Business Design Centre in London. This annual event, organised and managed by Innovate UK KTN and Innovate UK, hosted projects and their research teams from across the UK to discuss their work with industrial representatives, investors and other experts in Materials disciplines. A range of seminar sessions ran alongside the exhibition floor, with a focus on materials for net zero. It was fantastic to see so many Materials experts from various industries together for the return of MRE in person.

SUSTAIN hosted a exhibition stand at the event, plus a panel session on day two titled “SUSTAINing UK Manufacturing – Steel’s contribution to a Net Zero UK” (recodring available below). Our panel of experts, hosted by SUSTAIN’s Deputy PI Professor Cameron Pleydell-Pearce, presented on a range of topics in this area, including:

·        Steel’s Contribution to a Net Zero UK – Richard Warren, UK Steel

·        Product Design for Low Carbon Solutions – Dr Laura Baker, Tata Steel UK

·        The Role of Skills in Delivering Net Zero – Dr Khalil Khan, Swansea University

Our panel also addressed steel’s place in a low carbon economy and the importance of retaining steelmaking in the UK.

This event was a great opportunity to reconnect with the Materials community in person, and share the progress which has been made across the industry in the development and implementation of sustainable practices and processes. MRE 2022 reiterated the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing across projects in both academia and industry to continue to progress on our journey to net zero. We look forward to attending again next year!