Manchester's graphene spin-outs attract substantial investment for sustainable innovation

Graphene Flagship Partner the University of Manchester's graphene innovation ecosystem is renowned for its success in attracting investment to northern England. Here are some outstanding examples.

$1 billion deal for Graphene Innovations Manchester

In March 2023, Graphene Innovations Manchester Ltd formed an international partnership with Quazar Investment Company to create a new company in the United Arab Emirates. The investment vision, worth a total of $1billion, will be one of the most ambitious projects to date to fast-track the commercialisation of 2D materials. This ambitious project also aims to create a 'Sustainable Materials Translational Research Centre' as part of the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator programme.

Nationwide Engineering Research and Development (Nerd) received multimillion pound funding for Concretene

The Nationwide Engineering Research and Development (Nerd) received £8M of seed funding from the venture capital firm LocalGlobe and formed strategic partnerships with Black Swan Graphene and Arup to further develop a graphene-enhanced admixture for concrete, known as Concretene. This admixture uses around 30% less concrete, reducing the carbon footprint of a construction project, and has attracted significant market attention. According to “The New Civil Engineer” website: “Nerd is working alongside project partners including Heathrow and Manchester Airports, Network Rail, National Highways and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for early adoption of Concretene.”

Molymem was awarded an investment for its water membrane technology

Manchester spin-off Molymem has developed an energy-efficient membrane coating based on modified molybdenum disulphide for use in water filtration. Molymem has been awarded an investment funding package of £500,400 from private investors, such as Cambridge Angels, Manchester Angels, and NorthInvest. The water filter can be tailored to remove particulate contaminants found in water, such as nitrates, phosphates, PFAS/PFOS, dissolved organics, and heavy metals.

Watercycle Technologies won an Innovate UK grant for lithium extraction

Watercycle Technologies has won a £500,000 Innovate UK Smart Grant, in partnership with Cornish Lithium, to test its direct lithium extraction process in the historic mining district of Cornwall, UK. Due to the increasing demand of lithium for batteries, such as for electric vehicles, extracting this metal from water cost-effectively is considered a crucial opportunity to support UK's Net Zero strategy.

References 

Manchester spin-out signs $1 billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges 

Concretene cements its future with £8m funding (thetimes.co.uk)

Manchester spin-out that looks to revolutionise water filtration gets £500,000 funding boost

UoM spin-out Watercycle Technologies wins Innovate UK grant for lithium extraction