Building the Energy Systems of Tomorrow
We bring together scientific, technological, and engineering excellence with strategic partnerships. We accelerate the transition to clean, resilient, and commercially scalable energy systems.
Energy innovation across the whole system
Our work spans the full energy system, including:
- hydrogen and electrification
- carbon removal
- batteries
- advanced materials that underpin future energy infrastructure
The breadth of our work allows us to connect breakthroughs across disciplines and deliver solutions at scale. Research and innovations include:
- developing next‑generation technologies to make carbon capture more scalable and less energy‑intensive
- advancing energy conversion, fuel cells, batteries and membrane technologies to enable cleaner energy generation
- working on process intensification and green chemistry, replacing fossil petrochemicals and advanced materials for electrification
- rethinking transport systems as the lead for the UK’s National Hub for Decarbonised Adaptable and Resilient Transport Infrastructures
Underpinning our work in energy are national and international collaborations. We also utilise doctoral training, education and skills, industrial partnerships and our Centres of Research Excellence.
International partnership for clean hydrogen
Hydrogen presents challenges across production, storage, transport and use. We want to overcome these barriers through international partnerships and large‑scale research programmes.
We’re leading an international programme that aims to translate hydrogen research into real‑world, commercial solutions. This work makes clean hydrogen a reality.
We're helping build the foundations for a global hydrogen economy. We work with academic, industrial, and governmental partners across the UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Our expertise covers the full hydrogen value chain, including:
- low‑carbon hydrogen production
- transport and storage infrastructure
- industrial applications and demand stimulation
Together, these efforts support the development of a globally competitive hydrogen economy. This accelerates industrial decarbonisation and creates long‑term economic value.
Translating research into scalable, commercial clean-tech solutions
When a discovery shows commercial potential, we turn it into real‑world impact. We create a new spin‑out company or license our intellectual property to organisations who can take it further.
We work together with industry, investors, and entrepreneurs. We help transform breakthrough ideas into products, services, and technologies that make a meaningful difference worldwide.
Commercialising emerging energy technologies
Each year researchers make new discoveries that could be breakthrough technologies. We support organisations to license IP, co‑develop solutions, and bring innovations to market quickly and responsibly, including:
- real‑time water‑quality monitoring
- high‑efficiency AC/DC/AC power converters
- water‑based adhesives enabling circular‑economy recycling
- cost‑efficient hydrogen production innovations
- membrane‑less electrolysers
- non‑thermal plasma systems to reduce combustion particulates
- smart coatings for thermal‑runaway detection in batteries
Creating new, investment-ready spin-out companies
Among our spin-out and start-up companies are several working in clean technology and sustainability, including:
- Advanced Electric Machines: industry-leading electric powertrains
- Dragonfly Insulation: exceptional thermal insulation from silica aerogels
- Kinewell Energy: reducing costs and boosting efficiency in offshore wind
- METZero: recovering energy and resources from wastewater
- Recovolt: reducing risk and recovering energy from battery recycling
Materials and chemical innovation for a low-carbon world
A low‑carbon economy depends on radical new ways of designing, making, and using the materials that underpin modern life.
We combine chemistry, engineering, bioscience and materials science to rethink industrial processes from the ground up. The aim is to cut emissions, reduce waste, and support cleaner, more resilient supply chains.
Our research and industrial partnerships focus on four priority areas:
- process intensification and green chemistry
- replacing fossil petrochemicals with sustainable alternatives
- advanced materials for electrification and lightweighting
- bio‑based innovation for consumer products
