The Nanotech Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), part of the University of Southampton, is set to receive £3.3m ($5.11m) to develop nanotechnology research facilities.
The grant, which was awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, will be used to develop ‘trial run’ amounts of solid-state batteries and other energy storage devices in order to address the lack of support between prototype and full commercialisation.
Professor Brian Hayden, co-founder of Southampton spin-out Ilika, will manage the grant. The 2004 spin-out, which still maintains close ties with its parent university, stands to benefit from the laboratory and production facilities the grant will produce.
Graeme Purdy, chief executive of Ilika, commented: “The NanoKTN has been a consistent supporter of Ilika’s technology since the formation of the company. We have been working closely with the NanoKTN’s Nano4Energy focus group to promote the growing importance of the UK’s electrical energy storage devices market and believe that the findings of this focus group have positively influenced government’s understanding and appreciation of this important area. This grant award by the EPSRC is a translation of that same ethos into a direct investment. The award of this grant provides the University, Ilika and the UK with a unique scale-up facility with the ability to translate lab-scale innovation into prototype devices capable of generating significant commercial impact.”
