University of Birmingham helps shape national plan to turn metamaterials research into industry

University of Birmingham scientists have helped draw up a national plan to turn the UK's lead in metamaterials research into new products, industries and jobs over the next decade.

The UK Metamaterials Commercialisation Roadmap, published by the government-led Metamaterials Strategy Action Group, sets out the steps needed to take the technology out of laboratories and into factories. Birmingham co-leads the UK Metamaterials Network with the University of Exeter, and its experts played a leading role in shaping the plan.

What are metamaterials?

Metamaterials are specially designed structures that can do things ordinary materials cannot. By arranging materials in precise patterns, scientists and engineers can create new abilities, from controlling light and sound to improving energy efficiency and sensing.

The possible uses are wide. The university lists next-generation augmented reality, advanced biosensing, wireless power transfer, better solar energy systems, and technologies for managing extreme temperatures and recovering waste heat. Industries expected to benefit include energy, aerospace, defence, security, healthcare and information technology.

Five priorities

The roadmap names five areas for action: the wider ecosystem, innovation, manufacturing, assurance and skills. It aims to help the UK build on its position as the world's leading nation for the impact of its metamaterials research, while tackling the harder job of scaling up manufacturing and getting products to market.

Professor Rachel O'Reilly MBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Birmingham, said: "The publication of this roadmap marks an important milestone for the UK's metamaterials community. While the UK already leads the world in research impact, realising the full benefits of metamaterials will require coordinated investment in skills, manufacturing and commercialisation."

She added: "By connecting the University of Birmingham's scientific excellence with industrial ambition, the roadmap provides a pathway to create new technologies, strengthen national capability and unlock economic opportunities across a wide range of sectors."

A network of 1,300

The UK Metamaterials Network, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, brings together more than 1,300 members from universities, industry, research organisations and government.

Dr Claire Dancer, the network's co-lead and an associate professor at Birmingham, said the launch "represents a defining moment, positioning the UK at the forefront of an enabling and transformative technology".

"We see the Roadmap charting a course towards the UK becoming a global leader in commercialising metamaterials research and innovation, contributing to our nation's security and prosperity," she said.

Keeping the lead

The roadmap is candid about the risk. Without investment in manufacturing, commercial scale-up and getting products to customers, it warns, the UK could lose ground internationally despite its research strength. Its answer is a shared national mission to speed up the commercial use of metamaterials while keeping the research base strong.

The Metamaterials Strategy Action Group is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the government's business and science departments. Its members include the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Innovate UK, the Institute of Physics, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the National Physical Laboratory.

For Birmingham, the plan is another sign of the city's growing place in advanced materials and manufacturing, with researchers in Edgbaston helping to set the direction for a technology that could shape industries for decades.