IDRIC secures additional funding to support UK industry transition to net zero

The UK’s Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) has been awarded £1 million in new funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) part of UK Research and Innovation, to continue its vital work in catalysing industrial decarbonisation in the UK.

The funding will allow IDRIC to maintain momentum and maximise its impact through continued knowledge sharing, supporting skills development, and providing key evidence to policymakers to accelerate industrial decarbonisation.

Since its launch in 2021, IDRIC has made major strides on the UK’s road to net zero by supporting challenge-led research projects, industry engagement activities, and policy initiatives.

To date, IDRIC has funded 100 research projects across 34 universities, creating an industrial decarbonisation ‘Knowledge Hub’ for research projects and cluster activities across the Black Country, Humber, Northwest, Scotland, Teesside, Solent and South Wales.

IDRIC has also supported policymakers at both the UK and devolved levels, carried out skills and training programmes and developed initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion for academia, industry and government.

Over the next 12 months, leveraging its convening power and knowledge-sharing capabilities, IDRIC will continue to develop its reputation as the place to go for industrial decarbonisation research.

It will foster a collaborative environment across its stakeholders through the co-delivery of an ‘Industry Net-zero Innovation Roadmap’ and adopt a whole systems approach that covers both technologies and social sciences including dissemination of a high-impact ‘Frontiers Report’ tailored to the needs of the community.

In this way, IDRIC will strengthen its position as a trusted and independent voice, whilst continuing the open sharing of best practices and knowledge exchange.

Lucy Martin, Deputy Director of Cross Council Partnerships, from EPSRC says:

“IDRIC will use the next 12 months to maximise the impact of the research and innovation delivered so far, while laying groundwork for the future research agenda and maintaining engagement across academia, industry, policymakers and other critical stakeholders. Through innovation and collaboration their work will pave the way for a cleaner, greener future.”