Swansea University will lead the new Indigenous Green-steel for Net-zero Innovation and Enterprise (IGNITE) project. The £22 million project, aims to revolutionise the UK’s steel supply chain through cutting-edge university research.
Throughout its seven-year research program, IGNITE will strive to boost domestic steel production, cut emissions, and support low-carbon business models. It also intends to develop better ways to manage, track and recycle high-quality scrap, while also reshaping steel design and use to improve longevity.
The project will be led by Professor Cameron Pleydell-Pearce of Swansea University and be funded by both the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (£11 million), and partner funding (£11.9 million).
Professor Playdell-Pearce said: "Steel has never been more important to the UK; it’s a key material in everyday life. If something’s not made of steel, it’s made using steel.
The IGNITE Hub will give us the opportunity to work with industry, supporting the resilience of the UK’s manufacturing sector on the road to net-zero. This ground-breaking project will benefit everyone who relies on and uses steel products.”
The project brings together partners from across the supply chain, including steelmakers, scrap processors and policy makers. Some of the strategic partners involved included: British Steel, Network Rail, and Rolls-Royce.
Swansea University will lead the network in collaboration with the Universities of Leicester, Sheffield and Warwick.
