‘Transforming Foundation Industries’ ISCF challenge, was announced at the COP24 climate talks in Poland. It is aimed at transforming the UK’s foundation industries to make them internationally competitive, secure more jobs and greater sector growth by 2025.

Subject to business case, government is prepared to invest up to £66 million in this challenge.

The challenge will create a network of world-class pilot facility to demonstrate new and radical technologies; develop a technical road-map for cross-sectoral research, innovation and skills in the foundation industries and create long-lasting engagement between the wider research base and business innovation community to continually identify and prioritise sub-challenges where there are significant opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration.

KTN is supporting UKRI to bring together the innovators in the six foundation industries (glass, metals, cement, ceramics, chemicals and paper) in a deep dive workshop to:

Identify sector priorities for innovation themes
Identify cross cutting priorities
Describe the types of funding that would be useful (scale, frequency, TRL)
Give an indication of timescales

This is to help guide development of the challenge area prior to a final announcement.

Draft Programme

10.00: Registration/Coffee + Networking

10.45: Welcome & Introduction to the Workshop – Dr Robert Quarshie,KTN

10.50: Overview of the ISCF Challenge - Dr Ben Walsh, Innovate UK-UKRI

11.10: The Foundation Industries - Trends & Drivers - Industry presentations

12:00: Comfort Break

12.20: Introduction to Facilitated Workshop & Break-out Sessions – KTN/UKRI

13.00: Lunch + Networking

13.45: Break out discussions (facilitated)

15.45: Coffee Break

16.00: Group Feedback

16.45: Summary & Wrap Up

17.00: Close

Transforming Foundation Industries ISCF Challenge - 2nd deep dive workshop