Innovate UK Business Connect is exploring the potential for a new innovation network focused on materials and manufacturing in demanding nuclear environments. This online workshop brings together stakeholders from industry, academia, research organisations, supply chains, and government to help shape this opportunity.

Participants will contribute insights on key challenges, innovation needs, and collaboration opportunities, helping to determine whether a dedicated innovation network would provide value to the sector.

About the event

This workshop forms part of an initial scoping and discovery phase to better understand the materials and manufacturing challenges facing the nuclear sector in demanding environments. The session is designed to gather broad community input and inform future priorities, potential coordination, and opportunities for collaboration.

The session will be discussion-led, creating space for participants to share perspectives, highlight capability gaps, and explore where greater alignment or joint activity could accelerate progress. Short framing talks from key stakeholders will provide context on current challenges, emerging needs, and future opportunities across the ecosystem.

In addition to structured discussion, the workshop will support networking and connection-building across the community, helping participants identify shared interests, complementary capabilities, and potential collaborators.

The workshop will help determine whether a dedicated innovation network would provide value to the sector, including supporting commercial opportunities, strengthening UK supply chains, and contributing to long-term economic growth.

What areas of interest will be covered?

• Advanced materials for demanding environments
• Manufacturing and fabrication challenges
• Qualification, testing, and validation
• Harsh environment operation and longevity
• Inspection, monitoring, and maintenance
• Robotics and remote systems
• Digital tools, modelling, and simulation
• Decommissioning and waste-related challenges
• Cross-sector learning and enabling technologies

Who should attend?

We welcome participation from organisations working across:

• Nuclear fission, fusion, and supply chains
• Advanced materials and manufacturing
• Research, academia, and RTOs
• Technology SMEs and innovators
• Government, regulators, and innovation organisations

Whether you are developing new technologies, addressing operational challenges, supporting innovation, or looking to build collaborations, your input will help shape this emerging area.

Why attend?

By taking part, you will have the opportunity to:

• Contribute to shaping future activity and priorities
• Share perspectives on challenges and innovation needs
• Gain insight into current sector challenges and opportunities
• Hear from key stakeholders across the landscape
• Identify potential collaborators and partners
• Build connections across a cross-sector community
• Help inform whether and how an innovation network could support the sector

How can you get involved?

1. When registering for the workshop, participants are invited to complete a 3-4 minute survey to capture additional input on:
   • Technical and innovation challenges
   • Capability gaps
   • Collaboration opportunities
   • Community needs and priorities
   • Potential areas for future activity

   Responses are welcomed from both attendees and those unable to join the live session.

2. Participate in the Workshop Discussion
3. Express interest in a follow-up one-to-one conversation with the Knowledge Transfer Manager for Advanced Materials. Discussions are intended to provide space to explore challenges, capabilities, and collaboration interests in more detail.