Process Manufacturing
For chemical-based industries to respond to global challenges, we need to improve productivity and maintain the competitiveness of our manufacturing processes.
Process Manufacturing
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It is crucial for the UK to adopt newer, more intensive process technologies that are scalable, flexible and tolerant to alternative feedstocks. Enhancing capabilities will also need the adoption of advanced digital solutions that utilise the right data to increase productivity.
Innovate UK Business Connect can support organisations in connecting across sectors and capabilities to meet these new business needs. We will also encourage the development and adoption of processes for synthesis and catalysis that offer commercial advantages, and help increase adoption of techno-economic, whole-system approaches to optimised solutions.
Related Opportunities
iX Challenge: Novel processing methods to extract and refine nickel, copper and cobalt products from sulphide mineral concentrates
Opens: 16/04/2026 Closes: 29/05/2026
Aberdeen Minerals would like to find innovators who already have, or have the potential to develop, a novel mineral processing technology to extract and refine nickel, copper and cobalt products from sulphide mineral concentrates derived from North East Scotland. The challenge involves developing an
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Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: Alternative Fuels
Opens: 26/03/2026 Closes: 16/09/2026
Up to £150m total funding across 3 strands: this strand will fund the development and build of innovative alternative fuel vessels and accompanying port refuelling infrastructure.
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Metal recovery from wastewater integrated hydrogen production systems
Opens: 16/04/2026 Closes: 29/05/2026
HydroStar Europe Ltd is seeking innovators to provide selective, ideally electrochemical or electrolysis based, recovery solutions for metals such as magnesium, lithium and copper from wastewater streams.
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Growth Cohorts: Next generation low carbon concrete
Opens: 20/04/2026 Closes: 08/07/2026
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £11.5 million to create a cohort of ambitious businesses, across a two-stage competition, to accelerate concrete decarbonisation.
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iX Challenge: Steam Delivery Optimisation for Food Factory Use
Opens: 28/04/2026 Closes: 09/06/2026
Prima Foods seeks to install steam valves and steam metering systems to connect and control two non-identical steam ovens, allowing precise management of steam distribution, reducing energy waste, improving product consistency and enhancing yields and throughput.
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Advanced manufacturing supply chain innovation: CRD
Opens: 27/04/2026 Closes: 10/06/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £6.5 million for collaborative industrial research to make supply chains more productive, resource efficient and resilient.
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Related Events and Recordings
Related News
27/11/2025
The Science Apprenticeship Forum: Reflections on the 2025 Conference by Apprentices
The Science Apprenticeship Conference is designed specifically for science apprentices and aims to connect apprentices and celebrate their sector-wide impact.
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02/12/2025
Innovate UK and partners launch an Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to accelerate next-generation low-carbon concrete
An AMC is a promise to buy an innovative product before it is widely available in the market. By sending a strong demand signal, these commitments unlock investment and help innovators move from prototypes to full scale production much faster. Designed to speed up development and commercialisation, this AMC is paving the way for UK concrete innovation adoption.